Why the House’s chaos has me furious

From fighting voter suppression in the Texas House to calling out Republicans in the House Oversight Committee for their brazen lies, I have always been committed to protecting and amplifying the fight for democracy. Recently, I went viral for displaying a photo taken by federal authorities of our national defense secrets stacked up in Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago bathroom. In that moment, when I said Trump was keeping our national secrets “in the s——,” I was big mad. While Democrats were fighting to keep American families afloat and our government open for business, House Republicans were bringing about a sham impeachment inquiry, wasting government resources, legislative time and American tax dollars. 

Since its inception, the 118th Congress, under the GOP majority, has been in a nonstop race to the bottom. It began with Kevin McCarthy giving up every concession to gain the speaker title — in a 15-round marathon vote — just for him to end up with absolutely nothing. This unraveling revealed that he wasn’t a skilled nor trusted negotiator, and certainly not a leader. It proved he could never hold a candle to his predecessor, Nancy Pelosi, who governed with the same slim majority. 

What exactly has the House GOP, better labeled as the “chaos caucus,” managed to accomplish in my first 10 months in office? They have panicked the markets, left Ukraine on edge, downgraded our credit rating and allowed the farm bill to lapse — causing uncertainty for farmers and SNAP recipients alike. Their biggest accomplishment has been bending the knee to a con man who has been held liable for sexual abuse: the twice-impeached, four-time indicted, 91-criminal-count-facing Donald Trump.

When the chaos caucus failed to do one of the basic jobs of Congress — fund the government by Sept. 30 — 99% of Democrats and only a little more than 50% of Republicans pulled together to avert a GOP-manufactured crisis. 

So where are we now that a 45-day extension passed? Without a speaker, no bills can move. Time moves right along, but Congress is at a standstill. The chaos caucus failed to support Ukraine in our extension, which sent a dangerous message to our allies and our enemies. And within a week of the House speaker drama unfolding, the ongoing conflict in Israel escalated, as Hamas attacked Israel. How can anyone trust Republicans to solve our most complex issues around the border, national security, foreign affairs or the economy, when they literally can’t even choose a speaker or pass a budget?

We are all suffering as the House remains paralyzed by extremism and ineptitude. Financially supporting the self determination of democracies keeps the U.S. safer and protects the rest of the world. The chaos caucus has caused international embarrassment. Frankly, a country in disarray is truly our enemies’ dreams. This is a matter of national security and people need to wake up.

This chaos is the exact reason Republicans don’t want people to be “woke.” They know that an educated people is vital for our survival as a free people. Our freedom and rights derive from our founding principle of democracy. Imagine living in a place where you aren’t free at all: where you have no freedom of speech, no ability to select your government officials, no protections against brute government force and no economic opportunities. 

The dysfunction in Congress puts our country and the rest of the world at risk. I cannot underscore the importance of electing serious people, based upon their dedication to our democracy. The safety of the United States, and the world is endangered, because of the former president, and now the chaos caucus. It is far past time for them to get the House in order for the good of not only our country, but for our allies around the world.