What Becca Balint said, and what was done

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the Republican reconciliation bill. While American families struggle to afford housing, healthcare, and groceries, Republicans are proposing to spend more than $150 billion on immigration enforcement, roughly $59 billion for detention and deportation operations.”

“Mr. Speaker, the President has created an entirely corrupt slush fund to give money to his allies, including the violent attackers who beat police officers on January 6.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in fierce opposition to this harmful attack on public schools. Republicans are losing. Gas prices are skyrocketing. They have no plan to end the illegal and unpopular war in Iran.”

“Mr. Speaker, at the Oval Office yesterday, Dr. Oz said that one in three Americans are under-babied. First of all, that is not a thing. What are you even talking about, Dr.”

“Mr. Speaker, Ghislaine Maxwell lured countless children into Epstein's global pedophile ring. She was found guilty of sex trafficking and sentenced in our courts, but the Trump administration moved her to a minimum security facility, a ``club fed'' facility.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank both my colleagues for holding this Special Order. It is such an important issue that so many of our constituents care about. I know that, representing my home State of Vermont, people are just absolutely outraged by what is happening.”

“Mr. Speaker, Americans do not want to live in a country where masked agents can carry you away in an unmarked car. Americans don't want to live in a country where innocent people are just dumped on the side of the road in freezing temperatures because ICE agents made a mistake and arrested the wrong person.”

“Mr. Speaker, let's be clear. This is not about catching the most violent criminals. It is about power. It is about control. It is about cruelty. It is about depravity and abandoning human decency.”

“Mr. Speaker, what happened to Aliya Rahman is chilling, and it is a warning for all of us. Aliya is a U.S. citizen. She is a software engineer.”

“Mr. Speaker, tonight, as I stand here, people across this country are being terrorized by ICE with our tax dollars. Americans do not support this, and I will be their voice tonight on the floor.”

“Mr. Speaker, I need to level set here. The President cannot take money from the proceeds of seized Venezuelan oil and control it himself via means of a highly illegal and improper offshore slush fund.”

“Mr. Speaker, Rabbi Abraham Heschel once sent a telegram to John F. Kennedy. Referring to racism in this country, he said: ``The hour calls for moral grandeur and spiritual audacity.'' Now, 62 years later, we see the excessive brutality of ICE agents.”

“Mr. Speaker, 1 week ago today, Republicans allowed the ACA premium tax credits to expire after telling us there was no money to do so. Healthcare premiums have soared, and millions of Americans will lose their healthcare coverage because they simply can't afford it.”

“Madam Speaker, I rise today in fierce opposition to Representative Greene's bill that would throw doctors and parents in jail for providing lifesaving medical care. Even for Republicans, this bill is extreme.”

“Mr. Speaker, in light of the President's offensive and cruel post about the tragic murders of director Rob Reiner and his wife, producer and actress, Michele Reiner, I think it is important to speak out.”

“Mr. Speaker, another day, another disgusting pardon by Donald Trump. I will tell you today about Joseph Schwartz. Joseph Schwartz ran a nationwide nursing home empire and stole $38 million through Medicaid and tax fraud.”

“We can't order a servicemember to commit a crime. It is that simple. If someone is a servicemember, he can't follow an order that requires him to commit a crime.”

“Mr. Speaker, last Friday President Trump said he would give a full and complete pardon to Juan Orlando Hernandez, the corrupt former President of Honduras. It is disgusting.”

“Mr. Speaker, on October 2, 2018, a man, a journalist, a father, a fiance was lured into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkiye. He went to get documents so he could marry his fiancee.”

“Mr. Speaker, the healthcare system that we have today doesn't work for anyone except if you are an insurance company. I hear it from Vermonters all the time: Our healthcare system is on the brink, and every choice Republicans make leads us further into collapse.”

“Americans are so tired of hearing about a concept of a plan or volumes of ideas. Mr. Speaker, I will tell you the plan: Medicare for all. I will tell you the vision.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of my colleague, Congressman Chuy Garcia, who is my seatmate on the Judiciary Committee. Chuy is someone who is always looking out for the working people of this country.”

“I want my colleagues to think about the totality of this man's life and what he has done in service not just to Illinois but to the people of this country.”

“Mr. Speaker, our Nation is in crisis. We are in a very dark place. Americans are scared, and they want to see a way forward. We all need to start with ourselves.”

“Mr. Speaker, so over at the Centers for Medicaid & Medicaid Services, the administrator, Dr. Oz--yes, that guy--decided they should curb waste by letting the government use AI to decide if your medical procedure is really necessary.”

“Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong opposition to this amendment. If passed, this amendment would immediately prohibit TRICARE coverage of mental health counseling for transgender young people.”

“Madam Speaker, I take to the floor today because I am angry and so are Vermonters. We are furious because of what happened yesterday to a Vermonter, a U.S. citizen, as he attempted to return home.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to honor the life and legacy of the Venerable J. Stannard ``Stan'' Baker, who passed away on June 23, 2025, at the age of 79.”

“Mr. Speaker, we all know that the Republicans' so-called big, beautiful bill is wildly unpopular. Every poll, including FOX News, shows that Americans think it is rotten, and it is.”

“Mr. Speaker, right now, ICE is showing up at courthouses across the country, waiting to arrest people after their official immigration hearings. Is this what we thought we would see in America?”

“Mr. Speaker, I stand here today in support of labor leader David Huerta. The head of the SEIU California union was arrested in Los Angeles while exercising his First Amendment rights to speech and assembly, rights that are guaranteed to all of us in the Constitution.”

“Mr. Speaker, Defense Secretary Hegseth should be one of the busiest people on the planet, defending our country and leading nearly 3 million courageous Americans in our Armed Forces.”

“Mr. Speaker, ask yourself why. Why are we here at 3 a.m. fast-tracking this bill? This bill is nothing to be proud of. It is best to pass it in the night when most folks are asleep.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Schrier, and I am happy to be here. Just this morning, President Trump said that the Republicans aren't cutting anything meaningful in their budget.”

“Mr. Speaker, I was a history teacher, and I know that we have to be documenting this moment. When we look back, I don't want anyone to say that we didn't know what was happening.”

“Mr. Speaker, I am a history teacher so I know that we have to do everything we can to document what is happening right now because we are at a very dangerous moment, and it requires courage from every single one of us.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the Republican budget. Let's lay out where we are. Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the White House, and they could be passing legislation right now to actually lower costs for families on groceries, prescription drugs, and housing.”

“Mr. Speaker, I want to clarify something for some of my colleagues and for leaders across this country because there seems to be some confusion. There is a big difference between taking a knee and bending a knee.”

“Mr. Speaker, we have heard for months now that this administration only hires the very best people. Really? Let's look at exhibit A. This is the guy? This guy?”

“Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues: What kind of man asks for absolute fealty and bootlicking from the people around him? What kind of man asks people to lie for him?”

“Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to the Republican budget. Here is the deal: Republicans have the House, the Senate, and the White House. They could be passing legislation to actually make our lives better, to lower costs on groceries, on prescription drugs.”

“Mr. Chair, I am thinking of the small businesses in Vermont that have reached out to me to say that Trump's proposed tariff war with Canada is going to crush them.”

“Mr. Speaker, Russia invaded the sovereign nation of Ukraine. That is the cold, hard truth of it. Vladimir Putin is the aggressor. I stand here on the floor to say that our President will not rewrite the past.”

“Mr. Speaker, I am here today to stand with our Federal workers and civil servants and to tell them that we will fight these illegal actions. The Trump administration is treating our Federal workforce as if they are the enemy.”

“Mr. Speaker, day one, our President made our country less safe. Day one, with an irresponsible stroke of his pen, Donald Trump released 500 violent felons back out onto our streets.”

“Mr. Speaker, as families in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas grapple with horrible devastation, loss of homes, community, loss of life and livelihoods, I am disgusted to hear that Republican leadership--Speaker Johnson--is planning to use this tragedy for political gain and withhold aid from California.”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in fierce opposition to this bill. Trans Americans are not the problem. This obsession with monitoring kids' genitals is absolutely the problem. Let's be clear.”