‘WAKE UP!’ Re-Elected Rep. Goes OFF on Partisan Drama, Hyperbole and Histrionics in Stunning Speech to Full Chamber

Recently re-elected House Representative Tom Suozzi had a strong message for Congress moments after taking his oath: “Wake up!”

Suozzi recently won a run-off in New York’s 3rd Congressional District in Long Island to fill the seat vacated by the ouster of former Rep. George Santos. Suozzi won a highly contested race in the purple district, in part due to his tough-on-the-border rhetoric, which appealed to centrists as well as many Republican voters.

Suozzi took his oath of office to a nearly full House chamber, and after sharing some niceties about his family, he turned to urge both sides of the aisle.

“Mr. Speaker, on the night of my election victory, I promised the people of Long Island in Queens I would deliver a simple message to this chamber. Wake up!” he said. “The people are sick and tired of the finger-pointing and the petty partisan bickering. They want us to work together. They want you guys to work together, too. What are you doing?”

And he was only getting started. He defended his run for office on a strong border policy, insisting that he is still very much a “true blue dyed-in-the-wool” Democrat, but returned to urging both sides of the aisle.

“I’ve talked with Democrats, Republicans, and independents, and they all asked the same thing. What about me? What are you doing for me?” Suozzi continued. “Enough with the theater and the drama. Enough of the hyperbole and the histrionics. Enough with the shutdowns and the put downs. The people aren’t paying us to make things worse. The people pay us to be in the solutions business.”

Read the rest of his statement below:

Mr. Speaker, on the night of my election victory, I promised the people of Long Island in Queens I would deliver a simple message to this chamber. Wake up. The people are sick and tired of the finger-pointing and the petty partisan bickering. They want us to work together. They want you guys to work together, too. What are you doing? Supposed to be clapping for that.

I know there are so many good people in this chamber on both sides of the aisle, but people are worried about the cost of living. They’re worried about the chaos at the border. They’re worried about Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine. They look to Congress, and what do they see? The extremists get all the attention. We’re letting ourselves be bullied by our base. We aren’t getting anything done. We need less chaos and more common sense the last few months.

I’ve talked with Democrats, Republicans and independents and they all asked the same thing. What about me? What are you doing for me? Enough with the theater and the drama. Enough of the hyperbole and the histrionics. Enough with the shutdowns and the put downs. The people aren’t paying us to make things worse. The people pay us to be in the solutions business.

Mr. Speaker, you and I came to Congress together in 2017. I remember when you founded the Honor and Civility Caucus. You said at the time it was to restore collegiality and encourage productive dialogue. Sign me up. Sign me up right away. Mr. Speaker, I know you believe in collegiality and productive dialogue. We need more of that and less of the hot air. Fanning the flames of anger. That happens much too often in our country these days.

But, Mr. Speaker, after my recent election, you said something. I must gently take exception to you — Said Tom Suozzi ran like a Republican. Now, I know you meant that as a compliment. Let me be clear, Mr. Speaker. I’m a true blue dyed-in-the-wool Democrat. But more importantly, like you, Mr. Speaker, and the men and women in this chamber. I am a true blue, dyed-in-the-wool American. Like any patriot of the greatest country on earth, I’m willing to compromise. To try and solve problems like the chaos at the border.

The bipartisan Senate bill doesn’t have everything I wanted. I believe the Dreamers and TPS recipients should be granted a pathway to citizenship. And millions and millions of others should have a path to legalization. But I will support a bipartisan compromise because to not do so will keep the border open. It will endanger peace in Israel. And it will empower Vladimir Putin. I know compromise is hard in this town, Mr. Speaker. But bring a bipartisan compromise to the floor, and I guarantee it will pass.

All of the issues we face in this country are complicated. Complicated. Every single one of them. And you can’t solve anything in an environment of fear and anger. We can’t fix them with a tweet or a press conference, or even a speech. I know many of you in this chamber. I know a whole lot of you. You’re inspired to do this work because of the command. Love thy neighbor. Let’s actually do that. Let’s do the hard work and get back to the solutions business.

Sadly, many of the people in America believe Democrats and Republicans can’t work together. They’ve told me, “Tom. Wake up. You’ve got to face the real world.” But the real world is not something we must simply face. The real world is something that we, as free men and women, actively create. We make the real world.

I love this country. My father came here from Italy as a young boy, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross during World War Two, and he went to Harvard Law School on the GI Bill. It’s hard to imagine today, but he faced rampant discrimination as an Italian immigrant. And no one would hire him even though he went to Harvard. So he started his own law firm, and at 28 years old, he ran for city court judge and became the youngest judge in the history of New York State. What a country. My father lived a great American success story, like many of the stories in this room, and I’ll do everything I can to honor my father’s legacy. More important? I’ll do everything I can to honor this nation’s legacy.

We all know what politics has become. Let’s think about what it could be. Well, I may be the only one being sworn in today. What if we all see this as a fresh start? What if we all took this chance to break some of our bad habits? What if today we remembered why we ran for office in the first place? Let’s get back into the solutions business.

God bless the men and women of this chamber. God bless the important work we do. And God bless the United States of America. Thank you.

Watch above via CSPAN.