OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Let's Not Be Enemies

Floor Speech

Date: Jan. 12, 2024
Location: Washington, DC

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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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