During Thursday's House floor debate for the 'Gulf of America' renaming bill, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) railed against the bill.
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00:00a serious member of Congress, certainly an insult to the American people, and a giant
00:04middle finger to the rest of the world. With that, I yield a magic minute to our fantastic
00:09Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries.
00:11The gentleman is recognized.
00:15Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I also thank the distinguished gentleman, my good friend from
00:23the great state of California for his tremendous leadership and for pushing back against this
00:30bill. I urge a strong no against this silly, small-minded, and sycophantic piece of legislation.
00:41When the American people woke up this morning, they could reasonably ask the question, what
00:46are their elected representatives on the floor of the House of Representatives going to be
00:51debating? In an environment where the Trump tariffs are costing them thousands of dollars
01:01more per year, Republicans are crashing the economy in real time, costs are being raised
01:08on hard-working American taxpayers, and Republicans are driving us toward a painful recession.
01:19What might members of Congress under this temporary Republican majority be debating on the floor today?
01:29Would it be legislation about the economy? Something about healthcare? Anything about Social Security?
01:37Perhaps something on public safety? Maybe national security matters? Anything to bring to life
01:44the American dream for hard-working American taxpayers? No. What Republicans have decided to spend
01:54this entire legislative day doing, it's a debate, a bill to rename the Gulf of Mexico. Now, in some ways,
02:08I guess the American people can be thankful because this week, what Republicans were going to try and do was visit upon the American people, the largest Medicaid cut in American history, and because Republicans are on the run, they were forced to take that hearing down. That battle's not over.
02:30So in the absence of their ability to actually jam up hard-working American taxpayers, instead of focusing on things that would make a difference in the lives of the American people, we are here on the House floor, more than 400 years after the fact, debating legislation to rename the Gulf of Mexico.
02:58And it turns out there's a lot more foolishness than this particular bill. Apparently, it's not enough simply to try to rename the Gulf of Mexico.
03:15Republicans have introduced an act of Congress to express support for the designation of the first ever Gulf of America Day.
03:26That ingenious piece of legislation was introduced by Representative Mark Alfred of Missouri.
03:33At a time when Americans are struggling to live paycheck to paycheck, when we are grappling with the high cost of living,
03:43don't worry, Republicans have a solution.
03:48Congressman Brandon Gill of Texas has your back with a bill to require the $100 note to include a portrait of Donald J. Trump.
04:00No thank you.
04:03Not to be outdone.
04:06Representative Joe Wilson of South Carolina has the Donald J. Trump $250 bill act.
04:18And he said, really?
04:20Hard pass.
04:24Flight travel has become more dangerous.
04:27We have an air traffic control crisis.
04:31Ongoing this week at a major airport.
04:35in the Northeast, central to a lot of the commerce and the functioning of the economy,
04:43an economy that Republicans are breaking in real time.
04:48What would be the Republican response to the situation in our skies?
04:57Representative Addison McDowell of the great state of North Carolina has a bill to designate
05:03Washington-Dulles International Airport in Virginia as the Donald J. Trump International Airport.
05:12Did Virginia even vote for Donald Trump?
05:16Families are confronting thousands of dollars more per year and higher costs thanks to Donald
05:22Trump's reckless tariffs. And instead of pushing back the president and Congress asserting our
05:31constitutional authority as it relates to tariffs and trade in the best interests of the American
05:39people. No, Republicans have a different approach.
05:44Here's this gem from Representative Anna Paulina Luna of the great state of Florida.
05:52She's got legislation to arrange for the carving of the figure of President Donald J. Trump
06:01on Mount Rushmore.
06:06Are we living in the times of King Nebuchadnezzar?
06:10What are we doing, folks? There are serious issues that the American people want us to confront.
06:18From the very beginning of this Congress, Democrats have said, we will work with anyone
06:24to lower the high cost of living, to secure the border, to fix our broken immigration system,
06:32to protect communities, to stand up for the health care, the safety, the well-being, the national
06:37security of the American people. Republicans have no agenda other than the toxic agenda connected
06:44to their big, ugly bill that they are trying to jam down the throats of the American people.
06:49And so when they have to run away from that and push it back, this is what we're left with.
06:56Renaming the Gulf of Mexico, which 70% of the American people reject.
07:06That's according to Fox News, that bastion of progressive politics.
07:11And so I'm here strongly urging a no vote against this small-minded, silly, and sycophantic bill.
07:25And I can say without hesitation, reservation, or need for clarification that America is not
07:35down with MTG.
07:38I yield back.
07:40A gentleman from California Reserves, a gentleman from Arkansas is recognized.