Chairwoman McClain Warns Against the Growing Influence of Communism in American Politics

WASHINGTON
-Today, House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) delivered remarks warning about the rise of communism in American politics and reaffirmed House Republicans' commitment to protecting individual liberty, free enterprise, and the American Dream.

Remarks as prepared for delivery:

Good morning.

Before we begin, I want to take a moment to honor the life and legacy of Senator Lindsey Graham.

Senator Graham was a stalwart defender of conservative values, a staunch ally of President Trump, and a devoted public servant who spent decades fighting for the country he loved.

His sudden passing is a tremendous loss-not only for South Carolina and the Republican Party, but for our entire nation.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, his friends, his staff, and all those who knew and loved him.

Senator Graham understood that freedom is never guaranteed. It must be defended-at home and around the world-from those who seek to destroy it.

And for most of our history, Americans could agree on one basic principle: Communism is evil. It crushes freedom. It destroys prosperity. And it gives enormous power to a small oligarchy who believe they know how everyone else should live.

We didn't agree on everything, but we understood that communism is the enemy of everything America was built to be. Sadly, not anymore.

Today, communists aren't hiding in the shadows. And they are preparing to bring their ideology into the United States Congress.

Our guest today, Congressman Carlos Gimenez, knows exactly where that ideology leads. His family fled communist Cuba in search of freedom here in America-and in a moment, you'll hear directly from him.

When people who have lived under communism warn us about what is happening, we should listen.

Because this is not just one radical voice on the fringe. Not just two. Double digits.

Actual communists serving in the Congress of the United States of America. That should horrify everyone.

Because communism is not some fashionable theory dreamed up in a college classroom. It's already been tried-and we know exactly where it leads.

Bread lines in the Soviet Union. Political prisons in Cuba. Children starving in Venezuela. Different countries. Different decades. The same results.

Communism has failed everywhere it has been tried. It has destroyed every nation unfortunate enough to fall under its control.

Remember when the Berlin Wall fell? Everyone ran to the American side, NOT the communist Russia side.

But the Left keeps insisting that this time will somehow be different. It will not.

The slogans may change, but the consequences never do. And that's not some distant warning about what could happen years from now. It is happening in real time.

Under communist Mamdani, New York City rents have reached an all-time high. The median asking rent is now almost $5,300 a month in Manhattan-and over $4,300 in Brooklyn. Those are the real-life consequences of the communist experiment.

Working families are paying the price right now.

If you despise the country, you do not deserve to lead it. And if your goal is to tear down everything our Founders built, Republicans will stand in your way every single time.

This is no longer a debate between slightly different economic policies.

This is a choice between freedom and tyrannical government control.

Between the American Dream and the failed nightmare of communism.

Between people who believe America is worth defending-and radicals who seem embarrassed that America exists at all.

These people hate our country and everything it stands for.

Well, I've got great news: You're free to go! You don't have to be here!

Our Founders gave us a nation built on individual liberty, self-government, faith, free enterprise, and the understanding that our rights come from God.

The communist Left wants to replace that with dependency, coercion, censorship, and oppressive government control over nearly every part of American life.

We won't let them. We will defend this country.

And we will make certain that communism never takes root in the United States of America.

Now it's my pleasure to hand it over to a man who knows all too well the consequences of communism, Congressman Carlos Gimenez from Florida.