‘Where the Hell Have You Been?’ House Democrat Gives Republicans Blunt Greeting After Long Absence

Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) welcomed back his Republican colleagues on the House Rules Committee by mocking their long absence.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has kept the House out of session for weeks amid the government shutdown, which began on Oct. 1 when the Senate failed to muster the 60 votes necessary to advance a government funding bill. Democrats withheld their votes in exchange for an extension of healthcare premium subsidies for Obamacare recipients, but Republicans refused. This week, however, eight Democrats relented and joined GOP senators to back the bill without the subsidies extension. Unless Congress acts, the subsidies will expire on Dec. 31, and most of the 24 million beneficiaries will see their premium costs double, on average.

On Tuesday, the Rules Committee met to take up the bill, which is expected the pass the Republican-controlled House.

Committee Chair Virginia Foxx (R-NC) gave her opening remarks and yielded to McGovern “for any comments he wishes to make.”

McGovern began:

Well hello, Madam Chair. Welcome back. Long time no see. I hardly recognize you guys. Where the hell have you been? It’s good to see you back in the Capitol building We’ve been looking everywhere for you guys. Seriously, we were worried. We actually started handing out missing person posters. Nobody has seen you for eight weeks. But hey, I’m glad that you’re ok. I’m glad you survived your nice two-month paid vacation while Democrats stayed in Washington to try to end this shutdown.

But here’s the deal. Most Americans think that what Republicans did, skipping town in a shutdown, has been one of the most disgraceful, embarrassing, pathetic eras in the modern history of the House of Representatives. For eight weeks, eight weeks, Speaker Johnson let you all stay home while Americans missed paychecks, skipped meals him, and watched their costs explode. Republicans quiet-quit their jobs.

The lawmaker went on to say that some of his constituents showed him letters they had received telling them their healthcare premiums are “skyrocketing.”

“They’re doubling and they’re tripling,” McGovern said. “Not because of Democrats, but because Republicans are failing to act.”

Watch above via C-SPAN.