Washington, DC – Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke on the House Floor in opposition to the Hands Off Our Home Appliances Act. He emphasized that while extreme MAGA Republicans are focused on liberty for laundry and dignity for dishwashers, House Democrats are fighting for lower costs, safer communities and reproductive freedom. 

LEADER JEFFRIES: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the distinguished gentleman from the great state of New Jersey for yielding and for his tremendous leadership.

The House of Representatives, of course, is the institution the framers designed to be the closest to the American people, the first institution mentioned in the United States Constitution, the People’s House, the place where President Abraham Lincoln declared that America is the last best hope of Earth, the place where FDR made clear the importance of defending democracy against the tyranny of Nazi fascism. It’s the place where President Lyndon Baines Johnson talked about the importance of the Voting Rights Act, and made clear to America that we shall overcome.

The House of Representatives is a special place. And so earlier today I was told you need to get to the House Floor to deal with the signature piece of legislation from the extreme MAGA Republicans in this 118th Congress. And so, I wondered to myself, is it going to be about inflation, lower costs, housing affordability, public safety, dealing with the challenges at the border, Social Security, Medicare, what is it going to be about? And it turns out the signature piece of legislation for the extreme MAGA Republicans this week, this month, this year is Hands Off Our Home Appliances Act. This is what we are dealing with? On this magical House Floor, with all of the challenges that the American people are confronting. Liberty for laundry? Defending the dignity of dishwashers? Fighting for freedom of refrigerators? This is what we’re doing? You can’t make it up. You can’t make it up.

As House Democrats, we are going to defend democracy. Extreme MAGA Republicans are working on defending the dignity of dishwashers. As House Democrats, we are going to protect and strengthen Social Security. Extreme MAGA Republicans are apparently interested in protecting gas stoves against phony accusations of oppression. House Democrats are going to defend reproductive freedom. Extreme MAGA Republicans focus on the freedom for refrigerators. We believe in a woman’s freedom to make her own reproductive healthcare decisions. Period. Full stop. And women’s health care and protecting the women of America against extreme MAGA Republican overreach. And instead of leaning into the protection of reproductive freedom, instead of trying to strengthen Social Security and Medicare, you want to criminalize abortion care. You want to impose a nationwide ban and then waste time on the House Floor as it relates to the liberty of laundry. You can’t make this up.

And so, I just urge my Republican colleagues to partner with us. If you want to push back against overreach, push back against the pro-Putin, extreme overreach on your side of the aisle that doesn’t want to defend democracy and freedom here and abroad. It’s undermining it. And we extend the hand of partnership, as we’ve repeatedly done, to solve real problems for the American people. But those problems have nothing to do with the dignity of dishwashers, the freedom of refrigerators or the liberty of laundry. Let’s get back to doing the real business of the American people. Vote no against this legislation.

Full speech can be watched here.

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