Florida Parish News

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) spoke in Washington, D.C., addressing the recent government shutdown and criticizing Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Scalise joined other Republican leaders to discuss what they described as a shutdown caused by Democrats.

Scalise stated, “Today marks day one of the Schumer shutdown. As Speaker Johnson pointed out, this didn't need to happen. House Republicans came together weeks ago to prevent a government shutdown. We brought as straightforward of a bill as you can have to say, let's allow government to be funded for another two months while we negotiate our differences. Clearly, we have differences with Democrats right now. One of the Democrat leaders confirmed yesterday that Democrats shut the government down to fund healthcare for illegal aliens. That is no way to hold the American people hostage over some far-left demand. We had an election in November where the country came together and said, ‘Let's send to Washington leaders who want to solve problems and get our country back on track.’ And we've been working feverishly to do that. To get this country back on track, to get the economy moving, to lower inflation, and to lower interest rates. Democrats, just to appease their far-left radical base, have been voting ‘no’ every step of the way. Well, today it has consequences because when Hakeem Jeffries whipped every Democrat to vote ‘no’ and shut the government down."

He continued: “Luckily, in the House, we only needed a majority vote. We were able to come together and do the right thing and get that bill over to the Senate. But as everybody knows in the Senate, you also need Democrats to come together with Republicans to get 60 votes. And so when Chuck Schumer made such a fatally flawed decision to shut the government down, ultimately, the American people, I think, are going to get involved and demand that Chuck Schumer reverse course because it's not sustainable. The American people do not want to be held hostage to Chuck Schumer's radical demands to fund illegal health care, and, oh, by the way, to cut and gut $50 billion out of rural hospitals. That's in the bill that Chuck Schumer filed as his alternative. That's outrageous. You want to talk about a partisan demand to hold the American people hostage. That's what Chuck Schumer has done. We have a bill that is clean, that just keeps these negotiations going for another two months while the government stays open. And all Chuck Schumer needs to do is get over the tantrum that he's having with the results of the election from November and vote ‘yes’ to keep the government open. We are here, ready to get the job done. Schumer needs to end this shutdown and finally join with us and let's start real negotiations without holding the American people hostage.”

Steve Scalise currently represents Louisiana’s 1st district in Congress after replacing Bobby Jindal in 2008; he has served continuously since then after earlier terms in both houses of Louisiana’s state legislature.

Scalise was born in New Orleans in 1965 and lives in Jefferson Parish at age 57; he holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Louisiana State University.