Press Releases

WASHINGTON — House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-MI) today criticized Democrats for prioritizing illegal immigrants over public safety and threatening to hold critical government funding—including FEMA, TSA, and the Coast Guard—hostage, while highlighting Republican-led tax relief delivering larger refunds and paychecks for American seniors, workers, and families.

Chairwoman McClain’s remarks at the leadership press conference, as prepared for delivery:

I think I’m up here because people trust me to be blunt. To speak my mind. To say it like it is. 

So today, I’m going to do that because the American people deserve the truth – and I’m going to be honest, they aren’t getting it right now.

I am beyond frustrated watching a media that is so obsessed with tearing down President Trump that they willfully ignore the millions of illegal immigrants Joe Biden allowed to pour across our border.

I am furious that Democrats are so desperate to satisfy their activist base that they would rather shut down FEMA, TSA, and even the Coast Guard than stand up and say one simple thing: violent criminals who are here illegally should be deported. 

And yes, I am angry. Angry watching protesters as they try to block legal law enforcement operations that are targeting the worst predators walking among us. And I know – Democrats want to tell a different story. 

But let me hit everyone here with the truth – the truth about what I’m seeing at home. 

 In my state of Michigan, DHS has pulled an illegal alien out of Zeeland convicted of sexually exploiting a minor. 

In Grand Rapids, they got a guy convicted of larceny and sexual assault. In Ypsilanti, in Jackson, in Detroit, Holland, Newberry, Carson City, Pontiac – DHS found and deported illegal aliens convicted of homicide. 

These folks are monsters. 

And I’d love for the media to find any parent, any responsible citizen in this country who would be OK with one of these predators remaining on our streets.

 These are criminals. 

These are killers. 

 And Democrats are fighting right now to keep them here, to shut down ICE, to call off Border Patrol, to let these folks stay in American communities – in your communities.

 That is disgusting.

And the most cynical part is they will stand in the street next to murderers and predators just to change the narrative, just to distract from the massive tax relief Republicans delivered to working families.

I’m not taking that bait. So today, I’m going to keep the focus where it belongs, not on the noise, but on real Americans whose lives are better because of policies Republicans passed, policies every Democrat voted against. 

And I want to start with the words of a son talking about his mom. He wrote:

 “I just finished my mom’s taxes. She’s a widow up in Rhode Island, working as a crossing guard for local school kids. She relies on Social Security and a tiny pension from my late father. The $6,000 seniors’ deduction saved her $1,300 - to the penny - in federal taxes.”

Now, if you’re from Michigan, you know this feeling. You pull out your winter coat after a long season, stick your hand in the pocket, and find a twenty-dollar bill you forgot about. It feels like a win.

Now imagine that feeling – but it’s $1,300. That’s what this widow and her son experienced. And she’s not alone.

All across this country, seniors are seeing bigger refunds. Workers are seeing bigger paychecks. Families are finally getting some breathing room.

 Why? Because Republicans ended the double taxation of Social Security. Because we made sure that 88 percent of seniors will pay zero federal taxes on their benefits.

That didn’t happen by accident. And sadly, it didn’t happen unanimously either.

Every single Democrat voted against the $6,000 seniors’ deduction.

Every single Democrat voted against giving grandma a little relief after Bidenflation hit seniors harder than almost any other group.

Every single Democrat voted no - not just against the Greatest Generation, but against the next generation too.

They voted against expanding the Child Tax Credit. They voted against jumpstarting the American Dream with Trump Investment Accounts.

They voted against a 15 percent tax cut for the families and workers building this country every single day.

Republicans chose a different path.

We made a promise: to deliver real economic relief. And we kept it—for seniors, for families, for workers, every stage of life and every walk of life.

 That’s what governing looks like. And that’s what leadership delivers.

Watch Chairwoman McClain's full remarks here.