‘Honestly, What the Hell Is Wrong With You?’: McGovern Goes Scorched Earth on ‘This Disgraceful Republican Majority’ in Floor Speech
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) unloaded on Republicans ahead of a censure vote regarding one of his Democratic colleagues.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) falsely pulled a fire alarm at the Capitol in September before a vote on a government funding bill. He has pleaded guilty to one local criminal charge. The lawmaker said he pulled the alarm by mistake, but many Republicans aren’t buying that explanation.
Shortly after McGovern spoke on the floor, a vote to table the censure resolution failed, paving the way for a final vote on whether to censure, which is a form of public rebuke. Lawmakers do not face material consequences from such a resolution.
On Wednesday, McGovern slammed the censure resolution and the GOP majority:
Mr. Speaker, this is a profoundly stupid resolution. Under Republican control, this chamber has become a place where trivial issues get debated passionately and important ones, not at all. Republicans have focused more on censuring people in this Congress than passing bills that help people we represent or improving this country in any way. What a waste of time and money. They have turned this place into a joke! They came into the majority talking a big game, but it delivered nothing – not a single damn thing. They talk about passing this and passing that. All their hyper-partisan bills are going nowhere.
What we’re now doing is distracting from the fact that the Republican agenda has been a total and complete failure. The list of– the least productive Congress in history, the most rules failed in a single year. They dragged America to the brink of default twice, almost shut down the government, wasted weeks fighting about who should be speaker, hitting each other in the hallways.
And it’s all because we should– we should be talking about important issues in this chamber, Mr. Speaker. We should be addressing healthcare costs, helping Americans build economic security, competing with our adversaries abroad, and investing in our people at home. We just had a shooting in Las Vegas today. We should be talking about preventing gun violence in this country. And you have us here talking about how someone tried to go out the wrong door of the Cannon House Office Building?
I mean, honestly, what the hell is wrong with you?
McGovern went on to read Bowman’s apology for the incident and concluded by saying, “Sadly, it’s just a typical week for this disgraceful Republican majority.”
Watch above via C-SPAN.
