Florida Parish News

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) spoke in Washington, D.C. alongside Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), and Republican Governance Group Vice Chairman Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.). The group addressed what they described as Democrats using government shutdowns to leverage policy disputes, which they argue affects low-income families' ability to access food.

Scalise referenced the experiences of Rep. Gimenez, who left Cuba after the rise of Marxism there, drawing parallels with his own family's history of immigration from Italy in search of freedom. He stated: “When you hear stories like [Rep. Gimenez's], sad stories, the start, the root of it, having to flee your home country because Cuba fell to Marxism, to communism. But luckily for people like Carlos, all around the world, there's one place that they can look to if they want a North Star. If they still believe in freedom, they yearn for that desire, and then it fails in their home country, they can look to the United States because the United States represents freedom all around the world. And how dangerous of a position that is when Marxists from within try to change it here, try to unravel what makes America so great. And as Carlos came to seek that freedom that millions of others have as well, like my great-grandparents who came from Italy, to seek that same freedom. Ronald Reagan said it best, 'Freedom is only one generation away from extinction if we don't fight to defend it.' Those words of Reagan still ring true today because Carlos, we will continue to fight for freedom.

“It's not an empty fight. There are people on the other side here in America that are pushing back, that want to destroy that capitalist free market system. And so when you look at the results of the election, anybody that wants to go celebrate a blue state voting blue, what they're not acknowledging is what happened in a city like New York. It reverberates when New York elects a Marxist as their mayor.”

Scalise also commented on divisions within the Democratic Party: “There are other Democrats that are now looking and saying, does the Democrat Party represent me anymore? And today you heard it again. Democrats are the ones who are looking and saying that they're done with the Democrat Party. Jared Golden yesterday announced he's not going to run again. And he didn't just say he wasn't going to run again because he got tired of serving in Congress. I think it's really important to pay attention to what Jared Golden said, and he is in a swing district. Jared Golden is one of those moderate Democrats who represents maybe the old Democrat Party now, what was discarded by the voters in Democrat cities and states. But it's not where America is. So when Jared Golden announced yesterday he's not going to run again, he said, ‘We're allowing the most extreme, pugilistic element of our party to call the shots. Just look again at the shutdown. For as long as I can remember, we have opposed shutting down the government over policy disputes. We criticized Republicans for taking hostages this way.’ That was Jared Golden explaining why he's done with being a Democrat in Congress.

“When the Democrat Party no longer stands for common sense, for members that do on occasion reach across the aisle, they're going to be relegated to a scrap heap of history because America is not a socialist nation. While the Democrat Party has turned their leadership structure over to a socialist, it's not where America is. If they're running people like Jared Golden out of their party, they can go celebrate the results of last night's election... So let them go celebrate New Jersey electing a Democrat governor, New York City electing a Democrat. The real concern is that the Cuomo wing of the Democrat Party got destroyed by the Mamdani wing of the Democrat Party. And if they want to call that a victory, good luck.”

Addressing recent statements by Democratic lawmakers about ongoing government funding negotiations and potential impacts on social programs and services such as air travel during Thanksgiving season due to cutbacks among air traffic controllers if funding lapses continue:

“While Democrats keep the government shut down, and they brag about it, you heard Senator Murphy yesterday ‘I think we're in an enormously strong position right now.’ Strong position? What's so strong about taking food out of mouths of 42 [million] American families? What is strong about that Senator? Sure you can vote again today keep government shut down but there's nothing strong about denying food people who are low-income can't afford it that's weak place be but that's what they're bragging about.

“When as we saw Transportation Secretary yesterday said 10% flights have cut back because don't enough air traffic controllers because Democrats chose not pay them People getting ready go travel see family hopefully Thanksgiving But they're not able get flight They're have leave day two earlier drive maybe won't able fly But don't worry some Democrat senator thinks stronger position because leveraged Americans pawns some game That's what think this Disgusting”

Steve Scalise has represented Louisiana’s 1st district since 2008 after succeeding Bobby Jindal (source). He previously served both in Louisiana’s House and Senate before joining Congress and holds a degree from Louisiana State University (source). Scalise was born in New Orleans in 1965 and currently lives in Jefferson.