PROVIDING FOR THE CONDEMNATION AND DENOUNCEMENT OF SOCIALISM IN ALL ITS FORMS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

On 2026-09-01, Representative Addison P. McDowell (R-NC-6) delivered a floor speech titled "PROVIDING FOR THE CONDEMNATION AND DENOUNCEMENT OF SOCIALISM IN ALL ITS FORMS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES" in the House.

PROVIDING FOR THE CONDEMNATION AND DENOUNCEMENT OF SOCIALISM IN ALL ITS FORMS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 138 (Tuesday, September 1, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 138 (Tuesday, September 1, 2026)] [House] [Pages H5401-H5408] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] {time} 1620 PROVIDING FOR THE CONDEMNATION AND DENOUNCEMENT OF SOCIALISM IN ALL ITS FORMS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1499, I call up the resolution (H. Res. 1490) providing for the condemnation and denouncement of socialism in all its forms, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration. The Clerk read the title of the resolution. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 1499, the resolution is considered read. The text of the resolution is as follows: H. Res. 1490 Whereas socialist ideology necessitates a concentration of power that has, time and time again, collapsed into communist regimes, totalitarian rule, and repressive dictatorships; Whereas socialism has repeatedly led to famine and mass murders, and the killing of over 100,000,000 people worldwide; Whereas, since the November 2025 New York City mayoral election of a Democratic Socialist, candidates for public office affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have run in over one hundred elections in at least half the states; Whereas the DSA's ideological tenet labeled ``Democracy for All'' calls for noncitizens and incarcerated criminals to vote in American elections; Whereas the DSA's ideological tenet labeled ``A Democratic Congress'' calls for abolishing the U.S. Senate, implementing ranked choice voting in all elections, and replacing the two- party system; Whereas, on February 19, 2026, the DSA stated ``[t]he United States of America has never been a democracy''; Whereas the DSA's ideology and socialism, in any form, are incompatible with American values and the United States Constitution; Whereas the State of New Jersey registered nearly 6,600 noncitizens to vote, with reportedly hundreds successfully voting in elections; Whereas the Trump Administration's Department of Homeland Security engaged in a joint investigation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which charged four noncitizens with crimes connected to illegally voting in Federal elections and making false statements while applying for American citizenship; Whereas, under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump, the Department of Homeland Security has made the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) service accessible to all states to find and remove ineligible noncitizens from state voter rolls; Whereas multiple States have found documented instances of noncitizens illegally registered to vote as a result of access to the SAVE service; Whereas, under Democrat leadership, several local jurisdictions in the United States of America allow noncitizens to vote in elections, diluting the votes of American citizens; Whereas the United States House of Representatives has passed several bills, including the SAVE Act and the SAVE America Act, to require common-sense election integrity measures, including proof of citizenship, photo identification, and database checks; Whereas the American people deserve to be confident that American elections are free, fair, and secure; Whereas common-sense measures like providing photo identification to vote ensure that American elections are secure; and [[Page H5402]] Whereas only Americans should decide American elections: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives-- (1) condemns and denounces socialism in all its forms, including the Democratic Socialists of America, and opposes the implementation of socialist policies in the United States; (2) reaffirms its support for free, fair, and secure elections; (3) reiterates the notion that American elections are for American citizens only; (4) recommits itself to upholding the Constitution of the United States; and (5) calls for enactment of the SAVE America Act to ensure election security, increase public confidence in America's voting system, and close loopholes in order to prevent noncitizens from voting in elections. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Steil) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Morelle) each will control 30 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Steil). General Leave Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Wisconsin? There was no objection. Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would like to start by thanking the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Crank) for authoring this very timely resolution. Mr. Speaker, let's set the stage. Socialism has no place in the United States of America. Hard work and merit are the backbone of American Dreams, not socialism in government outcome and government control. Our Nation is at a crossroads. Across the country, socialist policies are increasingly dominating democratic politics. Members of this body openly support key elements of the Democratic Socialists of America's platform. The mayor of our largest city is a socialist. The U.S. Senator who was a leading candidate for the 2020 Democratic nomination for President is a socialist. America has a choice. We can go down the path of Big Government socialism, or we can keep fighting to shrink government and help the American people keep more of their hard-earned money. The resolution condemns socialism, and it exposes the radical policies of the Democratic Socialists of America's platform. Let's quickly look through the platform. It supports giving the right to vote to 12 million noncitizens and criminals who are currently incarcerated. It supports ranked-choice voting for all elections. It calls for abolishing the electoral college and the United States Senate. These are radical policies, and they would undermine the integrity of the American election and destroy our democratic system. Now, contrast this radical agenda with what Republicans support. We believe that American elections are for American citizens only. We are focused on making it easy to vote and hard to cheat. Our goal is to strengthen election integrity. That is why we are pushing commonsense reforms like requiring photo ID and citizenship verification when individuals register to vote. Socialists are opposing these commonsense ideas because they fundamentally oppose securing our elections. Mr. Speaker, socialism is easy to elect, but it is nearly impossible to remove. That is because socialist ideology concentrates power in a way that has led to totalitarian rule, time and time again. Here at home, DSA leaders have repeatedly described our bicameral Federal Republic as inherently undemocratic. Make no mistake, if socialists are given the chance, socialists will abolish our democratic system. Mr. Speaker, socialist policies are responsible for the death of 100 million people worldwide. This resolution rejects and condemns this dangerous ideology. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, as if we didn't waste enough time participating in yesterday's purely performative exercise at the Rules Committee, here we are again. After zero floor activity for the last 5 weeks, House Republicans have brought to the floor a nonbinding resolution calling for enactment of the SAVE America Act. I was recently asked by a constituent: ``What is a nonbinding resolution?'' And I effectively said: A nonbinding resolution is a statement of how Congress feels, but it does nothing. So here we are taking up a nonbinding resolution of how we feel. And in an ironic twist that would be comical if it weren't so sinister, this resolution, this nonbinding feeling of Congress, stokes fears of a repressive totalitarian dictatorship while in the same breath affirms House Republicans' obsession with subverting Americans' right to vote-- the same House Republicans that have ceded entirely Congress' constitutional authority to one single person. Absurd doesn't begin to describe this. This resolution, this nonbinding resolution, asks the House to condemn government ownership of private industry, yet under Donald Trump's administration, the Federal Government has spent almost $28 billion of American money acquiring stakes in dozens of private companies--$28 billion. Now, personally, I believe in capitalism, but if my Republican friends want to debate socialism, they should start with the shareholder in chief who sits in the Oval Office. Mr. Speaker, after hearing from their own constituents about the affordability crisis in America and the corruption in this administration for the past 5 weeks, House Republicans are wasting time on a vote for a resolution condemning a political philosophy, a resolution which has already passed the House, and calling for the enactment of a bill aimed at making it harder for Americans to vote--a bill which I also note has already passed this House. This bill would make it harder for married women and veterans to vote, a bill that would essentially gut mail and online voter registration, a bill that would force States to hand out voter rolls to President Trump's Department of Homeland Security. Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised we are here today because one thing is clear: As costs are skyrocketing for American consumers, Republicans are afraid to face their constituents at the ballot box. The White House and congressional Republicans have failed the American people, and t

Referenced legislation: HRES1490, HRES1490, HRES1498, HRES1499, HR9436