WASHINGTON—Today, House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) delivered remarks at House Republican leadership’s weekly press conference highlighting the 119th Congress’ record of results and Republicans’ work to return power, freedom, and opportunity to the American people.

Watch Chairwoman McClain’s full remarks here.

Remarks as prepared for delivery:

Good morning.

The American people gave this Congress a mandate to change the direction of the country. And Republicans took that mandate seriously.

We inherited a wide-open border, communities worried about public safety, record-high inflation, and a federal government that had forgotten a pretty basic truth: we work for you. So we got to work.

This has been the most aggressive and productive Congress since Speaker Joseph Martin’s 80th Congress in 1949. In terms of number of bills passed, tax legislation, and de-regulation, this has been the most successful session since then—77 years!

We closed the border. We protected the most vulnerable. We restored common sense to Washington. And with the Working Families Tax Cuts, we put more money back where it belongs: in the pockets of the people who earned it.

There is a fundamental divide in this country over what government is supposed to be. The contrast could not be clearer.

The Democrat Party is the party of communism and state-controlled EVERYTHING. Republicans understand that the American people deserve the freedom to make their own choices, build their own lives, and determine their own futures.

Just look at New York City under Communist Mayor Mamdani! He promised free buses and lower rents. Well…the buses still cost money, and high rent continues to break records. Manhattan’s average rent is almost $5,300!

That’s exactly where communism leads: broken promises and unaffordable necessities. During the summer months, New York residences and businesses were told they couldn’t set their air conditioning below 78 degrees.

And New Yorkers are paying twice for their groceries: once with their tax dollars, and again when they buy food for their families.

That’s not freedom—that’s a tyrannical government forcing its claws into your home, your business, and your everyday life.

Democrats believe Big Government is the best steward of your money. Republicans believe you are. We look at that paycheck and see the alarm clock that went off before sunrise. The extra shift. The long commute. The dinner you missed with your kids.

That money YOU earned does not belong to Washington. That money belongs to you. You earned it. You should decide how to spend it, save it, invest it, and use it to build a better life for your family.

THAT is what small government is supposed to look like. Not small ambitions. Big results—with Washington taking up less space in your life.

Our job is not to tell you how to live your life. It is to make sure you have the freedom, security, and opportunity to build the life you want. That is what this Congress has been about. And the job is not finished.

There will always be another challenge. Another fight. Another reason for Washington to try to take a little more power for itself. But over the course of this Congress, we have changed the trajectory of the country. Did we secure the border, make our communities safer, and protect the most vulnerable? Absolutely. But we also set the table for Americans to be successful in this country.

A safer country. A stronger economy. More opportunity. And a government that remembers who handed it the keys in the first place: the American people. And ultimately, those keys belong right back in their hands.

Republicans put you back in the driver’s seat.