LIVE: House GOP Leaders Hold Post-Meeting Press Conference

Good morning, everybody. How are you today? Good? Not quite as good as yesterday. The sun was shining yesterday and it was a little nicer, but thank you all for being here. I want to open the press conference today with a question. What is a woman? Ask the Democrats and they'll probably tell you they don't know. It's ridiculous that we had to do it, but here we are. Democrats would rather allow men to compete in girls' sports than protect our little girls. They are truly out of touch with reality. And for those that support this insanity, you're allowed to live in your distorted reality. But that doesn't mean I have to live in your distorted reality, and our girls don't need to live in your distorted reality either. We fought for 50 years for women's rights. Now Democrats want to undo it. I can assure you that will not happen under my watch. House Republicans are committed to putting a stop to this madness. We are the party of common sense. The difference between the Democrats and the Republicans is that our agenda is about opportunity, about freedom, and about putting America first, while their agenda is about control, dependence, and America last. I thank Congressman Greg Stubbe and many others for their leadership on passing this legislation. Now let's turn our attention to the fentanyl crisis at the border. President Trump has made serious movement towards ending this. We finally have a president where his actions match his words. His ability to negotiate has saved lives. He's keeping the promise that he put forth to the American people. He's getting results, promises made, promises kept. Thank you so much for inviting me to speak to all of leadership here. I appreciate it. And to speak on such an important day, national girls and women in sports. First, I want to tell you that I'm a mother. I'm a mother of a teenage daughter. And I will always fight for women to be with women in the locker room and women to play against women in sports. In addition to protecting young girls, we're also tackling the fentanyl crisis. As you know, I live in a border district. I am honored to represent a border district where we have seen the chaos that has happened under the Biden administration. Three gallons. We think of three gallons of milk in our refrigerator. Those same three gallons could kill over five million people. That is twice the size of Houston, Texas. Wrap your arms around that. That was just one drug stop by our brave law enforcement officers in South Texas. That being said, I proudly support the Halt Fentanyl Act to help our law enforcement agents, not only in South Texas, but all across this nation. This act is so important and I'm proud to support it. I'm proud to join President Trump and all of my colleagues to stop the chaos at the border, but to also stop the fentanyl that is crossing our border. I thank you for your time and for your attention. We must keep men out of women's sports and we must stop the chaos at the border and the fentanyl that has come through because of it. Thank you. Yesterday, President Trump hosted his first official White House visit with a foreign leader in this, his second term. And I can't think of a more fitting guest than Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. That is the kind of leadership our allies need and deserve after the Biden administration's foreign policy failures over the last four years. So hopefully we see a very strong vote there. And finally, as a native-born New Orleanian, I'd like to welcome all of you to New Orleans this weekend for the Super Bowl. We are proud to be welcoming the world. And of course, thank the NFL, the relationship we've had with them, and Commissioner Goodell to bring yet another Super Bowl. This ties, I believe the Superdome will have the record for the most Super Bowls held in one arena. And we are proud to display what is, I think the city's never looked better, the Superdome has never looked better. We're also welcoming the President of the United States, Donald Trump, to the game. And laissez le bon temps bruler. With that, bring up the Speaker of the House. Well, good morning. It's great to see everyone. An overflow crowd. It's as if there's a lot of news happening or something. I don't know. I want to start this morning by addressing a few things we've heard this week from our Democrat colleagues. It's been pretty surprising. Here's a few quotes. Shut down the city. We are at war. We're going to fight it in the streets, it was said. This is what the beginning of a dictatorship looks like. This is their reaction to the flurry of activity that's come out of the new administration. And the President is doing exactly what he said on the campaign trail that he is going to do, would do. And he's delivering on that, and we're a big part of that, and we're going to do it as well. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party truly is seemingly lost. They have no rudder, they have no vision, they have no clear leader. The only message they have is anti-President Trump, and we've all seen that that's a failed strategy time after time. And it's not just rhetoric. I mean, this week, Democratic leadership sent a letter to their members that you all saw, that the media characterized as a war plan to take on President Trump. In the letter, the Democrats laid out the foundation for a government shutdown. That's their plan, to stop President Trump. And the question we're all asking is, why do they want to stop? Is it because President Trump is working to bring more oversight to USAID for its mismanaged spending? Is it because he's using the threat of tariffs to negotiate with trade partners and secure our borders? Is it because Doge is looking at contracts and helping to carry out President Trump's promises of making government more efficient? By laying the foundation for a shutdown in the way that they are, the Democrats are changing their tune on government shutdowns. Remember, they're the ones that are apoplectic all the time about the terrible harm that it would exact on the country. But because President Trump is doing exactly what he said he would do, they've changed their tune. And I think you all should be asking them about that change of heart and the hypocrisy that is just on open display. When President Trump said he would unleash American energy dominance and reduce the size of the government and deport dangerous illegal aliens and make American communities safe again, he meant what he said. And that's what we're seeing. He made campaign promises and now he's moving at a quick pace to deliver on them. What a concept. As I said in an interview yesterday morning, I think it's demonstrably true that President Trump has now done more for the American people in his first two weeks than his predecessor did in all four years. And that's going to continue. And in Congress, we're going to work, and we are working now, to codify that America First agenda through legislative action. Why is that important? Because it empowers law enforcement to seize those deadly drugs and go after their producers and distributors and stop the flow. It is an unspeakable tragedy that has now gone on for over four years. We have more than 200 Americans lose their lives every single day, on average, to fentanyl. And it's a crisis that demands our immediate action, and that's what the President is doing and that's what we're doing. The HALT Fentanyl Act builds on President Trump's efforts from earlier this week to secure our border, southern and northern borders, and keep illicit drugs out. Republicans are taking decisive, strong, and immediate action to rid American communities of this poison. Elections have sometimes very positive consequences, and that's what you're seeing here. Meanwhile, we're also going to unleash American energy dominance. The Protecting American Energy Production Act is so important because President Biden and his administration clearly waged a war on American-made energy, particularly oil and gas producers. And we're going to make sure this doesn't happen again. So we pass this legislation and no future administration will be able to put a halt on fracking, which produces so much of the energy in this country that has to be protected. House Republicans are delivering on our promises, and there is a lot more to come. I'm sure you have a few questions this morning, so we'll do that. Let's start in the front row. Look, there will be more details forthcoming on that, of course. The initial announcement yesterday, I think, was greeted by surprise by many, but cheered by, I think, people all around the world. Why? Because that area is so dangerous, and he's taking bold, decisive action to try to ensure the peace of that region. It's a bold move, certainly, far bolder than what's been done before. But I think we've got to stand unequivocally, in an unwavering manner, as the Whip said, with Israel, our closest ally and friend in the Middle East. And I think if we could bring control to that situation and bring about a lasting peace there, it would do well for everybody, not just in the region, but around the world. It's a volatile place. And I think the strong and decisive move is an important step in that regard. As was noted earlier, Prime Minister Netanyahu being the first international leader to meet with the President in the White House is more than symbolism. But it is a symbol, and it shows the world that we're not going to equivocate. The previous administration did that. They tried to appease Iran and, by extension, its proxies, terrorists. And they, frankly, encumbered Israel so many times. You're seeing a reversal of that now. That is very important development. I think our allies around the world appreciate that. I know, because I've talked to lots of leaders around the world. And they've been very nervous about the instability there. I think this could be a bold step in that regard. So let's withhold judgment on all of it. You'll see more developments as they come. Back up. Back up. So here's the thing on the Federal Department of Ed. It's been a discussion point and a priority for our party for a long time. See, we believe in the core principle that education is best handled by the people closest to the kids. What does that mean? It means local school districts, local school boards. It means at the state level rather than the federal level. We think you empower parents when you do that. You give them more choice in that. So that's why we're advocates for school choice. That's why we're advocates for charter schools and innovative ideas. And I think you can return American education to a place of prominence and success if you allow those things to happen. Teachers unions will viciously fight, of course, any idea of disbanding the Federal Department of Education. But I think the principle is one that is the time has come. We've all seen the ratings. I mean, the U.S. is falling far behind other countries because the system is not working. So President Trump ran for president. We ran to hold the majority. We assured the people that we would make big, bold decisions to change things. And I think that is an idea whose time has come. And again, you know, like everything else, we've got to wait for more details to to be laid out. But you're going to see a lot of support among House and I think Senate Republicans for the general idea of pushing the decisions down, back down to the local level. I think that's something that would serve us all well. Well, I look forward to meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu. There's a lot to discuss. I've been a very close ally of his. And to be frank, for the last four years, I think I was probably the highest ranked member of the federal government who was unequivocally supporting Israel and the prime minister. So we'll have that discussion. I mean, he obviously is has much more expertise on the issue than I do. But as I said earlier, we await further details on what exactly that looks like. This is a a bold, decisive move. And I think you have to do something to eradicate the threat to Israel. Here's the problem. If you leave Gaza in its current form, there's always a risk of another October 7. There's always a risk of proxies of Iran, all these terrorist organizations whose stated openly stated goal is to eliminate Israel as a state. So it just makes sense to to make the neighborhood there safer. I think that's logical. I think it follows common sense. I think people understand the necessity of it. And we're going to stand with Israel as they work towards this goal. And we'll stand with the president on his initiative. Chad, last one. No, look, I got to challenge the premise of the question, Chad. You know me. I'm a fierce advocate and defender of Article One. I mean, look, we are the legislative branch. There's a reason the founding fathers put the Congress, the legislative branch, as the first article in the Constitution. And we're going to vigorously defend that. But what's happening right now, I think there's a gross overreaction immediate to what is happening. The executive branch of government in our system has the right to evaluate how executive branch agencies are operating. And to ensure that not only the intent of Congress in funding mechanisms, but also the stewardship of precious American taxpayer dollars is being handled well. That's what they're doing by putting a pause on some of these agencies and by evaluating them, by doing these internal audits. That is a long overdue, much welcome development. That's what the American people demand and deserve. And that's what's happening. So we don't see this as a threat to Article One at all. We see this as an active, engaged, committed executive branch authority doing what the executive branch should do. They have broad discretion in all the funding, as you all know, because you follow this. When Congress funds an agency, they give broad discretion to the executive branch on how it's administered. They're using that authority right now in a way it hasn't been used in a long time. So it looks radical. It's not. I call it stewardship. I think they're doing right by the American taxpayer. And we support that principle. When it comes to the point of codification and legislation and all the rest, we'll be evaluating all those things. But right now, I think they're acting within the scope of their authority. There's been legal challenges. The courts will have some things to say about this. But as far as I'm concerned, Chad, this is not a usurpation of authority in any way. It's not a power grab. I think they're doing what we've all expected and hoped and asked that they would do for years. Members of the legislative branch in Congress, Senate and House have asked for details. They've asked for the expenses of USAID. I mean, look, this is what was uncovered. Three just quick examples. I mean, you tell me if this is unreasonable. Some of the stuff that the money is being spent on that we didn't even know. Crazy examples that came out. Look, $100 million on initiatives like expanding atheism in Nepal. That's what American taxpayers should be paying from nowhere. Transgender operas in Colombia. Drag shows in Ecuador. No way. The American people want us to – we have a $36 trillion federal debt. It is a serious threat to the future and security of our nation. We've got to spend money back. And if this executive branch and this White House is going to take the initiative to dig in and find those details and expose them, we applaud it. We're all on board. Thanks so much.