Housing for the 21st Century Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. HICKENLOOPER. Mr. President, ``We now have a government that cannot manage even a simple crisis at home while, at the same time, stumbling into continuing catalogue of catastrophic events abroad.'' That is a direct quote from President Trump a year ago, spoken about the Biden administration, which President Trump spoke in his inaugural address just over a year ago.

Fast-forward 1 year, and now, it is this administration dragging the United States into an illegal war with Iran, one that has already taken American lives and spread chaos and destruction to an entire region. Iran's authoritarian regime is brutal, corrupt, oppressive, but the President's approach leaves us facing profound, unanswered questions about new dangers that may be unleashed.

I don't think there can be a clearer question raised about this administration than the President's own words said a year ago. We have a government that can't manage a simple crisis at home, and at the same time, we have one that is actively seeking catastrophic conflicts abroad. Every strike, every military escalation, every headline is a distraction. It pulls our attention overseas from the urgent economic struggles that Americans face at home. It distracts from the hard, less glamorous work it takes to make life more affordable for the American people. Iran is only the latest in a long line of distractions.

Right now, the United States and Israel are hitting targets all across Iran. The Trump administration entered this war with no plan of what comes next. And, now, the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader has left that country facing a dangerous, uncertain future.

The conflict is spreading. Iran is retaliating by launching missiles at U.S. bases and partner countries across the Middle East. The entire region has now been dragged into this war, and six American soldiers are already dead. As we speak, more troops--our courageous men and women--are being deployed into this volatile region, all to fight a war of choice that is illegal. It is a war that the American people don't want.

The administration can't agree on a joint goal, a strategy, or even an endgame. They don't seem to have one. They didn't anticipate how to evacuate hundreds of thousands of Americans living in or visiting in the Middle East who are now being told to flee a war zone but can't because the airspace is closed.

The United Kingdom has been evacuating its citizens throughout the region, but our government, which has been planning this attack for months, doesn't seem to have plans for Americans.

These are worse than mistakes; they are failures that are already costing American lives and throwing the region into chaos. All the chaos serves a purpose and distracts from the President's failures at home; the rising prices, the violence of ICE against American citizens, and the unreleased Epstein files.

While this House--this White House--wages war abroad, working Americans are barely treading water at home. Over the last year, the President's disastrous illegal tariffs have crushed small businesses in Colorado and across the country. They have raised costs for all Americans. Tariffs clearly are a tax on Americans.

Just this week, gas prices reached an 8-month high in the response to the war in Iran. Americans are already paying for this war at the gas pump. Rent and home prices continue to rise, pushing the average American's first home purchase to age 40--an alltime record.

Tens of millions of Americans are paying double for their healthcare because the President and MAGA Republicans passed legislation that will lead 15 million people to lose their coverage altogether.

In 85 of the country's largest metro areas, childcare for two kids costs more than rent. On top of all that, U.S. job growth is at its weakest since COVID, and wages aren't keeping up with inflation.

According to Moody's, the top 10 percent of U.S. households now account for nearly half of all spending. That means, on paper, the economy may look relatively good but only for half of Americans--half of Americans at the top.

While working families struggle to get by, the President has given an extra boost to the powerful and well-connected. The Trump family themselves have made $4 billion off the Presidency, and his administration helped pass $4 trillion in tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and for the largest corporations. They forced taxpayers to give up healthcare in order to pay for this tax cut.

Meanwhile, our communities feel out of control. We have witnessed ICE arrest children, separate families, kill Americans, all with zero accountability. We have seen the President and his Department of Justice delay and deny the release of the Epstein files--the full Epstein files. And the selective files we do have, the name ``Trump'' shows up more than 85,000 times.

Americans want safety. They want justice. They want to be able to pay their bills. Instead, what they are getting are coverups, corruption, and chaos. Here is the thing: Americans know that something is wrong. Every paycheck feels a little small. Every trip to the grocery store and the doctor, every bill for rent, energy, or childcare is never quite enough.

It is a terrible feeling. Americans work hard every day and still feel like they are getting nowhere. The last thing that they need--the last thing that we need--is another war.

Americans know how this story ends because we have been here before. We remember Iraq. The more the President fuels this war machine, the more American families are getting closer to running on empty. It is time to cut short this illegal war and demand that the administration deliver for Americans and focus on our homes, for every family, for every soldier, for every paycheck, for every taxpayer dollar.

A year ago, the President warned about a government ``stumbling into a continuing catalog of catastrophic events abroad,'' but that is what we have done. We don't need this war. We need to focus on doing better at home.

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