{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://neal.house.gov/2023/12/05/news-documentsingle-aspx-documentid-3834/", "Neal Opening Statements at Committee Executive Session", "2023-12-05", "2023", "2023-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Richard E. Neal", "N000015", "neal.house.gov", "neal", "https://neal.house.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "Washington, D.C.\n\n(As prepared for delivery)\n\nHearing\n\nThe last time the Majority called a meeting behind closed doors, Speaker Kevin McCarthy was still leading their conference, their first impeachment inquiry hearing was on the horizon, and we were staring down another Republican government shutdown. And in the 10 months since they began their fishing expedition, they still had no evidence of wrongdoing or political interference by the President or his Administration.\n\nThe same rings true today\u2014nothing is new here and nothing ties to the President.\n\nSince then, we are staring down another Republican government shutdown right at the beginning of the tax filing season. My colleagues may have an obsession with one particular taxpayer, but Ways and Means Democrats are concerned with the ease and experience of all taxpayers\u2014that\u2019s governing.\n\nHouse Republicans also wasted weeks of legislative days in search of a new leader, their first hearing flopped, and they are no closer to convincing anyone, including themselves, that this isn\u2019t a partisan stunt.\n\nTheir own witnesses conceded there isn\u2019t evidence to warrant moving forward.\n\nThe new Speaker said the quiet part out loud, saying last month, there is a \u201cpolitical imperative\u201d to push ahead. What about the facts? What about the evidence? Well, he also conceded that \u201cthere is insufficient evidence.\u201d\n\nSo, since our last Executive Session, House Republicans took more Speaker votes, landed a new Speaker who has flipflopped on the legitimacy of their inquiry, launched a website, and ultimately, remain no closer to evidence of wrongdoing or political interference. The American people question why they are even wasting their time on this! In fact, Americans believe House Republicans have prioritized the wrong things this Congress\u2014by a 48-point margin.\n\nThe plot has been lost, and today is a last-ditch attempt to reignite this process ahead of the election year.\n\nIt\u2019s nakedly partisan, and as I\u2019ve said many times, it\u2019s not the work of the American people.\n\nI want to be clear\u2014my disgust with this process lies solely with House Republicans, who investigate like they legislate. Backwards and without regard for reality.\n\nIf they cared so much about the transparency and oversight of the president\u2019s tax returns, they could have supported my Presidential Tax Filings and Audit Transparency Act of 2022 that passed the House at the end of last Congress. Or, even better, they could bring it back up this Congress.\n\nIf they had faith in their investigation, they wouldn\u2019t deny their key subject the opportunity to testify before the American people.\n\nBut this exercise all boils down to a needless distraction, meant to kick up doubt and trade on recycled, debunked conspiracy theories.\n\nRepeating lies will never make them facts. And today, we aren\u2019t being presented with anything new.\n\nThe American people want you all to govern. They want you to legislate. They want the Child Tax Credit extended and to build on our work to bring down costs and give them more breathing room.\n\nInstead, House Republicans would rather wear the \u201cleast productive Congress since the Great Depression\u201d as a badge of honor and continue down this path without any evidence of wrongdoing.\n\nWith that, I yield the balance of my time.\n\nMarkup\n\nAfter 11 months, the Majority continues to mistake Congress\u2014a legislative body\u2014for law enforcement.\n\nLast year the courts were clear that, \u201cCongress cannot exercise its investigative powers for the purpose of law enforcement because the power of law enforcement is vested in the executive and judicial branches.\u201d\n\nWith this Committee still not a law enforcement body, and lacking any independent power to enforce the tax laws against a private citizen, where is the legislation? They\u2019ve certainly had the time to put something together.\n\nFor that matter, why is the Majority still relying on these whistleblowers to transmit information, why not make their own requests using the power of this Committee?\n\nThey lack a legitimate legislative purpose because this exercise has no broader significance. It\u2019s merely to embarrass the President.\n\nThe only thing the American people will learn today is how low their Republican elected officials are willing to go.\n\nThese documents don\u2019t show anything new, but they might kick up one dust particle that fits the cherry-picked, political narrative, and for my colleagues, that seems to be enough.\n\nIt\u2019s weaponization of this Committee, and it is not the work of the people.\n\nWith that, I yield the balance of my time.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://neal.house.gov/2023/12/05/news-documentsingle-aspx-documentid-3834/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.806508120149374, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}