‘Complete Waste Of Time’: Julie Johnson Rails Against House GOP For Gulf Of America Renaming

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On the House floor, Julie Johnson spoke out against the Gulf of America renaming.

Transcript

00:00The gentlewoman's recognized.

00:01Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the gentlewoman for yielding her time.

00:06I rise in opposition to this complete waste of time, the Gulf of America Act.

00:12While Americans are struggling with real problems,

00:15while Trump is trampling over the constitutional rights of the citizens he swore to protect,

00:21Republicans are wasting this chamber's time with performative nonsense.

00:26Here's the choice this comes down to.

00:28We could focus on helping 40 million Americans saddled with medical debt,

00:34or we could rename the Gulf of Mexico.

00:37We could ensure that 10 million children going hungry every night have enough food to eat,

00:44or we can rename the Gulf of Mexico.

00:49We could address our nation's highest maternal mortality rate,

00:53where women are dying in this country every day while giving birth,

00:59or we can rename the Gulf of Mexico.

01:03We could address our nation's lack of affordable housing where families are struggling to find safe shelter,

01:10or we can rename the Gulf of Mexico.

01:14We could make sure our veterans who are waiting for weeks for appointments at VA clinics get the desperate care they need

01:22after making such extreme sacrifices in the honor of service to our country,

01:27or we can rename the Gulf of Mexico.

01:31We can be protecting Social Security and Medicare,

01:35protecting Medicaid,

01:37finding affordable child care for the millions of children in this country,

01:41and reducing the high cost of living that so many families in all of our districts are struggling to afford basic necessities.

01:52Or, we can rename the Gulf of Mexico.

01:56Republicans have made their choice.

01:59They want to focus on renaming a body of water that doesn't need renaming,

02:04instead of the emergent needs that the people we all represent.

02:09And the bill's co-sponsor, the woman from Georgia,

02:14in her district, one in five residents live below the poverty line.

02:19Her district ranks near the bottom in Georgia for health outcomes.

02:22Opioid overdose rates continue to climb.

02:26Broadband access remains limited,

02:30and public schools are under-resourced.

02:33But again, instead of working on bills to bring down the high costs of health care,

02:39making broadband accessible for Americans all over the country,

02:43or helping families struggling with addiction,

02:47we are renaming the Gulf of Mexico as if it is the most important pressing issue facing this country.

02:55This is not governing.

02:57It's a distraction, it's political theater,

03:00and it's an insult to the intelligence of every American who expects us in Congress to do the serious work

03:06of solving real problems and making their lives better.

03:10But this bill does not achieve any of those ends.

03:15The American people did not send us here to troll and suck up to a president.

03:19They sent us here to legislate, leave, and make their lives better.

03:23I urge my colleagues to vote no on this stupid bill and focus on what matters to the American people.

03:30And I yield back.

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