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Scalise: The American Dream Has Never Been Stronger

February 5, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C.—House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), and Congressman Mike Johnson (R-La.) at today's leadership press stakeout to discuss Democrats' meltdown following President Trump's State of the Union address.

Whip Scalise criticized Democrats' attempt to tear America apart just to tear down President Trump. But despite their efforts, President Trump has unleashed the comeback of the American dream.

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Click here or on the image above to view the remarks.


On finally putting an end to Democrats' political vendetta:

"Thank you, [Rep. Mike Johnson]. Thanks for your leadership with all of our other colleagues that have been representing the President so well in this impeachment, this political vendetta that it clearly has been from the beginning. I'm glad it's going to finally end today, and it's going to end in acquittal. It'll be only the second time in our country's history, where a majority of Senators voted for acquittal because they recognize there was no crime. Every other impeachment started with a crime, and then went through to see if it was removable. In this case, there was never a crime. There was the hope by Speaker Pelosi and all of the radical socialist Democrats who started this, to try to find something. And they never did, and yet they still put the country through this.

"And it's a shame that they did it. There were so many really important issues that we could have come together on, things that the President talked about last night, like lowering prescription drug prices, where we came together, Republicans and Democrats, to pass a package of bills out of [the Energy and Commerce Committee] to lower drug prices, and it came out unanimously. The President would have signed that package, but the Speaker won't bring those kinds of bipartisan bills to the Floor because she has been so fixated with her own power, with impeaching the President because she disagrees with the results of the 2016 election and she's scared to death that this President will win again."


On President Trump's strong message of American optimism and empowerment:

"And, frankly, the President showed last night why he's got such a strong case to make to the nation to get re-elected for another four years, because of what he's done to deliver on the promises that he made in 2016, and now it's working for families across this country. The theme was the Great American Comeback, and the President gave this optimistic view of what's happening in the country, not for people in Washington and for their power, but how he's empowered people across this country, how he has fought for those forgotten men and women of this country who were left behind by Washington for so long. He's delivering for families who want a chance at the American dream. And that chance at the American dream has never been stronger for people all across this nation in every sector, whether it's the lowest unemployment for African-Americans, for Hispanics, women-owned businesses are up.

"And what did the Democrats do? Do they applaud other people's success? No, they sit down. I thought it was so telling, that when we're applauding the success of hardworking families across the country, they're sitting down if it doesn't mean government's not the reason that you're being successful, you're successful because you've actually gone and reached out for your own piece of the American dream, they don't applaud that."


On Speaker Pelosi's unbecoming behavior at the State of the Union:

"I thought it was disgraceful, what Speaker Pelosi did last night, to rip up the speech. It wasn't just President Trump's speech, it was the names of those military servicemen and women, people who have given their life for our country, she ripped their names up. The Tuskegee Airman who was recognized as a General, she ripped his name up. The country was watching. It was unbecoming of a Speaker of the House to act that way. And if this is where their party is, I mean, look, they can't even count votes in an election. They're still literally trying to figure out, and maybe they already know, but the fact that they couldn't even get that right in Iowa."

On the stark contrast between Democrats' meltdown and House Republicans' achievements alongside President Trump:

"Look, their first bill, H.R. 1, tells you a lot about what their priorities are. When we were in the majority and Donald Trump was President, our first bill, our H.R. 1, number one priority, was the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, a bill that's still working for families all across the country, the bill that created the greatest economy that President Trump touted. Do you know their H.R. 1 is a bill to federalize elections? To literally do for the country what they did on the Democrat side in Iowa, a party that's so incompetent they can't even create an app to count less than 200,000 votes. And so, I think when you look at this contrast, the President had a great story to tell last night about America. Not about power in Washington, but about how giving people their own ability to have the American dream is working for families across this country. And Speaker Pelosi showed why they are unfit to be in charge. It's why we're going to get the majority back with another four years of Donald Trump as our President."