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00:00have voted to keep the government closed. All the House Democrats, except one, voted September 19th
00:06to shut it down. So this is 10 total times now that Democrats in Congress have voted to close
00:12the government. And we know what that means for real people. We know what it means for our troops
00:17and our Border Patrol agents and TSA agents and air traffic controllers and everybody who relies
00:21upon services around the country. It's very real. And so today marks yet another day of American
00:27families feeling the very real personal and economic strain of this reckless decision that our
00:32Democrat colleagues keep making. They want the United States government to remain closed and they
00:38seem not to care about the pain that it's causing. They have offered no plan. They have offered no
00:43strategy. They have offered no common sense path forward for ending this situation. And so many of
00:48you have asked all of us, how will it end? We have no idea. It's up to the Democrats and they have to
00:53decide it. And judging by their outrageous behavior, the Democrats appear perfectly happy
00:58to keep the political theater going while real people suffer. And that's why House Republicans
01:05made the responsible decision for our members to spend this week in their districts working for the
01:10people. They're helping their constituents. They're helping the American people navigate the mess that
01:16the Democrats have created. Staying back to work with our constituents was a decision that we made
01:22very thoughtfully and we made collectively as a group, House Republicans. We have so much of that
01:29work to do. This is not some talking point. It's not some strategic tactic. We made that decision out
01:35of urgent necessity. So I want to highlight here just this morning, just very briefly, just a couple of
01:40examples, a small sample of some of the very important work that House Republicans are doing on the ground
01:46right now to help Americans through this difficult time. In the state of Michigan, for example,
01:51our members are sitting down with veterans, men and women who risked their lives for our country,
01:56and they're struggling now because the services they depend on, health services, for example,
02:03have come to a halt thanks to the Schumer shutdown. So in Michigan, our Republicans from the House are
02:10there working through those situations. In Texas, many of our Republican colleagues have met with some of
02:15our brave Border Patrol agents down on that southern border who are still reporting for duty without a
02:21paycheck. In Montana, Congressman Ryan Zinke helped park rangers who are keeping the parks open as best they
02:29can for families and travelers, even as they themselves go without a paycheck. Across the Midwest, we have
02:36members who are meeting with local and regional airports to hear firsthand how furloughs and blocked paychecks there
02:42are hurting the people who keep our skies safe. Really important stuff. In rural communities around the country,
02:48Republicans are working hand in hand with their local hospitals to make sure that the $50 billion
02:53rural hospital fund that Republicans got signed into law in July 4th is accessed. It reaches the people
03:02who need it. And they're doing that work while the Democrats are demanding to kill that essential fund
03:08that is in their counterproposal for the CR, one of the many outrageous things they claim they want to do.
03:13And everywhere across America right now, we're helping small business owners and farmers and ranchers and
03:20service coordinators navigate frozen loans and delayed emergency funds and growing uncertainty
03:26about how to keep serving their communities. So all across the country, Republicans are dealing
03:32with the very real and painful consequences facing real Americans. Now, that's happening on the Republican
03:37side. And what's happening on the Democrat side? You can see it for yourself. Compare what I
03:43just told you with what they're doing. Look at their own behavior. Look at their actions. Don't listen
03:48to the words that people are saying. Look at what they're doing. Chuck Schumer and Democrats over the
03:52last 10 days, here's a small sample of their activity. Okay. We've seen performative stunts and
03:57TikToks and photo shoots across every inch of this Capitol. We've seen Democrats actually toast
04:02themselves on the balcony of the DCCC last night while their colleagues voted in the Senate to keep the
04:08government closed for the 10th time. We've seen not one but two failed publicity stunts right outside my
04:14own office, the latest of which ended in a congresswoman storming the entrance and berating a
04:19Capitol police officer who, by the way, is protecting her without pay. And last night, we even saw, I didn't
04:26see it, many of you saw it, CNN hosts the first socialist town hall where Bernie Sanders and AOC said the quiet
04:34parts out loud. They don't know what they want to end the shutdown. They couldn't provide a single
04:40viable solution for the mess that they themselves have gleefully created. And by the way, those are
04:47the real leaders of the Democrat Party. We all know it, AOC and Bernie. Good luck with that. And amid all
04:55that, Chuck Schumer is actually bragging that every day gets better for his party. As you know, that is
05:00his words, not ours. All this would be laughable if it didn't come at the cost of American families,
05:08and it really is deadly serious. If it were up to Republicans alone, we would not be in this mess.
05:14We'd be up here negotiating and debating openly and transparently on the issues impacting Americans'
05:20lives. But as I've said repeatedly, Democrats slammed the brakes on legislative business when they decided
05:26to shut down the government for their partisan political purposes. The progress we made on
05:30appropriations and the conversations that were underway on the COVID-era Obamacare subsidies and
05:38all those issues, all that sits at a standstill until Democrats reopened the government. As soon as
05:44five Senate Democrats come to their senses and break ranks and turn the lights back on, House Republicans
05:50are anxious to get back to legislative session and to pick up our unfinished business. We have a lot
05:54yet to do. Until then, I'll continue to share the facts from this podium every morning to try to
06:00get this message directly to the American people. Republicans will continue serving on the job in
06:07our communities on behalf of the American people that we represent. I'm going to conclude this morning
06:11by saying this again. There's an incredible contrast right now between the two parties that could not be
06:18more clear. As we say here every day, this is not your grandfather's Democratic Party. It truly has
06:25become the far left Marxist left that are running that whole operation. And it has real effects on real
06:33people. And I just want you to highlight again the split screen of what we're seeing. In America right
06:39now, there are two diametrically opposed visions for the country. And you should look at the actions of
06:44elected officials and not their words. And what are the actions? President Trump and Republicans are
06:49delivering for the American people. We have cut their taxes. We are removing red tape and regulations
06:56to get the economy humming again. We have ended the border crisis, virtually zero crossings in the last
07:01four months under President Trump. We are ending the crime crisis around America, taking heroic measures to
07:06make sure that happens. We're cutting fraud, waste and abuse out of government and making government more
07:11efficient and effective for the people. And right now, President Trump is resolving international
07:15conflicts, restoring peace through strength around the globe. That's just a small sampling of what's been
07:21done by Republicans in the last nine months. And what have Democrats done the last nine months on the
07:26split screen? Look at the other side. They've shut down the government. I mean, I don't know what else to
07:32say. Put all the gimmicks and the talking points aside and look at the indisputable facts and evidence of what is
07:39happening right here. There could not be a stronger contrast between the two parties. And I don't
07:44know how more simply we can say that. With all that, I'm really happy to introduce our good friend from
07:50New York. Chairman Andrew Garbarino is the chair of our House Committee on Homeland Security. And he's
07:56here with us this morning to tell us a little bit more about the grave consequences of the Democrat shutdown
08:02on America's national security. It could not be more serious than it is right now. Andrew, go ahead.
08:08Thank you, Speaker. Sure. Thank you, Speaker and Leader Scalise and Chairman McLean. Thank you all
08:14for being here today. The Senate Democrats' decision to shut down this government for cheap political
08:19points lacks any common sense and is undermining the Department of Homeland Security's core mission,
08:24as well as the people tasked with upholding it. Nearly 95 percent of DHS's workforce is considered
08:29essential, and that's rightfully so. But that means they're at work right now and they're not getting paid.
08:35More than 63,000 CBP personnel, including U.S. Border Patrol, are continuing their steadfast
08:41commitment to securing our borders. More than 61,000 TSA personnel are continuing their mission to
08:47protect the traveling public and keep the skies safe. More than 8,000 Secret Service personnel are
08:53still carrying out their no-fail mission to safeguard our nation's leaders. More than 49,000 U.S. Coast
08:59Guard personnel are serving to protect our maritime borders. I'm grateful that President Trump and
09:06Secretary Noem are taking steps to ensure that the Coast Guard personnel are getting paid, just like our
09:11military during the shutdown. And I appreciate the Department's continued work to support frontline law
09:16enforcement officers. I think, though, it's also very vital that we ensure that TSA security officers are
09:22compensated as well. Just because the government shutdown doesn't mean people aren't still flying.
09:27We owe all these men and women at DHS a debt of gratitude for their continued service.
09:33But the shutdown is not just about personnel. It's undercutting our homeland security posture.
09:39A lapse in government funding prevents DHS from moving forward with critical new investments that
09:44enable us to stay ahead of rapidly evolving threats. New contracts are put on hold and proactive
09:50engagements with security partners are postponed. Shutdowns also disrupt the disbursement of vital
09:57grants from the Homeland Security Department to our state and local law enforcement partners.
10:02This undermines preparedness efforts and makes our communities less safe.
10:07Voting against the CR also, the Democrats have allowed crucial DHS authorities to expire. One of those is
10:14the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015. Without that, 90 percent of our critical
10:19infrastructure is owned by private companies. They can't communicate with us right now. They can't
10:24tell us when there's a when there's a cyber attack because they this this lapsed. Every second we go without
10:31the ability for them to to share that information makes us less safe. They've also the counter drone
10:38authority has also lapsed. That was in the CR. Without this in place, agencies may not be able to swiftly
10:44take down malicious drones before they threaten U.S. airspace. There are dozens more. In short, this shutdown
10:52is making our country less safe. And I implore Senate Democrats to do the right thing and reopen the
10:58government now. With that, I would like to bring up Leader Scalice.
11:01Thank you. Well, you just heard a very stark, grim reality from Chairman Garbarino of what Chuck Schumer's
11:13shutdown is doing to our nation's ability to protect the homeland. The Department of Homeland Security is
11:19one of the most critical in terms of our ability to keep Americans safe here at home. And they're doing
11:26incredible work. And, you know, fortunately, like Chairman Garbarino said, 95 percent of the employees are
11:31deemed essential, but they're on the job not getting paid. But beyond that, he also pointed out grants are
11:38not going out. The sharing of information on things like cyber security is not happening. These are real
11:46devastating consequences of Chuck Schumer's shutdown. And nobody on the Democrat side can still articulate
11:54the reason why they're doing it beyond the obvious. And the obvious reason is Chuck Schumer being
12:00scared for his political future. Scared from who? From AOC. And last night, as the Speaker mentioned,
12:08we saw two of the Democrat Party leaders, Bernie Sanders and AOC, at a forum, town hall, whatever you
12:15want to call it on CNN. And they were laughing. They were guffawing like it's some kind of game.
12:22In fact, when AOC was pressed to say, what is it that y'all are shutting the government down over?
12:29She couldn't even give an articulate answer. This is what she said, quote,
12:33I think we need to see ink on paper. I think we need to see legislation. And I think we need to see
12:41these things passed on the floor of the House and Senate and signed by the president. Can anybody tell me
12:47what she's talking about? I mean, they filed an alternative bill that everybody knows is not serious,
12:52a trillion and a half dollars in new spending to do, among other things, to gut the rural hospital fund,
12:59the 50 billion dollars that we put in place, the largest investment in rural hospitals in our country's
13:05history. They want to gut that to give free health care to illegals. That's not going to happen. And that's not a
13:11serious proposal. But in fact, when you get back to the heart of the question, and that is Chuck Schumer
13:17fighting for his political life in New York, they did ask AOC that question. You know, are you going
13:24to primary Chuck Schumer? And she laughed and Bernie tried to bail her out of the question, but ultimately
13:30she wouldn't give a direct response to that because that's really what this shutdown is about. Is Chuck
13:35Schumer afraid of the AOC wing of the party primarying and beating him in New York? And so he's just concerned
13:42about his political future, and he's willing to jeopardize the lives of the American people,
13:48to jeopardize our homeland security abilities that Chairman Garbarino talked about. These are serious
13:55consequences to real people, men and women in uniform, our federal workers that are not getting paid.
14:02All for what? For the gibberish you heard last night? They cannot articulate even what they want. We
14:09presented a clean CR that Chuck Schumer himself voted for in March. Very straightforward bill to fund the
14:15government and open it up just to give us more time to negotiate our differences. Very big differences
14:21that we have on policy, but we can't even get to those policy negotiations while Chuck Schumer is shutting
14:27down the government. So Senator Thune's doing a great job of trying to find a way to keep bringing
14:33the bills back up until one day just five more senators on the Democrat side come to their senses
14:39and say they're willing to get the government back open so we can resume those negotiations.
14:45And we stand ready. We've done our job in the House and we're ready to get back to work. There's a lot of
14:50work stacking up, but while Chuck Schumer keeps the government shut down, it's hurting millions of
14:56real families across America. With that, turn it over to our conference chair, Lisa McClain.
15:04Thank you, Leader, and thank you, Rep Garbarino, for being here and the work that you're doing on
15:09the homeland security. Here we are. Democrats have shut down your government now for 16 days. So I think
15:18we all want to know what have the Democrats done with all this time on their hands, right? Well, let's see.
15:26They've posed for glossy photos outside the Capitol. They've screamed at Capitol police officers who,
15:33by the way, they are refusing to pay, right? They've jumped on TV to what looks like an audition to be
15:40the next radical in charge after Chuck Schumer. And now they're gearing up for their I Hate America
15:48rally this weekend. A rally where they'll cheer for chaos instead of country. So take note of what
15:57goes on at that rally. Take note of how they put Americans first, really. Now, let's contrast that
16:06with Republicans who are doing what we always do, and that is actually working for the American people.
16:14And let me give you some examples. And I know our speaker talked about this, but I think this bears repeating
16:19again. Pat Fallon, who was in Texas, hosting a town hall. Congressman Lalota connected with more than 8,000 of his
16:30constituents in New York doing a tele-town hall. Congressman Collins held mobile office hours in Georgia.
16:36Congresswoman Walberg in my home state of Michigan brought veterans together in Michigan to tackle
16:44problems right now with the VA. Congressman Zinke actually rolled up his sleeves, I mean literally rolled
16:52up his sleeves in Montana to help Yellowstone National Park to clean it up. That's the difference.
17:01One side delivers solutions and the other are showboats. Republicans passed a clean CR to keep the
17:11government open. No gimmicks, no tricks. We actually want to govern. We did our job and then we got back to
17:20work for the people who actually sent us here. Democrats, they saw a shutdown as leverage, as a chance to
17:31push for more wasteful spending. And don't take my word for it. Look at what they want to do, 1.5 trillion.
17:38You should never use a shutdown as leverage for more wasteful spending. But that's exactly what the
17:46Democrats are doing. Well, I have news for them. It's not going to work. Republicans are united behind the
17:54work that we've done for the American people. We will not, we will not hand out government benefits
18:02to illegals on your dime. We will not repeal provisions that cut waste, fraud and abuse. And we
18:09will not cave to Democrats 1.5 trillion in spending. So it's time for the Democrats to wrap up the photo
18:17shoots, stop actually attacking law enforcement, and end the who's more radical contest. Let's pass
18:28our clean bill and get back to work for the American people who sent us here. Thank you.
18:35All right, time for questions. Chad, go ahead. Mr. Speaker, good morning. Good morning. I know what the
18:44Republicans have said, saying the shutdown is because there have been questions for
18:50Ocasio-Cortez, saying is this the cause you're afraid? Are you going to challenge in the primary? They deny that. I
18:57understand the tension here about the shutdown. Just because you're saying that that's the case does not
19:03necessarily make that true. When they deny that, why should we continue to say, okay, it's because they're
19:10worried about their left flank. They're worried about Ocasio-Cortez challenging him in the primary? Well, look, I'll be
19:16intellectually consistent. Tell you, don't listen to what politicians say. Look at the actual evidence. I can put on my
19:22evidence here. First, exhibit A is what AOC actually said last night. She did not disclaim.
19:27That she was running against Schumer. And there's a lot to talk about that. You don't have to take my
19:32word for it. Most of you have written about that. But then also look at the evidence. Exhibit B would
19:37be what happened in March. And when we began all this, I think at the first or second day of the
19:41shutdown, I brought you a magazine cover that I had on a big stack on my desk, the Washington Examiner.
19:47And it was a cartoon depiction of Chuck Schumer leaving the Senate with a box with all his belongings,
19:52as if he'd been fired. And he had this shameful look on his face. And all the House Democrats
19:57were drawn behind him, screaming at him, holding up signs saying he was a traitor, etc.
20:01And that's the abuse he took from the far left corners of the base after he did the right and
20:08responsible thing, by his own words, not mine, the right and responsible thing to pass the
20:13continuing resolution in March. We have the identical product on the table today. What has changed?
20:19Don't take our word for it. Just go look. The only explanation for this is that Chuck Schumer
20:23does not want to face the heat and the scrutiny and the abuse that he took in March for doing the
20:28right responsible thing by the far left voices in his party. When Bernie and AOC get the full stage for
20:35for a CNN, the first socialist town hall, I hope they're proud of themselves. They are the voices
20:41of the party. I mean, they aren't. Look, Mamdami is on path shockingly, sadly, frighteningly to become
20:48the elected mayor of the largest city in America, the once cradle of capitalism. There is a Marxist
20:53rise in the Democratic Party and the old guard. And I'm saying old guard. Chuck Schumer has been
20:58here for 44 years. OK, he is not the flavor of the month and he knows that he's going to get
21:03a challenge. If it's not AOC, it'll be another disciple of Mamdami or somebody like that. They
21:07all know that. Ask Hakeem Jeffries why he is not openly endorsed Mamdami for the mayor of New York.
21:14He's in a real bind because Hakeem Jeffries, while he's a far left progressive politician,
21:19he's not a communist. But you have to aspire. You have to say you have to stand for the farthest
21:25left ideas, socialism, communism, Marxism right now to be in favor in the Democratic Party.
21:30This is not your grandfather's Democratic Party. They wouldn't recognize it. And that's the dynamic
21:35that Chuck Schumer is dealing with. And that's why he's drawn the line right here. He had to show a
21:38fight. And everybody knows it. It is plainly on display. Yes.
21:44Any first this week of the latest Hitler-Lovin group chat among the Republicans who were not
21:49the senator, and then an American flag with the
21:52philosopher of Senator-Republican conversation this week. Are you worried about that
21:58extremist of Hitler's attention among the parties? No. Look, obviously we roundly condemn any of that
22:06nonsense. And the Young Republican or the organization, whoever that – I don't know who any of these
22:10people are. I've never heard of them. Somebody posted a photo of me standing next to these guys
22:15who were in tuxedos. Obviously I think it was at the inauguration and people were just coming up and
22:19asking for selfies with a thousand of them. I don't know. I've never heard of that person in my life.
22:23But whoever these young people are and whatever they're saying, if it's true, we obviously condemn that.
22:28And the organizations involved are dealing with that. That's my understanding.
22:32With regard to the swastika thing, this happened last night. A Republican congressman – allegedly
22:37one of his staffers had something in the background or something in a Zoom. That's what I heard this
22:41morning. He says that that's not his and there's a proper investigation ongoing and the congressman
22:46did exactly what he should have done and that is report it. It's under investigation and I can't
22:51comment on it any further until that's done. But I will say, obviously, that is not the principles of
22:56the Republican Party. We stand for the founding principles of America. You want me to articulate them for
23:00you right now? Individual freedom, limited government, the rule of law, peace through
23:04strength, fiscal responsibility, free markets, human dignity, the things that lead to human
23:08flourishing. We have stood against that. We fought the Nazis. We defended that evil ideology. We roundly
23:16condemn it and anybody in any party who espouses it, we're opposing that. I don't know how it's more
23:22simple to say that. Yes, sir.
23:32Let me tell you what happened yesterday because I met with Leader Thune and he offered to Chuck Schumer
23:39a vote on Obamacare subsidies and Schumer said no. That happened. Asked Leader Thune about it because
23:47they wanted a guaranteed outcome. Here's why we can't do that. Let me say this very clearly and
23:53for everyone again. Okay. The Obamacare subsidy issue is not the issue of today. It is in a subsidy that
23:59expires December 31. We were always planning to continue the debate and discussion about that issue in
24:04October and November. Ironically, Democrats are taking the time off the clock for us to do that. It's a very
24:10complicated, complex matter. There are no income caps on that. By the way, did you know if you're a
24:15hardworking taxpayer, middle class earner and your family struggling to put food on the table,
24:20did you know that you are subsidizing wealthy people's health care with that subsidy? You
24:23probably didn't. The premiums have risen by some estimates 60 percent since Obamacare was enacted in
24:29law in 2010. There's no way to repeal and replace it because it's too deeply ingrained right now. We have to
24:34improve it. Republicans are the ones with the ideas to increase access to care, the quality of care,
24:39and bring down the cost. Not the Democrats. They're the ones that gave us this problem,
24:42and they're the ones that have made it so expensive. Now, we have 535 members between
24:46the House and Senate. There's a lot of people in this deliberative body here. That's a very
24:50complicated issue. It's not something that four people can go into a back room and guarantee an
24:54outcome on. It can't be done. It was not possible to be part of the CR, and it is not feasible. It's not
25:00appropriate to be on the CR. We require the member-driven consensus process here, and that's what's
25:05necessary. So it's not possible for Leader Thune to guarantee to Chuck Schumer some outcome on that
25:11because we haven't finished those deliberations. I mean, that's just as simple as it is, and all
25:15of you report on the Hill all the time, you know how the process works. So when Leader Thune offered
25:21Schumer a vote on the ACA, on the subsidy, without guaranteeing an outcome, Schumer said,
25:28nope, no thanks, we'll keep it closed. Because by the way, remember, every day of the shutdown gets better
25:32for us, as Chuck Schumer said, okay? It's not getting better for the American people.
25:38No, I didn't say that. I did not say that. I said none of us can guarantee an outcome on that.
25:44I have said consistently all along, this is part of the deliberative process. We're going to debate
25:49and discuss that. And there are debates and discussions going on on our side of the aisle
25:52and on theirs, but to get everybody together and build that consensus is not possible until we get
25:57the government operating again. And we stop holding, I get very upset about that. We stop
26:04holding the American people hostage for these ridiculous political games. People see what's
26:09going on here. We should not have border patrol agents not paid right now because Chuck Schumer
26:14wants to pay political games to cover his tail. I don't know how much more simply to say that,
26:18and every single one of you know, that's exactly what's going on. I don't like being mad, Mike.
26:23I want to, I want to be happy. I want to be the happy warrior, but I am so upset about this.
26:27God bless America. We're done. Thanks.
26:41God bless America.
26:43God bless America.
26:45People are proposing for glossy photos.
26:51I don't think so.
26:56Me.
26:57I am so upset that one.