Yesterday, Speaker Johnson called the House of Representatives back after 55 days.  It wasn’t my first time back in Washington.  I have been coming back, as have my colleagues in the House Democratic Caucus, ready to work on and negotiate a bill to reopen the government and to address the real challenges facing Americans, especially the growing health care crisis this Congress has created.

But that is not the bill the House considered.  It could have been.  And it should have been.  Instead—after insisting that nothing could be done other than the Senate passing the prior House bill—House Republicans presented the bill the Senate passed with no House input and no amendments, one that ignores the health care crisis and includes obscene million-dollar payouts to eight Republican Senators. 

Throughout the long government shutdown, we asked Speaker Johnson to meet with us, to negotiate with Democrats, to find common ground on keeping open, and later reopening, the government.  For weeks, communities across the United States endured the consequences of the government shutdown. 

Even though the House Republicans have been on vacation since September 19, yesterday they claimed that ending the government shutdown was so urgent that all they could do was pass the Senate bill.  It is, of course, a false claim and a false choice.  But I supposed it was not really a surprise.  

I sponsored amendments to the bill to strike the obscene million-dollar payouts to Republican Senators, to extend Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, and to protect SNAP benefits during funding lapses.  House Republicans could easily have adopted them, could have done something to address these glaring failures.  But, this do-nothing House could not be bothered.

And that is why they should not be in charge of the House.  House Republicans have demonstrated not only that they cannot govern, but that they have no interest in doing it.  What are they interested in now?  Blaming Democrats and hiding the Epstein files.

Texans—and all Americans—deserve better.

I will keep fighting for a responsible, transparent, and accountable government that works for the people of TX07 and people across the country.  Taking back the House majority—the work of this campaign—is critical to that effort.  So, thanks for all you continue to do to make that possible. 

Together we can do anything,