[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 22 (Thursday, February 2, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H635-H643]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  DENOUNCING THE HORRORS OF SOCIALISM

  Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 83, I call up 
the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 9) denouncing the horrors of 
socialism, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 83, the 
concurrent resolution is considered read.
  The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:

                             H. Con. Res. 9

       Whereas socialist ideology necessitates a concentration of 
     power that has time and time again collapsed into Communist 
     regimes, totalitarian rule, and brutal dictatorships;
       Whereas socialism has repeatedly led to famine and mass 
     murders, and the killing of over 100,000,000 people 
     worldwide;
       Whereas many of the greatest crimes in history were 
     committed by socialist ideologues, including Vladimir Lenin, 
     Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro, Pol Pot, Kim Jong 
     Il, Kim Jong Un, Daniel Ortega, Hugo Chavez, and Nicolas 
     Maduro;
       Whereas tens of millions died in the Bolshevik Revolution, 
     at least 10,000,000 people were sent to the gulags in the 
     Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), and millions more 
     starved in the Terror-Famine (Holodomor) in Ukraine;
       Whereas between 15,000,000 and 55,000,000 people starved to 
     death in the wake of famine and devastation caused by the 
     Great Leap Forward in China;
       Whereas the socialist experiment in Cambodia led to the 
     killing fields in which over a million people were gruesomely 
     murdered;
       Whereas up to 3,500,000 people have starved in North Korea, 
     dividing a land of freedom from a land of destitution;
       Whereas the Castro regime in Cuba expropriated the land of 
     Cuban farmers and the businesses of Cuban entrepreneurs, 
     stealing their possessions and their livelihoods, and exiling 
     millions with nothing but the clothes on their backs;
       Whereas the implementation of socialism in Venezuela has 
     turned a once-prosperous nation into a failed State with the 
     world's highest rate of inflation;
       Whereas the author of the Declaration of Independence, 
     President Thomas Jefferson, wrote, ``To take from one, 
     because it is thought that his own industry and that of his 
     fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, 
     who, or whose fathers have not exercised equal industry and 
     skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of 
     association, the guarantee to every one of a free exercise of 
     his industry, and the fruits acquired by it.'';
       Whereas the ``Father of the Constitution'', President James 
     Madison, wrote that it ``is not a just government, nor is 
     property secure under it, where the property which a man has 
     in his personal safety and personal liberty, is violated by 
     arbitrary seizures of one class of citizens for the service 
     of the rest''; and
       Whereas the United States of America was founded on the 
     belief in the sanctity of the individual, to which the 
     collectivistic system of socialism in all of its forms is 
     fundamentally and necessarily opposed: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That Congress denounces socialism in all its 
     forms, and opposes the implementation of socialist policies 
     in the United States of America.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The concurrent resolution shall be debatable 
for 1 hour, equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking 
minority member of the Committee on Financial Services or their 
respective designees.
  The gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. McHenry) and the gentlewoman 
from California (Ms. Waters) each will control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from North Carolina.

                              {time}  0945


                             General Leave

  Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material thereon.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from North Carolina?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution is a simple one. It states that the 
Congress denounces socialism in all its forms and opposes the 
implementation of socialist policies in the United States of America.
  It is a statement that I would hope all elected leaders in the United 
States could support. Despite my Democratic colleagues' claims, there 
is nothing in this resolution about entitlement programs or banning 
social services or anything of the like.
  In fact, I would encourage anyone who has doubts to actually go and 
read the resolution--it won't take long. It outlines the pain and 
hardship experienced by millions around the world who have suffered 
under a socialist regime.
  This is something the sponsor of the resolution, Ms. Salazar of 
Florida, can speak to personally. Congresswoman Salazar is the daughter 
of Cuban exiles and was born in Miami's Little Havana.
  H. Con. Res. 9 is not just messaging or a waste of time--as some of 
my colleagues across the aisle said--it speaks to people who have known 
all too well the atrocities of socialism, and it gives voice to their 
pain.
  I thank Congresswoman Salazar for her work on this resolution, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to oppose H. Con. Res. 9, and I yield myself such 
time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, yesterday in the Committee on Financial Services, we 
organized and considered the committee's oversight plan. We debated 
homelessness and the lack of affordable housing, how to best protect 
consumers, and the need to strengthen diversity and inclusion across 
the financial services industry.
  We also discussed the threat to our Nation's future if our country is 
forced to default on our debt 4 months from today. We don't always 
agree and, honestly, none of the Democratic amendments were adopted, 
but it was a civil debate about the merits of policy.
  I believe all of our committee members recognize that the legislation 
that comes out of our committee has the potential to support wealth 
creation, grow small businesses, support affordable housing, and build 
a stable financial system and economy.
  It is the contrast with the intentionality and seriousness of the 
debate today that makes it so hard to understand why the very first 
piece of legislation to come to the floor under a rule is not a 
proposal to address the needs of any of our constituents, to provide 
support to struggling small businesses, or the community banks and 
credit unions that finance them.
  It certainly doesn't provide our markets with certainty that our 
country won't act recklessly and default on its debts; a situation that 
will bring untold harm to all of us in America.
  No, Mr. Speaker, this resolution today, in fact, does nothing except 
spread lies and fear about a threat that does not even exist. The 
rightwing extremists who are running this House have forced my 
committee to consider as its very first piece of legislation a bill 
that tries to say that our country will collapse in ruin because of--
wait for it--Social Security.
  The resolution suggests that because we support seniors with health 
insurance, our democracy will crumble. They think that because Congress 
and the President have provided disaster relief to communities that 
have been burned by historic wildfires or flooded by once-in-a-
generation hurricanes that we will fall into ruin.
  No, Mr. Speaker, Americans take pride in the ways that we come 
together to do everything from building schools to sending a man to the 
Moon.

[[Page H636]]

  Mr. Speaker, Americans know better than the fear-mongering that we 
see here today. They know, for example, that when the pandemic hit and 
people were dying all across this country, it was the Federal 
Government that stepped in to provide trillions of dollars of support 
to small businesses, workers, renters, students, seniors--and would you 
believe it--even Republican Members of Congress.
  In fact, the government, using taxpayer dollars, provided $14 million 
in PPP loans to a number of our House Republicans who asked and then--
guess what--received debt forgiveness.
  Now some Republicans have tried to suggest that voting against this 
resolution is saying that you support dictators like Pol Pot, Mao 
Zedong or Stalin, which is ridiculous. No one in this Chamber supports 
them, but do you know which dictator my extremist colleagues refuse to 
condemn? Oh, they didn't say anything about Hitler.
  Mr. Speaker, you have heard of him, right?
  My colleague, Mr. Gottheimer noticed that somehow the Republicans 
just forgot to condemn Hitler and offered an amendment to denounce his 
atrocities and mass murder. But Republicans rejected it. And I think we 
know why.
  It is because Donald Trump--your true leader, the true leader of the 
Republicans and North Star for House Republicans--was reported to have 
frightened his own staff by saying that Hitler had done some good 
things.
  There is only one would-be authoritarian who refused to accept the 
will of our voters and peacefully transfer of power after losing his 
election. Instead, he incited a violent insurrection on January 6 to 
block the election's certification that was happening in this very 
Chamber, but you won't see his name in this resolution or his strongman 
pals that he loves so much in Russia and China.
  Mr. Speaker, we are a great Nation, not because we let everyone fend 
for themselves, but because we care for one another. We are a great 
Nation that comes together as communities as small as towns and as 
large as a whole Nation to decide to organize and collectively pay for 
fire departments, public schools, libraries, hospitals, roads, and 
bridges, and a military.

  We are a better Nation because we have programs that we love. We love 
Social Security and Medicare. We are going to fight every inch of the 
way to ensure that we keep Social Security and Medicare. We are not 
going to let the opposite side of the aisle take away our seniors' 
Social Security and Medicare. I will say it again--Social Security and 
Medicare.
  We are a better Nation because our form of capitalism includes 
regulatory safeguards and strong cops on the beat patrolling our 
financial system, like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge you and the majority to stop these divisive 
``gotcha'' tactics. Get out of the way, and let my committee and this 
Congress pass real legislation that puts the needs of our constituents 
and Nation first.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Arkansas (Mr. Hill), the vice chair of the Financial Services 
Committee.
  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, the sound that America is hearing is their 
alarm going off. It is Groundhog Day. I feel like Bill Murray because, 
Mr. Speaker, when the alarm goes off every morning, the ranking member 
of the House Financial Services Committee is off on a rant about the 
former President.
  I think it is important that we stay focused on what we are talking 
about today. It is a choice between freedom and something far worse. 
The American people know why we are on this floor today. We are on the 
floor today to support a resolution that denounces socialism.
  As a boy attending elementary school in Little Rock, one of my 
favorite teachers was a beautiful, young mother who taught us Spanish. 
Her kids were the playmates of mine during those early school years. 
Her family had moved to Little Rock, escaping the Castro regime in Cuba 
that murdered their fellow citizens, took family farms and businesses, 
and systematically destroyed one of the most beautiful, successful 
countries and places on Earth. For me, an early lesson in the cost of 
freedom.
  As a businessman in 1986, at the height of the Cold War, I joined a 
civil society tour of East Berlin led by the U.S. Army via the famous 
Checkpoint Charlie. There one saw the stark and cruel contrast of 
freedom versus socialism and communism: vibrant businesses, full 
shelves, full employment in the West; and drab, sullen people in the 
East staring into empty store windows in buildings still bearing the 
bomb and bullet scars of World War II.
  Just 3\1/2\ years later, with the fall of the Berlin Wall, I 
represented President George H.W. Bush as his Deputy Assistant 
Secretary of the Treasury in helping design and deliver U.S. economic 
and technical assistance to the citizens of the newly freed countries 
from socialism and communism from the Baltic to the Black Sea, creating 
a rule of law, markets, private property rights, and new banking 
services.
  Mr. Speaker, I keep a piece of that Berlin Wall in my House office. 
It reminds me of the gruesome fact that the Berlin Wall was built to 
keep people in--not the other way around--and keep freedom out.
  Today, some three decades later, one can witness the victory of 
capitalism and freedom over the authoritarianism and command and 
control of socialism.
  People of today's Central Europe want no part of communism or 
socialism. They know fully the brutality and failure of Soviet-style 
authoritarian socialist domination; so much so, they have opened their 
homes to Ukrainian mothers and kids. They opened their wallets to 
provide Ukrainians money, military, and humanitarian assistance to 
expel the invading Russia.
  Mr. Speaker, let's say ``no'' to socialism and ``yes'' to freedom and 
opportunity.
  Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
New York (Ms. Velazquez).
  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this 
resolution.
  I think it is important that we clarify what my colleagues on the 
other side of the aisle believe to be socialist policies. Historically, 
Republicans have tried to label as socialist any Democratic actions 
that improve the lives of Americans.
  In 1996, Senator Bob Dole, the future Republican Presidential 
nominee, referred to public housing as ``one of the last bastions of 
socialism'' and called for an end to government-assisted housing 
programs.
  Public housing in the United States provides decent and safe housing 
to 1.3 million families that are working class, elderly, or disabled. 
This is what Republicans are calling socialism.
  The 12-point plan to rescue America that Senate Republicans released 
last year vowed to stop socialism and shrink the Federal Government by 
enacting extreme policies like putting Social Security and Medicare on 
the chopping block.
  Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich promised that Medicare would 
wither on the vine, thanks to spending cuts to combat what Mr. Gingrich 
dubbed ``Big Government socialism.''

                              {time}  1000

  Social Security and Medicare are hard-earned benefits that provide 
millions of seniors with healthcare and retirement funds every year. 
This is what Republicans call socialism. From climate action and public 
education to the Affordable Care Act and Social Security, Republicans 
classify popular government programs to help working families as 
socialism.
  This resolution is a distraction from extremists and nothing more 
than a thinly veiled scare tactic directed toward voters.
  Why is it that we are here wasting our time discussing a resolution 
about socialism? Guess what? Work on the budget. That is what you need 
to do. You refuse to work on the budget because you will have to tell 
the American people that you intend to cut benefits for Social Security 
and Medicare.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to direct their remarks 
to the Chair.
  Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Williams), who is the chair of the Small Business Committee 
and an advocate for capitalism.
  Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, let me just ask you this: Are we 
capitalist, or are we socialist?

[[Page H637]]

  I am glad to join my colleagues in denouncing socialism in all forms. 
Socialism is the greatest threat to our economy and freedom and must be 
defeated.
  Worldwide, socialism has led to the death of more than 100 million 
people, has forced thousands to flee in exile, and has turned 
prosperous nations into impoverished and hopeless nations.
  Socialism is not winning in America and has no place in our country. 
We are a nation of opportunity and incentive and because of those 
principles, we are a nation of hope where everyone can benefit.
  What sets America apart from the rest of the world is the drive to 
reach our fullest potential coupled with a free market economy. It is 
what makes us the greatest economic engine in the world.
  The opposite of socialism is capitalism, and I am proud to call 
myself a capitalist. Capitalism is about taking responsibility for what 
you create and making it even greater. It is about going from nothing 
to going to something. It is about taking risks and getting rewards, 
not government handouts or freebies.
  Capitalism has been the greatest force in the history of our world 
for lifting people out of poverty, and we must instill this value that 
we have in future generations.
  As a small business owner for 52 years, I represent Main Street 
America. Let me tell you, Mr. Speaker, the implications of what 
socialism would mean for our businesses are alarming and scary. Main 
Street was built by men and women who wanted to swing for the fences 
because, at the end of the day, there is a desire to dream bigger, to 
dream bolder, to turn dreams into a vision, and visions into reality.
  America must always lead the fight against socialism and communism. 
We must always defend the principles of the American Dream and ensure 
our future generations have the same opportunities to build something 
for themselves.
  We must never forget the tragedies socialism has caused for countries 
around the world.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues--everybody--to support this 
resolution denouncing the horrors of socialism and opposing the 
implementation of socialist policies in the United States.
  Bottom line: socialism bad, capitalism good.
  In God We Trust.
  Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Williams is my friend, but I do wonder 
whether Mr. Williams views the $1.43 million he received in debt 
forgiveness as being consistent with his views on socialism. I don't 
get it.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Doggett).
  Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, I was prepared to vote for this resolution. 
Socialism is clearly not the best path for America.
  Who wants to be associated with Stalin and the others whom this 
resolution denounces?
  They were really thugs who were masquerading as socialists.
  But when the promoters of this worthless resolution rejected the 
Takano amendment to protect Social Security and Medicare, their goal 
became clear.
  They have a long history of rigorously attacking most every new 
social initiative--originally claiming that Social Security would 
``enslave workers'' and ``Sovietize the country''--and they have long 
denounced Medicare as ``Socialism.''


 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  On February 2, 2023, on page H637, in the second column, the 
following appeared: initiative--originally claiming that Social 
Security would enslave workers and sovietize the country--and they 
have long denounced Medicare as socialism.
  
  The online version has been corrected to read: initiative--
originally claiming that Social Security would ``enslave workers'' 
and ``Sovietize the country''--and they have long denounced 
Medicare as ``Socialism.''


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 


  Some Republicans would even privatize the Veterans Administration 
with its socialist structure of government-run hospitals and employees. 
It is a system our veterans love.
  This resolution is the foundation for continued attacks on better 
Medicare for more Americans and their attempt to cut Social Security 
benefits.
  Like their cult leader, Donald Trump, they use this resolution to 
attack our allies in Germany and Sweden at the very time Republicans 
are considering cutting aid to Ukraine.


 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  On February 2, 2023, on page H637, in the second column, the 
following appeared: at the very time they are considering cutting 
aid to Ukraine.
  
  The online version has been corrected to read: at the very time 
Republicans are considering cutting aid to Ukraine.


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 


  Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman 
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Meuser).
  Mr. MEUSER. Mr. Speaker, I thank our chairman very much for his 
leadership on what is a very important subject.
  I rise today, Mr. Speaker, to support the simple yet necessary 
resolution to denounce the inevitable corruption of socialism and the 
suffering, death, and destruction it has brought upon hundreds of 
millions of people throughout the world since its inception.
  Our Founding Fathers built our Nation on the principles of freedom 
and liberty, which leads to a free market economy, all tenets that 
stand directly counter to the ideas and ideals of socialism.
  Capitalism has produced prosperity for generations of Americans and 
has shaped the American Dream that so many have sought by immigrating 
to America for centuries.
  Mr. Speaker, how many are fleeing capitalist countries like the 
United States for socialist countries, I ask?
  Overtaxed economies backfire. They have no growth, prosperity, 
quality of life, or advancements in medicine, food, housing, or 
education. Overregulation stifles business throughout national and 
global markets and, on the State side, gives States like Florida and 
Texas--and good for them--a great advantage over overregulated and 
overtaxed States.
  Historically, obvious metrics and clear results prove that capitalism 
is far better for all societies, especially the United States of 
America.
  As President Reagan said, socialism only works in two places: Heaven 
where they don't need it, and hell where they already have it.
  Socialist governments culminate with absolute power, and absolute 
power corrupts absolutely.
  Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Meeks).
  Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I do not take this issue lightly. I do, 
however, take issue with how this resolution has been presented.
  Of course, we oppose the violence inflicted upon people under the 
rule of communist and dictatorial governments, but this resolution is 
less about their plight and more of a political stunt.
  Make no mistake about it, I am proud a capitalist, and I always will 
be. Ideas like affordable healthcare, affordable housing, and paid 
family leave are not radical socialist policies. Some of our closest 
allies in Europe and around the world participate in the free market 
and help their citizens meet their most basic needs. That is what we 
have been sent here to do: to consider, debate, and ultimately pass 
legislation that will help the American people.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my Republican colleagues: What is your agenda? Is 
it the 30 percent sales tax? Is it the cuts to Medicare and Medicaid? 
Is it the cuts to Social Security or eliminating access to reproductive 
care?
  What is your plan? Do we give people access so they can participate 
in a capitalist society? Or do we just cut them so we can limit the 
opportunity to participate in a capitalist society?
  Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. McClintock).
  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, it is often said that socialism is 
sharing and capitalism is selfishness. It is precisely the opposite.
  The only way to prosper in a capitalist society is to identify what 
somebody else needs and to provide it for them better than they can 
provide it for themselves, whether it is sweeping a floor or designing 
a microchip.
  Socialism is taking what one person has earned by helping others and 
giving it to someone who hasn't.
  Socialism always produces poverty and misery because when you take a 
dollar from Peter and give it to Paul, both have been robbed of that 
dollar's incentive to help each other. Peter has been denied the reward 
of his dollar's worth of work, and Paul no longer needs to help someone 
earn that dollar.
  Socialism and slavery both spring from exactly the same rotten 
principle, as Lincoln put it, that you work and toil and make bread, 
and I will eat it. Both have been championed by the same party through 
the ages.
  Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from 
Georgia (Ms. Williams).
  Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, as a legislator, I know to look 
at a bill's definitions. As House Republicans talk about rejecting 
socialism in all its forms, it is important to understand just exactly 
what my Republican colleagues are talking about.
  Surely, it is not Social Security and Medicare, public schools, 
public libraries, public safety, and roads and bridges? The bill 
doesn't say. There is not a single definition of ``socialism'' or all 
its forms.

[[Page H638]]

  My colleague, Congressman Takano, gave my Republican colleagues an 
opportunity to clarify. He offered an amendment stating that programs 
like Social Security and Medicare are not socialism. Republicans 
refused that amendment.
  That makes me wonder if what Republicans are really doing here is 
trying to reject things like bedrock social programs that so many of 
our seniors and constituents rely on.
  I support our Nation's market-based economy, and if my Republican 
colleagues truly did the same, they would be using this time for 
legislation that creates jobs and lowers costs for all American 
families. This bill does neither.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my Republican colleagues to focus their time on 
the issues that will help all of our constituents achieve the promise 
of America.
  Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman 
from West Virginia (Mr. Mooney), who is a great leader and a member of 
the Financial Services Committee.
  Mr. MOONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Representative 
Salazar's House resolution denouncing the horrors of socialism.
  I grew up in a home where the American ideals of personal freedom and 
limited government were cherished. My mother, Lala Suarez, grew up on a 
sugarcane farm in Cuba, where she was one of 14 brothers and sisters.

  When Castro took control of Cuba by force, her entire world was 
destroyed. My mother was imprisoned by Fidel Castro for 7 weeks. 
Thankfully, they never found the gun she had hidden or they would have 
executed her and her friends. She fled communism to enjoy freedom and 
opportunity in America.
  Today, over 60 years later, socialist policies have kept Cuba in 
economic ruin.
  She met my father, Vincent Mooney, and became a proud American 
citizen. My father was a captain in the United States Army who served 
in Vietnam to stop the advance of communism.
  Growing up, my parents impressed upon me and my three siblings that 
America is special. Unlike economically failing socialist countries, 
Americans' personal liberty is enshrined in our Constitution and must 
always be protected.
  All citizens deserve basic freedoms, such as freedom of press; 
freedom of speech; the right to vote; the right to be considered 
innocent until proven guilty, where in communist countries you are 
guilty until you prove yourself innocent; and the right to worship.
  As President Donald Trump said right here in this Chamber in his 
State of the Union speech: ``America will never be a socialist 
country.''
  America must never give up on our God-given rights. We must fight 
against socialism and for the American Dream.
  Mr. Speaker, when the government takes away your rights and freedoms, 
as the socialist and communist countries want to do, they never give 
them back.
  Every American should feel blessed to have been born in this country 
where we are free. Let's protect our freedoms.
  Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Takano).
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, this resolution is not about socialism. It 
is about political cynicism.
  No one in this Chamber would defend the atrocities committed by 
murderous Communist ideologues such as Mao Zedong or Fidel Castro, but 
that is not what this resolution is about. This resolution is about 
conflating some of our most cherished social safety net programs with 
so-called socialism.
  With this resolution, Republicans demonize Social Security, on which 
more than 46 million retirees rely today. Republicans demonize 
Medicare, which has saved the lives of countless Americans. Republicans 
demonize many other Federal programs, including benefits offered to our 
Nation's veterans.
  Harry Truman was right when he said that: ``Socialism is a scare word 
that [Republicans] have hurled at every advance the people have made in 
the last 20 years.''
  Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to oppose this resolution.

                              {time}  1015

  Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Tennessee (Mr. Rose), a great leader for agriculture issues and a 
member of the Financial Services Committee.
  Mr. ROSE. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 9, 
which denounces the horrors of socialism in all its forms.
  Whether it is communism, Marxism, Leninism, Stalinism, Maoism, 
anarchism, democratic socialism, ecosocialism, or liberal socialism, 
all of these have failed, and none of these ideologies should, God 
willing, ever be implemented in the United States.
  By passing this resolution, we can send a message to the American 
people that we reject these deadly ideologies, and our Nation will 
always and forever be a bastion of freedom and a beacon of hope.
  I pray for the more than 100 million lives that have been lost at the 
hands of Communist regimes, totalitarian rule, and brutal 
dictatorships.
  Socialism should never play any part in the American way of life. I 
hope we can all agree on this commonsense resolution. I urge my 
colleagues to vote ``yes'' on its passage.
  Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Pocan).
  Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, for 35 years now I have owned a small 
business, giving me significantly more experience as a capitalist than 
the vast majority of Members on the other side of the aisle.
  As a capitalist, let me tell you, this resolution is plain 
ridiculous. It jointly condemns Pol Pot and Norway. I am with you on 
the first one. But Norway? Please.
  Here is what this is really about. More and more Members on the other 
side of the aisle are calling for cuts to Social Security and Medicare, 
and many have referred to these programs as socialism throughout their 
existence.
  The other night in the Rules Committee, they showed their cards. 
Republicans refused an amendment to declare that Social Security and 
Medicare is not socialism.
  This resolution has little to do with intelligent discourse and 
everything to do with laying the groundwork to cut Social Security and 
Medicare. I support Social Security and Medicare, capitalism, and 
Norway. I will be voting ``no.''
  Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman 
from Ohio (Mr. Davidson), chair of the Housing and Insurance 
Subcommittee.
  Mr. DAVIDSON. Mr. Speaker, I enlisted in the United States Army after 
high school and arrived in West Germany in the spring of 1989. The Cold 
War was at fever pitch, and at the Brandenburg Gate, President Reagan 
famously said, ``Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.''
  On 9 November 1989, the East German people finally tore down their 
own wall; not Gorbachev, not America, not the West, but the people 
trapped on the other side of that wall.
  I was there that Thanksgiving in the heart of Berlin when I met with 
people experiencing their first hours of freedom. One man asked me, 
``Is it like this everywhere?'' I thought he meant like Berlin, a big 
city. I am from western Ohio and a small town. He corrected me. He 
said, No, the stores are open at night, and there is fresh milk and 
everyone can go in?
  He had been told a lie that we were poorer in the West than they 
were, that only the elites could buy things, like the Communist Party 
officials.
  He was not alone. The wall had separated their Communists from our 
freedom and free markets. The flood of people was to the land of 
opportunity, not to the failed ideas of Marx and Lenin.
  The United States of America is worth saving. To do that, we must 
defend freedom and defeat socialism.
  Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Frost).
  Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this resolution 
because the American people know that the biggest threat to our modern 
democratic society and free market economy is not some socialist 
bogeyman, it is Republican leaders in this Chamber, people who want to 
call every federally funded program that Americans depend on socialism 
just to scare people and position themselves to cut and gut the 
benefits that people count on.

[[Page H639]]

  Go back and look at the decades' worth of transcripts and see what 
Republicans call socialism to scare people--Social Security, Medicare, 
Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act. They even call free public school 
education socialism to scare people.
  This vote is a sham. We have heard about Cuba a ton. My mother came 
here from Cuba in the late 1960s with my grandmother and my aunt. I 
won't let their story be used to gut the benefits that our people have 
earned and deserve. This vote has nothing to do with socialism and 
everything to do with gutting the programs that millions of Americans 
have paid into and have earned.
  Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman 
from Nebraska (Mr. Flood).
  Mr. FLOOD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this 
resolution condemning socialism.
  I have seen the victims of socialism firsthand. Many of those victims 
have found refuge in Nebraska. Vietnamese is the third most spoken 
language in Nebraska due to immigration in the 1970s, and members of 
the Falun Gong have found freedom from religious persecution by the 
Chinese Communist Party in our great State.
  History shows us that when socialism is tried, it leads to three 
things: poverty, devastation, and ultimately communism. As Vladimir 
Lenin once said, ``The goal of socialism is communism.''
  Socialist regimes continue to commit atrocities around the world.
  In North Korea, there are an estimated 180,000 prisoners today. Many 
of them are subjected to torture and extreme manual labor.
  In Venezuela, police and security forces killed more than 19,000 
people between 2016 and 2019 for ``resisting authority.''
  In Cuba, journalists, bloggers, and artists are routinely jailed for 
speaking against the regime. The list goes on and on.

  Socialism is the enemy, not just to free enterprise, but to human 
rights.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the last gentleman mentioned China, and I just remind 
everyone of a quote by their President Trump, ``And I like President Xi 
a lot,'' he said. ``I consider him a friend, and--but I like him a lot. 
I've gotten to know him very well. He's a strong gentleman, right? . . 
. he's a strong guy, tough guy.''
  When are you going to denounce Trump?
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. 
Wasserman Schultz).
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise to condemn all socialist 
autocrats who place power and wealth over their own citizens. Yet this 
resolution ignores some of their worst evils, then falls silent while 
American leaders mimic their cruel tactics.
  For instance, Cubans and Venezuelans suffer from far worse than the 
inflation and expropriation this measure describes. Dictators there 
destroy human rights; the rule of law, and jail, exile, or kill their 
enemies.
  Let's condemn socialist abuses, yes, but leaders on this very floor 
seek to overturn democratic elections, confiscate long-held rights, and 
gut programs our families, veterans, and servicemembers need.
  In my home State, an aspiring autocrat daily deploys the socialist 
tyrant's playbook. He marginalizes minorities, demonizes the free 
press, and criminalizes or bans speech, books, even history.
  What we can learn from these failed despots is to respect the rule of 
law, free speech, and free elections, and to protect our own citizens 
from the grinding poverty tyrants wield as weapons. Socialist dictators 
deserve our scorn, but glossing over their crimes and ignoring the 
leaders right here who mimic them--that fails those fighting freedom 
everywhere.
  Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire the time remaining on both 
sides?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from North Carolina has 15\1/
2\ minutes remaining. The gentlewoman from California has 13\1/4\ 
minutes remaining.
  Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
California (Mrs. Kim).
  Mrs. KIM of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. 
Con. Res. 9 to denounce the atrocities perpetuated by socialism around 
the world.
  If you want to see the difference between socialism and freedom, take 
a look at North Korea at night versus South Korea. As an immigrant who 
grew up in South Korea during the aftermath of the Korean war, I know 
firsthand the horror, the destruction that socialism has brought to 
millions of families in the Korean Peninsula under the evil regime of 
the Kim dynasty, from Kim Il-sung to Kim Jong-il to now Kim Jong-Un.
  Socialism divided my family and friends between North and South. My 
mother-in-law, for example, crossed over the DMZ and back multiple 
times to rescue loved ones from the tyrannical North Korean regime. 
Tens of thousands of war-torn families remain separated to this day. 
Meanwhile, famines and the daily threats of a nuclear war in east Asia 
persist.
  Although I was just a young girl, I remember the hope embodied by 
those brave soldiers who defended the freedoms of a country they never 
knew and a people they never met. It is because of them that I stand 
before you today as one of the first Korean-American women to serve in 
Congress.
  The United States must continue to stand as a beacon of freedom, 
hope, and opportunity for the world. I urge my colleagues from both 
sides of the aisle to join us to say ``no'' to socialism.
  Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the gentlewoman from California just mentioned North 
Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. Let me tell you what Trump said. He said, 
``Kim wrote me beautiful letters, and they're great letters. We fell in 
love.''
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. 
Leger Fernandez).
  Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I absolutely denounce the brutal 
and Communist regimes of Castro, Maduro, Stalin, and other dictators in 
the whereas clauses of this resolution.
  But, sadly, instead of spending our precious moments in the people's 
House expanding opportunity for hardworking Americans, supporting 
ranchers, farmers, and rural communities, lowering healthcare costs, 
and strengthening Social Security and Medicare, we are spending hours, 
actually days in pure political theater.
  In the Rules Committee, when I offered Mr. Takano's amendment to 
clarify that this resolution does not also condemn Social Security, 
Medicare, and veterans' health benefits, Republicans blocked it.

  Yet, I still know that our love and respect for our veterans, 
seniors, and retirees will always guide our work to ensure they receive 
all the benefits they have earned. I will not stray from our obligation 
to create prosperity, hope, and a future everywhere in America.
  Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Lawler), a great new member of the Financial Services 
Committee from the Hudson Valley.
  Mr. LAWLER. Mr. Speaker, as Margaret Thatcher said, the problem with 
socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money.
  My wife is an immigrant from Eastern Europe, from Moldova, a former 
Soviet satellite state. She came to this country in search of economic 
opportunity and freedom and a better life for her and her family. She 
left a former Communist country that is still dealing with the grips of 
communism and socialist policies.
  Let's be very clear. Communism and socialism have limited freedoms, 
stymied economic innovation and opportunity, limited prosperity, and 
left the very people it claims to help in a permanent state of poverty 
and government dependence.
  Conversely, capitalism has lifted people from poverty to prosperity 
within a generation and made America the envy of the world.
  To be clear, this resolution is not about Social Security or 
Medicare, two programs with broad bipartisan support. It is about a 
sick ideology that has destroyed nations, ruined lives, and resulted in 
death and destruction around the world.
  Now, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are twisting 
themselves

[[Page H640]]

into knots trying to explain why they oppose this resolution. The sad 
truth is, it is because their party has been taken over by a radical, 
socialist ideology that they are held hostage to. They can't even 
muster the courage to denounce it.
  We are Americans. We should speak with one voice and denounce 
socialism, communism, dictators, and despots at every turn.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman from New York an 
additional 1 minute.
  Mr. LAWLER. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support this resolution, 
denounce socialism, and proudly embrace capitalism, American innovation 
and ingenuity, and the role it has played in promoting freedom and 
democracy throughout the rest of the world.
  I ask all of my colleagues to join me. It is very simple. This is not 
about Social Security or Medicare. This is about denouncing socialism. 
If you can't muster the strength to do that, that speaks volumes about 
your party.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to direct their remarks 
to the Chair.

                              {time}  1030

  Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I would reiterate to my colleagues: I love 
Social Security. I love Medicare.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. 
Hoyer), the former majority leader.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to lament the failure today to 
consider a resolution which would reflect the overwhelming consensus in 
this House: that capitalism, not socialism, has proven to be the very 
best economic system.
  It is the most effective system to create dynamic economies and 
incentivize individual innovation, entrepreneurship, and risk-taking to 
achieve economic security and success. Such a resolution would have 
brought us together. It would give confidence to our fellow citizens 
that we are united in our support of our Democratic capitalist system.
  The resolution before us today, however, does not do that. Instead, 
it is an intellectually bankrupt screed of political demagoguery. All 
it aims to do is to divide and distract this institution and this 
country. It is a political gotcha and a distraction from the real 
issues that face the American people.
  As our departed colleague Elijah Cummings said, ``We are better than 
this.''
  We just came from an annual prayer breakfast where we gave voice to 
reconciliation and unity. We prayed to one God, and we recited our 
pledge to one nation, under God, indivisible.
  This resolution seeks to divide. Americans expect more of us. This 
resolution does not, sadly, Mr. Speaker, further that goal.
  Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Tennessee (Mr. Burchett), my friend.
  Mr. BURCHETT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me the 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of condemning the horrors of 
socialism. The biggest crimes in humanity have happened under socialist 
regimes. It has taken more than 100 million lives. Margaret Thatcher 
said it best, and I will paraphrase it: Eventually you run out of 
people to take money from. That is the only way socialism works.
  President Trump said we would never be a socialist country in his 
State of the Union Address, and I was shocked that over half of this 
body, Mr. Speaker, refused to stand and applaud that. I think it tells 
where we are as a country. Too many people have fought and died for 
this country.
  If you have ever come to my Knoxville office, there is a 48-star flag 
that is on the wall. It is a flag that was draped over my uncle's 
casket. He was too old to go fight, Mr. Speaker. He went and enlisted 
anyway.
  They sent him back home to Cheatham County. He went back and enlisted 
again, and they let him go. He died shortly after the D-day invasion as 
a sergeant.
  Too old to go to fight, but he went anyway. He fought for the 
American Dream. He fought for what we have in this country, and every 
dadgum day we want to throw it away.
  The fact that we are even having this conversation sickens me, Mr. 
Speaker. I say that with all sincerity.
  Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, the ex-President who still thinks he is 
President said, ``I went in yesterday and there was a television 
screen, and I said, `This is genius.' Putin declares a big portion of 
Ukraine--of Ukraine--Putin declares it as independent. Oh, that is 
wonderful. . . . He used the word `independent' and we're gonna go out 
and we're gonna go in and we're gonna help keep peace.' You gotta say 
that is pretty savvy.''
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Nadler), who is the ranking member of the Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution lists many Communist dictators, but it 
doesn't list any of the capitalist dictators--from Hitler to Mussolini 
to Franco to Salazar to Peron, and so many more, because the issue is 
not socialism, the issue is tyranny.
  The second issue is the progress of the American people. Because 
every single issue of progress from Medicare to Medicaid to the 
Affordable Care Act to public housing to Social Security has been 
called by Republican leaders at the time ``socialist.''
  This is not an attack on tyranny. This is an attack on all of these 
programs. This is an attack on Medicare, on Social Security, on public 
housing, on Federal aid to education, on everything the Republicans 
have quoted ``socialist'' when they were first enacted, and they still 
want to get rid of.
  Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. 
I have heard the most absurd argument just now on the House floor.
  The contents of this resolution are very simple and very 
straightforward: A system that is borne out of freedom inevitably 
begets freedom and a liberation of people from tyranny. An economic 
system that is borne out of taking inevitably leads to the loss of 
human life and centralization and control by despotic people.
  That is what this resolution speaks to. It does not speak to any 
programs here in the United States. It doesn't talk about our system of 
government. It doesn't speak of other systems, economic systems.
  It is simply in the resolved that Congress denounces socialism in all 
its forms and opposes the implementation of socialist policies in the 
United States. Period.
  So rather than contorting themselves to vote ``no'' against a 
resolution condemning tyrants who use socialism to centralize their 
power, my colleagues are contorting themselves to speak against 
previous Presidents or a question of Republicans' views on domestic 
social programs.
  That is not a part of this resolution. It is a part of other debates 
everywhere else in Congress.
  Let's read the resolution. Let's stick to the terms of debate of the 
resolution, and let's figure out a way that we can actually come 
together and denounce socialism in all its forms here in the United 
States.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Khanna).
  Mr. KHANNA. Mr. Speaker, let me be clear. The Democratic Party does 
not believe that the government should control the means of production. 
No Democrat believes that there should be government gas stations or 
government technology companies or government car companies.
  So what does the Democratic Party believe? We believe every person in 
America should have childcare.
  What do the Republicans say?
  Their answer: Well, look at how many people Stalin killed.
  We say: Let's give everyone healthcare.
  The Republicans say: Well, we can't do that. Look at how many people 
Pol Pot killed.
  We say: Let's make sure everyone has equal opportunity.
  The Republicans say: We can't do that. Look at how many people Kim 
Jong-un is starving.
  Give me a break. The American people are catching on. They know that 
we have lost 25 percent of wealth in the working class and middle class 
since 1980.
  They know that the real crimes are not crimes happening abroad but 
the crime of paying starvation wages for hard work.

[[Page H641]]

  This party is actually solving the problems of the American people. 
That party is giving rhetoric about foreign regimes.
  People will see through the rhetoric and side with the Democratic 
Party.
  Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I have one further speaker, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time I have 
remaining?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman has 7\1/4\ minutes 
remaining.
  Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, let me share a quote from the opposite side 
of the aisle.
  ``Socialism is a scare word they have hurled at every advance the 
people have made in the last 20 years.''
  They go on to say:
  ``Socialism is what they called public power.
  Socialism is what they called Social Security.
  Socialism is what they called farm price supports.
  Socialism is what they called bank deposit insurance.
  Socialism is what they called the growth of free and independent 
labor organizations.
  Socialism is their name for almost anything that helps all the 
people.''
  This was a quote from the great President Truman, talking about 
Republicans' claims 70 years ago. It has revisited itself.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Sherman), who is also the ranking member of the Subcommittee on 
Capital Markets.
  Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, imagine an antisocialist resolution so 
poorly drafted that the cochair of the CPA Caucus finds it necessary to 
come here and denounce it. But this resolution equates Willy Brandt 
with Kim Jong-un, Medicare with the Great Leap Forward, and European 
Socialist Allies of America and NATO, with the worst murderers in 
history.
  Democracy calls for every country to decide what blend of government 
regulation of business, what blend of government programs to have, and 
that is a decision for each country to make. Instead, we have a 
resolution that provides a misleading and sophomoric description of 
history.
  We are told that all socialism is equal, and that Marxist-Leninism is 
the same as the European Socialists. When communism stood over Europe 
and could have conquered the Western world, we organized NATO.
  Here are the NATO leaders who were all socialists:
  Harold Wilson, Willy Brandt, Francois Mitterand, and so many others, 
as shown on the chart.
  Without them, Stalinism may well have prevailed. Yet, this resolution 
condemns them.
  Then we are told, Oh, well, then the anti-communists must be great 
people.
  Yes, like Francisco Franco and the rest of those identified on this 
chart.
  Later today, the Republican leadership wants to take someone off her 
committee because they say they are dedicated to fighting anti-
Semitism.
  Yet, on this same day, they bring a resolution to this floor that 
equates some of the greatest leaders of Israel with some of the 
greatest mass murderers of history.
  Look at the history of Israel. The founder of Israel, Ben-Gurion, a 
socialist; Golda Meir, a member of the Socialist International; and 
Shimon Peres, President of Israel and President of the Socialist 
International.
  Yet, they say they are against anti-Semitism.
  Mr. Speaker, 73 percent of the American people believe Republican 
leadership is ignoring the problems facing America, per a CNN poll. And 
we could dismiss this resolution as just a stupid waste of time 
consistent with that ignoring.

                              {time}  1045

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. SHERMAN. Can I get another 30 seconds?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the 
gentleman from California.
  Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds, as well.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman is recognized for an 
additional 30 seconds.
  Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, they are intent on using the debt limit to 
attack Social Security, which was attacked by Republicans as socialist 
at the time, the 1930s, and by Paul Ryan, more recently.
  They are here to attack Medicare as socialist as was done by Ronald 
Reagan on a whole LP album denouncing Medicare as socialism.
  They are here with this resolution to say that any social program can 
be equated with the greatest mass murderers in history.
  This resolution is not just a waste of time. It is a pernicious 
attack on the programs that American people support.
  Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. 
I want to take a moment to thank my colleague for his fulsome defense 
of socialism and historical socialists. I think that was the most 
intellectually honest piece of debate we have had here on the House 
floor.
  If this resolution were just simply to draw out my Democrat 
colleagues to just say, yes, they are in favor of socialism, maybe this 
is a worthwhile endeavor.
  Again, this is not my resolution. It was reported to my committee. We 
are reporting out this resolution as Ms. Salazar of Florida presented 
and wrote because this is the early stages of the House. This came 
straight to the House floor rather than through the committee markup. 
It came through the Rules Committee.
  What I would have preferred in this resolution was a fulsome defense 
of capitalism and the juxtaposition between that optimistic sense of 
freedom that is borne out of our property rights, our speech rights, 
and our individual liberties in this country that has deeply connected 
us with an economic system of freedom, the juxtaposition of that to the 
misery of socialism and what the taking of people`s individual liberty 
and centralizing it in government and government control does to 
economic progress, to the best of humanity, to social outcomes, to the 
health and welfare of the people, to the economic prosperity of the 
people, and the misery that it begets to those people suffering in 
those regimes.
  What we have here is the history of international moments of terror 
begat by Putin. It is not in there. He doesn't currently call himself a 
socialist, but Lenin did, Stalin did, Mao Zedong did, Fidel Castro did, 
and the list goes on. Then, it talks about the loss of human life under 
those regimes from those socialist leaders.
  The resolve clause, I have read before: ``That Congress denounces 
socialism in all its forms, and opposes the implementation of socialist 
policies in the United States of America.''
  I would be happy to work with my colleague on the type of resolution 
that I outlined, happy to have that come back to the floor, in time, on 
something that my Democrat colleagues would actually support, a proper 
denunciation of the miseries of socialism and a proper embrace of our 
economic capitalism here in the United States, but that is not what we 
have before us today.
  I encourage my colleagues to look at what is in the resolution and 
judge it based off the contents of what is here, not what is omitted.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to my colleague to close, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I raise a question, and I direct it to the 
Speaker. Was PPP socialism? No, of course not, but some Republicans 
would claim it was.
  Interestingly, many Republicans, including several sponsors of this 
ridiculous resolution, not only applied for a PPP loan but also asked 
that the government forgive the debt.
  So I ask unanimous consent to enter this list of Republicans in the 
Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection.
  Mr. McHENRY. I object.
  Ms. WATERS. I yield 1 minute----
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. There is an objection.
  Ms. WATERS. I include in the Record the list of Republicans.

       1. Ralph Norman (R-SC): $306,520--member of Rules.
       2. Roger Williams (R-TX): $1.43 million--member of FSC.
       3. Matt Gaetz (R-FL): $476,000.

[[Page H642]]

  

       4. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA): $180,000.
       5. Greg Pence (R-IN): $79,441.
       6. Vern Buchanan (R-FL): $2.8 million.
       7. Kevin Hern (R-OK): $1.07 million.
       8. Brett Guthrie (R-KY): $4.3 million.
       9. Ralph Abraham (R-LA): $38,000.
       10. Mike Kelly (R-PA): $974,100.
       11. Vicki Hartzler (R-MO): $451,200.
       12. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK): $988,700.
       13. Carol Miller (R-WV): $3.1 million.

  Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, Americans are tired of this body wasting its time when 
there are real problems to address.
  I want to get started considering legislation to house the more than 
a half million people who will sleep outside tonight because they don't 
have a house of their own.
  I want to get started on legislation to address the extreme wealth 
disparities in our country, including where CEOs now make almost 400 
times what the average workers make.
  I want to stop Wells Fargo-like banks from ripping off millions of 
consumers.
  I want to get started finding ways for seniors and folks saving for 
their retirement to have more confidence that those who would defraud 
them will be thwarted.
  Instead, we spend time talking about how Republicans want to force 
Biden to slash Social Security and Medicare, or they will turn the 
economy down by forcing a default on our debt.
  The American people should rest assured that my Democratic colleagues 
and I are united in our resolve to expand access to affordable housing 
and good-paying jobs, protect consumers from abuse, strengthen our 
economy, safeguard our national security, protect Social Security and 
Medicare, and, above all, defend our democracy.
  Let me say it again: Protect Social Security and Medicare.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, how much time is remaining?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from North Carolina has 1\3/4\ 
minutes remaining.
  Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Arrington), the Budget Committee chairman, to 
close on behalf of the Republicans.
  Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from North Carolina for 
yielding.
  Socialism, like the Devil, does not appear with horns and a 
pitchfork. He masquerades as an angel of light with promises of human 
flourishing, all failed, all broken.
  Socialism isn't empty words. It isn't a speech. It is a series of 
actions that rob people of their freedom and concentrate power in the 
hands of a few in their central government.
  I heard my colleague say: Socialism is controlling the means of 
production. We are not doing that.
  Except there is a whole-of-government assault for all the world to 
see on an industry, American energy, and it is being replaced with this 
Green New Deal--hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies, tax 
credits, grants.
  If that is not control of the means of production, I don't know what 
is.
  Universal healthcare: We don't want healthcare in the hands of 
doctors and patients. We want it in the hands of bureaucrats. We want 
government to control healthcare. Masquerading as an angel of light is 
this concentration of power.
  Socialism is the road to serfdom, and history is littered with the 
failed experiment in central planning. Those countries that have taken 
that ruinous road have ruined, destroyed, their country and left their 
people in despair.
  Our Founding Fathers believed fundamentally this: If we limit the 
Federal Government's role in our lives, we will unleash the greatest 
potential of free people created in the image of God. They were right.
  There has never been a greater force for all of humanity than 
freedom. Nothing uplifts the human condition, unlocks the human 
potential, unleashes the human spirit like freedom.
  Freedom has given every generation of Americans the greatest 
opportunities, the highest standard of living, the best quality of life 
anywhere on the planet and in the history of the world.
  In the prescient words of Ronald Reagan, ``Freedom is never more than 
one generation away from extinction. . . . It must be fought for, 
protected, and handed on for them to do the same.'' God have mercy on 
our country.
  If you boil it down, Mr. Speaker, I believe our singular mission in 
this Chamber, in our Nation's Capitol, is to fight for our country by 
preserving and protecting freedom for the next generation of Americans.
  If, like my colleagues say, this is just theater, that decrying 
socialism and extolling the virtues and value of freedom is theater, 
God give us more Shakespeares. God bless America.
  Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to address a Resolution the House is 
considering that, and I quote, ``denounces the horrors of socialism.'' 
In reading the various ``Whereas'' clauses it's pretty clear that the 
authors have conflated ``socialism'' with ``totalitarianism.'' Further, 
they apparently believe that ``socialism,'' which they have not 
defined, is the political philosophy of notorious communist dictators. 
For example, Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Fidel Castro all described themselves 
as communists, not socialists. Why does this resolution ignore that? 
Why does it fail to condemn communism?
  It's obvious that the purpose of this vote is political in nature. 
For the duration of my career (in Congress and before that), I have 
been a proud member of the Democratic Party. Not the Socialist Party. 
Not the Communist Party. Not the Republican Party. Not affiliated with 
any dangerous group or conspiracy theory, including but not limited to 
white supremacists or Q-Anon. I oppose and I have, on many occasions, 
spoken out strongly when there are anti-democratic atrocities around 
the world. I oppose totalitarianism.
  Curiously, the resolution doesn't condemn fascism nor condemn Hitler. 
Yet by focusing solely on socialism and conflating socialism with 
communism and totalitarianism, H. Con. Res. 9 paints a distorted 
picture of the world. A rising tide of violent, anti-democratic forces, 
many from the far-right, also challenge us. Vladimir Putin (who is 
suspiciously not mentioned in H. Con. Res. 9) and his war of aggression 
in Ukraine, democratic backsliding Hungary and other far-right 
governments that commit human rights abuses and threaten democracy are 
weirdly given a pass by the authors. Sadly, the United States is not 
exempt from the growing threat of far-right extremism. From drastically 
increased rates of hate crimes to the violent attempt to overthrow the 
government on January 6, 2021, our society and democracy are threatened 
by growing extremism and violence of the far-right.
  Some Republicans have called public education socialism, Social 
Security and Medicare socialism. I don't agree that these basic 
programs, loved by Americans, are socialism.
  This Resolution does not address the challenges we face today. 
American families want solutions and policies that will help the 
middle-class, grow our economy, and protect our democracy--not empty 
political gestures. Take, for example, the ongoing crisis in Venezuela. 
Mr. Speaker, it seems the current Majority would rather score cheap 
political points than pass actual policies to address challenges 
involving Venezuela. I would know. In 2019, while I condemned the 
Venezuelan regime on the Floor, I was simultaneously advocating to 
designate TPS for Venezuela so those Venezuelans in America would not 
be forcibly sent back to that oppressive communist regime. I bring up 
this example because it highlights how Democrats in recent 
congressional sessions focused on how we could help people--not accuse 
people. We need to provide results instead of rhetoric. I strongly urge 
my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to focus less on 
``gotcha'' Resolutions and more on measures that actually accomplish 
something.
  This resolution, if passed, does absolutely nothing.
  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H. Con. Res. 9, 
Denouncing the horrors of socialism.
  Mr. Speaker, let's be clear about what this resolution is. A complete 
waste of time. This resolution is not about Stalin. It is not about 
Mao. It is not about Castro. It is not even about condemning the human 
rights abuses that many communist dictators throughout history have 
committed. Instead, the Republican majority has thrown together a 
poorly written, ill-conceived resolution so sloppy that it condemns 
socialism in all its forms. That includes important allies and friends 
of the United States that have mainstream socialist political parties 
like Albania, Australia, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Luxembourg, 
Montenegro, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Portugal, Romania, 
Slovakia, Spain, and Sweden. With this resolution, House Republicans 
are sending a message to these nations that we condemn the domestic 
political process within their nations. That is outrageous.
  At a time of crisis for the world when Vladimir Putin is waging the 
largest war in Europe

[[Page H643]]

in over seventy years, Congress should be working to strengthen the 
relationships with our fellow democracies, not passing poorly written 
messaging bills that will alienate our friends and allies. As Ranking 
Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, I know just 
how crucial it is to maintain relationships with our NATO allies. This 
weekend I will join the Minnesota National Guard in celebrating the 
50th anniversary of the Norwegian Reciprocal Troop Exchange--the 
longest-running military partnership between 2 nations. Make no 
mistake, this resolution is not just an insult to the Norwegian 
government, but an insult to the Norwegian Home Guard and Norwegian 
Armed Forces who sacrifice to defend their nation from the Russian 
threat.
  The Republican majority was even offered the opportunity to soften 
this resolution before bringing it to the floor. House Democrats 
offered amendments in the Rules Committee that would clarify the 
resolution's intent, including language stating that nothing in the 
resolution should be seen to condemn long-time Federal programs like 
Medicare, Social Security or VA Healthcare that impact all our 
constituencies. Another amendment included language condemning fascism 
and the mass murder of 6 million Jewish people by the Nazi regime. 
Unfortunately, all these amendments were rejected by Republicans.
  Mr. Speaker, it is telling that a month into the 118th Congress, 
House Republicans have nothing to offer the American public but to 
waste their time with political stunts like this.
  Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, today's Resolution, falsely conflating 
socialism with communism, is the latest in a long history of Republican 
scare tactics about Democrats and socialism.
  In 1935, Republican Representative Robert Rich said here in this 
chamber, ``Roosevelt is a socialist, not a Democrat.''
  In 1946, during the Truman Administration, Republican Senator Robert 
Taft called a national health insurance bill ``the most socialistic 
measure that this Congress has ever had before it.''
  In the 1960 election, Republican Senator Barry Goldwater called the 
platform of John F. Kennedy ``a blueprint for socialism.''
  In 1964, when Lyndon Johnson passed Medicare, George H.W. Bush called 
it ``socialized medicine.''
  In 1976, Barry Goldwater claimed that Jimmy Carter would bring about 
a ``suicidal slide toward socialism.''
  In 1993, Newt Gingrich called the Clinton health care plan 
``socialism now or later.''
  Barrack Obama was routinely called a socialist, including by three of 
the Republican candidates in the 2012 election.
  And several Members of this House have called Joe Biden's bipartisan 
infrastructure law ``socialist.''
  Having reviewed this history, it's clear that this Resolution 
denouncing the horrors of ``socialism'' is an attempt by Republicans to 
trap Democrats on a vote by tying them to socialism.
  I neither admire nor ascribe to socialism, and the merits of this 
Resolution are none, in my view. It makes no mention of the real 
threats to democracy like Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, the 
right-wing attack on the Capitol two years ago, and the challenge to 
our democracy of the movements of white nationalism, election 
denialism, the alt-right, and fascism.
  Let's end these cynical debates about socialism and get back to the 
work our constituents sent us to Washington to do.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H. Con. 
Res. 9--Denouncing the Horrors of Socialism''.


 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  February 2, 2023, on page H643, in the second column, the 
following appeared: Let's end these cynical debates about 
socialism and get back to the work our constituents sent us to 
Washington to do. Mrs. JACKSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in 
opposition to H. Con. Res.--Denouncing the Horrors of Socialism''.
  
  The online version has been corrected to read: Let's end these 
cynical debates about socialism and get back to the work our 
constituents sent us to Washington to do. Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. 
Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H. Con. Res.--Denouncing 
the Horrors of Socialism''.


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 


  It is not a logical response to policies that help Americans i.e. 
Social Security.
  Republicans don't want to take action to raise wages for workers or 
reduce costs of living for Americans.
  Instead, they are spending valuable floor time on meaningless 
resolutions that will do nothing for the American people with the goal 
of dividing Democrats with ``gotcha'' votes.
  Let's be clear: no matter how Democrats vote on this resolution, 
Republicans will not stop condemning Democrats for being 
``socialists.''
  This resolution will not change that.
  The Republicans' resolution ends with a resolve clause that denounces 
``socialism in all its forms.''
  This is a direct insult to many countries the United States counts 
among its allies--including NATO member states Spain, Germany and 
Portugal--which are governed by parties or heads of state that identify 
as social democratic or socialist.
  Many Nordic countries, as well as Canada and New Zealand, have 
adopted socialist ideas and policies to various degrees.
  The resolution ``opposes the implementation of socialist policies in 
the United States of America,'' which Republicans themselves have tied 
to the core policy goals of the Democratic Caucus.
  This is a bad-faith attempt to smear our agenda and crudely conflate 
Western European-style social democracy with antidemocratic, 
totalitarian regimes of Stalin and Kim Jong II.
  Democrats should not dignify this deeply unserious and blatantly 
disingenuous effort and politicalized stunt.
  Throughout history, every effort by Democrats to advance a fairer 
society for working people has been attacked as ``socialism,'' from the 
New Deal to the advent of Medicare.
  Libraries, K-12 public education and the Postal Service could also 
fit within Republicans' denunciation of ``socialism in all of its 
forms,'' and would be painted as ``fundamentally and necessarily 
opposed'' to the foundation of the United States according to this 
resolution.
  Republicans still routinely brand wildly popular policies that 
Democrats advance as ``socialism,'' ``collectivism,'' and ``anti-
American,'' including the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid expansion, 
lowering prescription drug prices, expanded Social Security, tax 
fairness for the wealthy and large corporations, a $15 minimum wage, 
and climate action.
  The ``-ism'' that the House should be condemning is 
authoritarianism--but Republicans are too busy worshiping at the altar 
of Donald Trump, who called for the ``termination'' of the 
Constitution, to do that.
  This resolution is nothing but a shallow attempt by Republicans to 
distract the American people from their own far-right, authoritarian 
leanings, complicity in the January 6 insurrection, and coziness with 
white supremacy and antisemitism.
  Republicans are showing us who they are: by gutting Social Security 
and Medicare and protecting billionaire power.
  The American people know that the ``threat'' of socialism is not 
real. Real threats to America include an insurrection against our 
democracy and attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, 
abetted by House Republicans, as well as economic hostage-taking with 
the risk of triggering a recession by letting America default on its 
financial obligations.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 83, the 
previous question is ordered on the concurrent resolution and the 
preamble.
  The question is on the adoption of the concurrent resolution.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this question will be postponed.

                          ____________________