Speaker 1 (00:00):
Is a woman. Ask the Democrats and they'll probably tell you they don't know. I bring this up because today is National Girls in Women's Sports Day. House Republicans kept our promise. We passed a bill. I know it's hard to believe that we had to pass this bill, but we passed a bill to prevent biological males from freely walking into girls' locker rooms. It's ridiculous that we had to do it, but here we are. Democrats would rather allow men to compete in girls' sports than protect our little girls. They are truly out of touch with reality. For those that support this insanity, you are allowed to live in your distorted reality, but that doesn't mean I have to live in your distorted reality and our girls don't need to live in your distorted reality either.
(01:15)
We fought for 50 years for women's rights, now Democrats want to undo it. I can assure you that will not happen under my watch. House Republicans are committed to putting a stop to this madness. We are the party of common sense. The difference between the Democrats and the Republicans is that our agenda is about opportunity, about freedom, and about putting America first, while their agenda is about control, dependence and America last.I thank Congressman Greg Steube and many others for their leadership on passing this legislation.
(02:02)
Now, let's turn our attention to the fentanyl crisis at the border. President Trump has made serious movement towards ending this. He worked with two allies to stop the flow of deadly fentanyl from entering our country. The days of America getting walked all over, my friends, those days are gone. In just his second week, President Trump's deals with Canada and Mexico show his effectiveness. We finally have a president where his actions match his words. His ability to negotiate has saved lives. He's keeping the promise that he put forth to the American people. He's getting results. Promises made, promises kept.
(02:59)
The House will follow his actions. We will pass a bill to increase the penalties for trafficking, particularly fentanyl-related substances. We sincerely hope the Democrats will join House Republicans in voting yes, in voting this week on the Halt Fentanyl Act. Last time, more than a hundred Democrats voted against this bill. We'll see if they've changed their tune. They have a choice to save lives today. I applaud Congressman Griffin and Latta for advancing this life-saving legislation.
(03:43)
Now, I'd like to turn it over to a colleague and a friend of mine, Monica Delacruz.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
You're welcome. Thank you.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Thank you so much for inviting me to speak to all of leadership here, I appreciate it. To speak on such an important day, National Girls and Women in Sports. First, I want to tell you that I'm a mother. I'm a mother of a teenage daughter, and I will always fight for women to be with women in the locker room, and women to play against women in sports. Let me be very clear. Young girls should never be forced to be in a locker room with men. Never. In fact, this shouldn't even be a discussion. It's appalling that we have to hold a press conference to tell people on the left that men should not be in a locker room with women, and that men should not be in sports with women. Again, I'm going to tell you that that's wrong.
(04:58)
I'm proud to be pro women's sports. I will always fight for little girls, across the nation, to make sure that they do not have to have their dreams of playing sports squashed by men playing in their sports.
(05:17)
In addition to protecting young girls, we're also tackling the fentanyl crisis. As you know, I live in a border district. I am honored to represent a border district, where we have seen the chaos that has happened under the Biden administration. This must and will stop, and we are already seeing it stop under President Trump's administration. Just in the recent years in South Texas, our law enforcement made a stop, and in this stop they found three gallons of liquid fentanyl that was seized. Three gallons. We think of three gallons of milk in our refrigerator. Those same three gallons could kill over 5 million people. That is twice the size of Houston, Texas. Wrap your arms around that. That was just one drug stop by our brave law enforcement officers in South Texas. That being said, I proudly support the Halt Fentanyl Act to help our law enforcement agents, not only in South Texas, but all across this nation. As a congresswoman, I have sat with many mothers like me that have young teenagers who have died because of fentanyl, because their child took what they thought was a candy, or took a pill for an allergy, or another ailment, and ended up dying because of this. This act is so important and I'm proud to support it. I'm proud to join President Trump and all of my colleagues to stop the chaos at the border, but to also stop the fentanyl that is crossing our border. I thank you for your time and for your attention. We must keep men out of women's sports and we must stop the chaos at the border and the fentanyl that has come through because of it.
(07:39)
Thank you. I yield back.
Tom Emmer (07:40):
Thank you, Monica.
(07:47)
Yesterday, President Trump hosted his first official White House visit with a foreign leader in this, his second term. I can't think of a more fitting guest than Israeli Prime Minister
Tom Emmer (08:00):
… Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu. The message heard around the world from Washington was clear. Israel is our strongest ally in the Middle East, and our support for Israel will not waver. Not now, not ever. Not only has President Trump promised to help bring the war in Israel to an end and the remaining hostages home, but he will also help secure peace for innocent civilians in Gaza. That is the kind of leadership our allies need and deserve after the Biden administration's foreign policy failures over the last four years.
(08:37)
The President's meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu also comes on the heels of investigations launched by the Department of Education into five universities that enabled anti-Semitism to run rampant on their campuses after the Hamas horrific attack against Israel on October 7th. One of those colleges just happens to be the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus, which Squad member Ilhan Omar visited earlier last year to champion. To champion the pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic protests happening across the country, and to inspire more movements of hate. The far-left's continued embrace of vicious attacks against the Jewish community has shown their true colors. There is no denying that today's Democrat party is the pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic party.
(09:32)
And now that we finally have a real leader in the White House, accountability is here. We've said this before and we'll say it again: anti-Semitism has no place in this country. Not in our politics, not on our college campuses, not anywhere. Our House Republican majority, alongside President Trump and our Republican colleagues in the Senate, will fight every day to ensure that our ally Israel is supported, Jewish Americans remain protected, and anti-Semitism is eliminated once and for all. I want to thank President Trump for his leadership on this issue, and I know we're here on Capitol Hill, those of us that are here on Capitol Hill, are also looking forward to watching Prime Minister Netanyahu tomorrow. The time to re-assert American leadership on the world stage and stand with our allies is now. With that, I turn it over to our leader, Steve Scalise.
Steve Scalise (10:28):
Thank you, Whip. Good morning to all of you. Since Donald Trump took the oath of office on January 20th, you've seen the president work at a feverish pace to deliver on the promises that he made to the American people to start fixing the problems that were created during four years of a failed Biden-Harris agenda. You saw President Trump take action to secure America's border, probably the front and center issue of the campaign, and we're already seeing dramatic results for the American people. You've seen President Trump work to open up more American energy to lower costs for families. You've seen him work to get cost savings from federal agencies, so that American taxpayer dollars are not wasted in so many areas. Go ask USAID how that's working out for them when they have to now be exposed to the fact that they were funding, to the tune of millions of dollars, drag shows in foreign countries with Americans' hard-earned tax dollars. You're going to continue to see that level of scrutiny and that level of efficiency to get government working for the people again.
(11:38)
And so President Trump has continued to work not only in the executive branch, but working with the legislative branch, working with us here in Congress. Just a few days ago, President Trump signed the Laken Riley Act, one of the first bills we moved out of the House because it was a bill that also fit not only with our agenda, we passed this bill last year. Chuck Schumer made it clear he didn't want to bring a bill to the Senate floor that actually stood up for people so that they're not victims of violence from illegals. Well, this new Senate, under John Thune and the Republican leadership, brought that same bill through the Senate and put it on President Trump's desk, where he signed it. Just goes to show the American people how much difference it makes when you get leaders who actually will fight for them, not for Washington and the old guard, the progressive Democrat party, that's so out of touch with the American people.
(12:34)
Today, President Trump will sign an executive order to do something that we already passed through the House, and that is to say that men can't play in women's sports. This a bill we passed through the House twice now, almost on a party line vote, which seems bizarre. It should be something that everybody agrees to. Talked about it a lot during the election, and most Americans are with us in saying that women's sports should be reserved for women, biological women. President Trump will be signing that executive order today, as the bill we passed hopefully goes through the Senate, so it can become law in a permanent way.
(13:12)
So, we're going to continue to work with this president to deliver on those promises. A lot of those promises that we're working to deliver on are going to go through the budget reconciliation process. And I know y'all are following that closely. We've been working very closely with our membership. We got into very specific detail at our retreat in Doral, where we shared with our members a lot of specifics of what the committees are working on. There are 11 committees of jurisdiction that are working on the details of budget reconciliation, but of course, none of that can start until you pass the budget, till you open up the ability to do a reconciliation bill.
(13:50)
And this year, with a more narrow majority, unlike 2017, where we lost 22 Republicans on the budget, we don't have that luxury this time. And that means we've got to work very meticulously with our members to first make sure we have the votes to get a budget passed and not… We can't have 22 opposing. We can't have four opposing. And so we're working through a lot more detail now on what reconciliation would look like on the front end before we actually get the budget passed. But we're working to get it done, and it's critical we get it done to have more border security, to be able to deliver on better energy policy that lowers costs for families, to make sure there's no tax increase on working families across the country. So, there are a lot of things that we're going to work to achieve and get done, along with real savings for the taxpayers of this country.
(14:42)
And then, of course, this week we're going to continue moving our agenda, the Stop Fentanyl Act, you've heard about that. And Monica De La Cruz is on the front line, she told you what it means to a district like hers to have this deadly poison coming into our country. President Trump laid this out when he issued more tariffs, using that as a weapon to get countries to work with us better on stopping the fentanyl. And you're seeing some of those countries actually respond, and do a better job of stopping it from coming into our country and killing so many young people.
(15:17)
We're also bringing a bill to say that no future president can ban fracking, like we saw President Obama push, President Biden push. So many in the progressive left that want to kill American energy, and hydraulic fracturing produces about two-thirds of the natural gas we use, about half of the oil that we use in America. And so if you had a future president go down that road of trying to kill the fracking industry, it would crush our ability to produce our own energy in America. And so we have a bill, obviously we have a president today in Donald Trump who wants to produce more energy, but this would prevent any future president from being able to crush our energy industry. So, hopefully
Steve Scalise (16:00):
We see a very strong vote there. And finally, as a native born new Orleanian, I'd like to welcome all of you to New Orleans this weekend for the Super Bowl. We are proud to be welcoming the world and of course, thank the NFL, the relationship we've had with them, and Commissioner Goodell to bring yet another Super Bowl this ties. I believe the Superdome will have the record for the most Super Bowls held in one arena, and we are proud to display what is… I think the city's never looked better, the Superdome has never looked better. We're also welcoming the President of the United States, Donald Trump, to the game. And he will hopefully see a very spirited contest between the two teams. And I'm a Saints fan, so I'll just be rooting for a competitive game. But hopefully y'all can come down and enjoy the best food in the world, enjoy some of the best culture you'll ever see with the best people and Laissez les bons temps rouler. With that, bring up the speaker of the house.
Mike Johnson (17:02):
Well, good morning. It's great to see everyone, an overflow crowd. It's as if there's a lot of news happening or something. I don't know. I want to start this morning by addressing a few things we've heard this week from our Democrat colleagues. It's been pretty surprising. Here's a few quotes. "Shut down the city. We are at war. We're going to fight it in the streets," it was said. "This is what the beginning of a dictatorship looks like." This is their reaction to the flurry of activity that's come out of the new administration. And the president is doing exactly what he said on the campaign trail that he is going to do, would do, and he's delivering on that. And we're a big part of that and we are going to do it as well.
(17:41)
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party truly is seemingly lost. They have no rudder. They have no vision. They have no clear leader. The only message they have is anti-President Trump. And we've all seen that that's a failed strategy time after time. And it's not just rhetoric. I mean, this week Democratic leadership sent a letter to their members that you all saw that the media characterized as a war plan to take on President Trump. In the letter, the Democrats laid out the foundation for a government shutdown. That's their plan to stop President Trump. And the question we're all asking is why do they want to stop him? Is it because President Trump is working to bring more oversight to USAID for its mismanaged spending? Is it because he's using the threat of tariffs to negotiate with trade partners and secure our borders? Is it because DOGE is looking at contracts and helping to carry out President Trump's promises of making government more efficient?
(18:34)
By laying the foundation for a shutdown and the way that they are, the Democrats are changing their tune on government shutdowns. Remember, there's the ones that are apoplectic all the time about the terrible harm that it would exact on the country. But because President Trump is doing exactly what he said he would do, they've changed their tune. And I think you all should be asking them about that change of heart and the hypocrisy that is just on open display.
(18:56)
When President Trump said he would unleash American energy dominance and reduce the size of the government and deport dangerous illegal aliens and make American communities safe again, he meant what he said and that's what we're seeing. He made campaign promises and now he's moving at a quick pace to deliver on them. What a concept. As I said in an interview yesterday morning, I think it was, I think it's demonstrably true that President Trump has now done more for the American people in his first two weeks than his predecessor did in all four years. And that's going to continue. And in Congress, we're going to work and we are working now to codify that America first agenda through legislative action.
(19:36)
You heard two examples of that here. What we'll be doing this week is continuing our efforts to protect American communities by voting on the HALT Fentanyl Act, which will permanently schedule fentanyl and all fentanyl-related substances as schedule I narcotics. Why is that important? Because it empowers law enforcement to seize those deadly drugs and go after their producers and distributors and stop the flow. It's an unspeakable tragedy that has now gone on for over four years. We have more than 200 Americans lose their lives every single day on average to fentanyl. And it's a crisis that demands our immediate action and that's what the President is doing. That's what we're doing. The HALT Fentanyl Act builds on President Trump's efforts from earlier this week to secure our border southern and northern borders and keep illicit drugs out. Republicans are taking decisive, strong, and immediate action to rid American communities of this poison.
(20:27)
Elections have sometimes very positive consequences, and that's what you're seeing here. Meanwhile, we're also going to unleash American energy dominance. The protecting American Energy Production Act is so important because President Biden and his administration clearly waged a war on American made energy, particularly oil and gas producers. And we're going to make sure this doesn't happen again. So we pass this legislation and no future administration will be able to put a halt on fracking, which produces so much of the energy in this country. It has to be protected. House Republicans are delivering on our promises and there is a lot more to come. I'm sure you have a few questions this morning, so we'll do that. We'll start with the front row.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
Can you address this situation that President Trump is suggesting moving into Gaza? Is that an America first policy to send American soldiers into one of the most volatile regions in the world and then suggest that the US take control of a region that it has no claim to?
Mike Johnson (21:23):
Look, there'll be more details forthcoming on that. Of course, the initial announcement yesterday I think was greeted by surprise by many, but cheered by I think people all around the world. Why? Because that area is so dangerous. And he's taking bold, decisive action to try to ensure the peace of that region. It's a bold move, certainly, far bolder than what's been done before. But I think we've got to stand unequivocally in an unwavering manner, as the whip said, with Israel, our closest ally and friend in the Middle East. And I think if we could bring control that situation and bring about a lasting piece there, it would do well for everybody, not just in the region but around the world.
(22:03)
It's a volatile place and I think the strong and decisive move is an important step in that regard. As was noted earlier, Prime Minister Netanyahu, being the first international leader to meet with the president in the White House is more than symbolism, but it is a symbol and it shows the world that we're not going to equivocate. The previous administration did that. They tried to appease Iran and by extension its proxies, terrorists, and they frankly encumbered Israel in so many times. You're seeing a reversal of that now. That is very important development. I think our allies around the world appreciate that. I know because I've talked to lots of leaders around the world and they've been very nervous about the instability there. I think this could be a bold step in that regard. So let's withhold judgment on all of it. You'll see more developments as they come. Back row.
Speaker 4 (22:50):
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To your kind of [inaudible 00:22:53] from following Iran's promises, another promise he's made was to dismantle the Department of Education. If he follows through with that by executive order, will the house then seek to codify it?
Mike Johnson (22:58):
So here's the thing on the Federal Department of Ed, it's been a discussion point and a priority for our party a long time. See, we believe in the core principle that education is best handled by the people closest to the kids. What does that mean? It means local school districts, local school boards. It means at the state level rather than the federal level. We think you empower parents when you do that. You give them more choice in that. So that's why we're advocates for school choice. That's why we're advocates for charter schools and innovative ideas. And I think you can return American education to a place of prominence and success if you allow those things to happen.
(23:36)
The teachers' unions will viciously fight of course, any idea of disbanding the Federal Department of Education. But I think the principle is one that is the time has come. We've all seen the ratings. I mean, the US is falling far behind other countries because the system is not working. So when President Trump ran for president and what we ran to hold the majority here, we assured the people that we would make big, bold decisions to change
Mike Johnson (24:00):
… Things. And I think that is an idea whose time has come. And again, like everything else, you've got to wait for more details to be laid out. But you're going to see a lot of support among House and I think Senate Republicans for the general idea of pushing the decisions down back down to the local level. I think that's something that would serve us all well. [inaudible 00:24:19]
Speaker 5 (24:18):
I just want you to be clear, though. I know you said what the President said yesterday was bold and decisive, but yes or no, do you believe the US should take control of Gaza, and is that a position you're going to reaffirm with the Prime Minister when he's here at the Capitol?
Mike Johnson (24:34):
Well, I look forward to meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu. There's a lot to discuss. I've been a very close ally of his. And to be frank, for the last four years, I think I was probably the highest ranked member of the federal government who was unequivocally supporting Israel and the Prime Minister. So we'll have that discussion. I mean, he obviously has much more expertise on the issue than I do, but as I said earlier, we await further details on what exactly that looks like.
(25:01)
This is a bold, decisive move, and I think you have to do something to eradicate the threat to Israel. Here's the problem. If you leave Gaza in its current form, there's always a risk of another October 7. There's always a risk of proxies of Iran, all these terrorist organizations whose stated openly stated goal is to eliminate Israel as a state. So it just makes sense to make the neighborhood there safer. I think that's logical. I think it follows common sense. I think people understand the necessity of it, and we're going to stand with Israel as they work towards this goal and we'll stand with the President on his initiative. [inaudible 00:25:38].
Chad (25:38):
Mr. Speaker?
Mike Johnson (25:38):
Chad, last one.
Chad (25:39):
Thanks. Is there an inconsistency by Republicans on one hand, where we've heard for years now all we want to not have unelected bureaucrats in charge of things downtown, and yet ceding Article One powers to the executive branch under Elon Musk? Is there not an inconsistency about calling for the elimination of the Department of Education? And yet we've heard from some colleagues here this morning, "We don't want to women be playing sports with men," and aren't you ceding back that power then, as it pertains to education, if you eliminate the Department of Education?
Mike Johnson (26:10):
No. Look, I got to challenge the premise of the question, Chad. You know me, I'm a fierce advocate and defender of Article One. I mean, look, we are the legislative branch. There's a reason the founding fathers put the Congress, the legislative branch, as the first article in the Constitution, and we're going to vigorously defend that.
(26:24)
But what's happening right now, I think there's a gross overreaction in the media to what is happening. The executive branch of government in our system has the right to evaluate how executive branch agencies are operating and to ensure that not only the intent of Congress in funding mechanisms, but also the stewardship of precious American taxpayer dollars is being handled well. That's what they're doing by putting a pause on some of these agencies and by evaluating them, by doing these internal audits. That is a long overdue, much welcome development. That's what the American people demand and deserve. And that's what's happening. So we don't see this as a threat to Article One at all. We see this as an active, engaged, committed executive branch authority doing what the executive branch should do. They have broad discretion in all the funding, as you all know, because you follow this. When Congress funds an agency, they give broad discretion to the executive branch on how it's administered. They're using that authority right now in a way it hasn't been used in a long time. So it looks radical. It's not. I call it stewardship. I think they're doing right by the American taxpayer, and we support that principle. When it comes to the point of codification and legislation and all the rest will be evaluated, all those things. But right now, I think they're acting within the scope of their authority.
(27:39)
There'll be legal challenges. The courts will have some things to say about this, but so far as I'm concerned, Chad, this is not a usurpation of authority in any way. It's not a power grab. I think they're doing what we've all expected and hoped and asked that they would do. For years, members of the legislative branch in Congress, Senate, and House have asked for details. They've asked for the expenses of USAID. I mean look, this is what was uncovered. Three, just quick examples. I mean, you tell me if this is unreasonable. Some of the stuff that the money was being spent on that we didn't even know. Crazy examples that came out. Look, a hundred million dollars on initiatives like expanding atheism in Nepal. That's what American taxpayers should be paying for? No way. Transgender operas in Colombia, drag shows in Ecuador? No way. The American people want us to… We have a 36 trillion dollar federal debt. It is a serious threat to the future and security of our nation. We've got to spend money better. And if this executive branch and this White House is going to take the initiative to dig in and find those details, and expose them, we applaud it. We're all on board. Thanks so much.
Speaker 6 (28:43):
Mr. Speaker, the President said that he wants to unbind you as [inaudible 00:28:47].
Press pool (28:43):
Super Bowl predictions?
(28:43)
Super Bowl predictions.
(28:43)
[inaudible 00:29:19].
(28:43)
You know what? You see some people [inaudible 00:29:35].
(28:43)
And that means something. [inaudible 00:29:41]