AMERICANS DON'T NEED LECTURES

On 2026-05-12, Representative Becca Balint (D-VT) delivered a floor speech titled "AMERICANS DON'T NEED LECTURES" in the House.

AMERICANS DON'T NEED LECTURES

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 80 (Tuesday, May 12, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 80 (Tuesday, May 12, 2026)] [House] [Page H3378] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] AMERICANS DON'T NEED LECTURES (Ms. BALINT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.) Ms. BALINT. Mr. Speaker, at the Oval Office yesterday, Dr. Oz said that one in three Americans are under-babied. First of all, that is not a thing. What are you even talking about, Dr. Oz? If Americans are having fewer kids, maybe it is because people don't think they can afford to have a family right now. They are working longer hours for flat wages while the cost of housing is crushing them. Maybe it is because millions of Americans can't afford healthcare for themselves, let alone their kids. Maybe it is because people are drowning in student debt, paying outrageous rents, and can't imagine adding childcare to their list of expenses. Dr. Oz, Americans are overworked. They are underpaid. They are struggling to get by while you, among the rich and powerful, stand and lecture them in a gold-plated room among other people who are clearly and totally out of touch with the American people. You can't serve in an administration that cuts healthcare, attacks Medicaid, drives up costs for working people and then act shocked because people say they can't afford to have kids. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Harris of North Carolina). Members are reminded to direct their remarks to the Chair. ____________________