Comer: Democrats’ Playbook as Predictable as a Hallmark Christmas Movie

Blasts Democrats for continuing Trump obsession and ignoring crises impacting Americans

WASHINGTON—House Committee on Oversight and Reform Ranking Member James Comer (R-Ky.) today blasted Democrats for taking up a bill to resurrect their sham investigations into the past administration rather than address the many crises created by President Biden impacting Americans today.

In his floor statement during the House of Representatives’ consideration of the Democrats’ so-called “Protect Our Democracy Act,” Ranking Member Comer emphasized many of the bill’s provisions are unnecessary and micromanage the duly elected President of the United States by entrenching the federal bureaucracy and injecting congressional politics into the management of the executive branch. Rather than deliver this lump of coal to the American people, he called on Congress to instead address the many problems created by President Biden, like the supply chain, energy, border, and economic crises.

Below are Ranking Member Comer’s remarks as prepared for delivery.

Madam Speaker, the bill the Majority has titled the “Protecting Our Democracy” Act does nothing to protect anything but The Swamp. 

Right now, the American people are trying to prepare for the holidays with the highest rate of inflation in 30 years.  

They are struggling to keep their gas tanks full, put food on the table, and heat their homes.

They are worried about rising crime in their communities. 

They are concerned their children have suffered while their classrooms were closed but the borders are wide open to illegal immigrants and deadly drugs. 

Democrats are ignoring these real issues facing Americans today. 

Instead, Democrats want to talk about former President Trump even though a Democrat has occupied the White House for nearly a year. 

This is not what Americans want for Christmas. 

The Democrats’ playbook is about as predictable as a Hallmark Christmas special. We have all seen this movie. 

The bill before us today is based on political fiction and is the latest attempt to resurrect Democrats’ sham investigations of the past. 

This bill unconstitutionally disrupts the separation of powers among the branches of government by diminishing the executive branch and ignoring the judicial branch. 

For example, the legislation interferes with the President’s pardon power, a power completely vested with the President.  

But this bill gives Congress access to sensitive White House deliberations and communications about pardons. 

What legislative purpose does that serve? 

Congress has no authority to evaluate the President’s pardon power. 

This bill also overrides the judicial branch by attaching partisan definitions to constitutional language that the Supreme Court has already spoken to. 

It would change the definition of an “emolument” to fit failed Democrat legal theories and indulge certain Members’ false conspiracy theories. 

Rewriting this technical constitutional term would keep any businessperson who has conducted business outside the U.S. from running for President. That would mean no Hunter Biden at the top of the ticket in 2024.

Democrats appear to think the skillset for running a business would not be helpful to the federal government. 

Maybe that’s why Democrats’ only solution to any problem is to throw American taxpayers’ money at it, and not to engage in serious government reform efforts. 

Democrats only want career politicians to be able to serve as elected officials. 

Similarly, Democrats are determined to make the federal government run as inefficiently as possible by allowing incompetent or dishonest federal employees to keep their jobs. 

The so-called whistleblower protections in the bill are so expansive that if a federal employee—even a bad or ineffective one—claims they are a whistleblower, they are almost immune from scrutiny. 

The Oversight Committee has great respect for whistleblowers.  

They serve an essential role in highlighting waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government. 

But sometimes federal employees attempt to claim they are whistleblowers to shield themselves from scrutiny for poor performance.  

We should not make it impossible to vet whistleblowers’ claims and their work.    

Further, the policy in the Democrats’ bill to entrench inspectors general is another policy that reduces the efficiency of the federal government and another example of the legislative branch intruding on the operations of the executive branch. 

Madam Speaker, it’s Christmastime and instead of fixing the many problems created by President Biden, like the supply chain, energy, border, and economic crises, Democrats have decided to take up a sham bill and deliver a lump of coal to the American people. 

Instead of spending time on Democrats’ favorite obsession, we should instead take on the issues facing Americans today.