[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 7 (Friday, January 12, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H127]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          LET'S NOT BE ENEMIES

  (Ms. BALINT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. BALINT. Mr. Speaker, here we are in a new year, a new opportunity 
to actually do something for our people back home.
  It is discouraging and frankly embarrassing that this has been the 
least productive Congress in U.S. history. The chaos and dysfunction in 
this Congress under Republican leadership has caused legislative 
paralysis and has prevented us from focusing our attention on the 
critical needs of our constituents.
  More than that, the chaos, the fearmongering, and the dehumanizing 
rhetoric have dragged us ever closer to a crippling cynicism.
  We are sent here to act in service of our communities and our 
constituents. We can't do that when we demonize each other, when we 
dehumanize each other, when we dehumanize our fellow Americans. We 
can't do that when we don't treat ourselves with basic human dignity.
  This isn't some naive notion. It is reality. The nihilism and 
cynicism is threatening our democracy. It is eroding our communities. 
It is killing us.
  Let's get back to being spirited political opponents and move away 
from being enemies.

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