A Texas Republican believes his party will lose the majority in the House of Representatives this November and says they will only have themselves to blame.
U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) is tired of the finger-pointing in Congress and is calling for more attention to “kitchen table” issues that regular Americans care about, expressing doubts about retaining the razor-thin House majority.
“What’s frustrating me is I firmly believe that House Republicans are going to lose the majority — and we’re going to lose it because of ourselves,” he said at the Texas Tribune Festival on Thursday.
“We’re getting outraised. We’re getting outspent,” he said, adding that messaging from Democrats “is at a different level than where we’re at.”
Gonzales contended that most Americans “just want their lives to be better. They want to feel safe in their communities. They want their kids to feel safe in school. They want more money in their pockets. These are real issues. … Yet the House Republicans continue to get in their own way, and I worry if we stay in this spot, we’re gonna be in the minority.”
National Republican Congressional Committee Press Secretary Will Reinert reportedly responded, “We disagree.”
The second-term Republican has faced heat from his own party over key votes and was censured by the Texas Republican Party last year after a vote in favor of a bipartisan gun safety law.
“It’s not rocket science here. You know the economy, it’s really real. I mean, more and more middle-class Americans are falling further and further behind in access to quality health care, he said Thursday. “Are we talking about this? Are we talking about some of these kinds of kitchen table issues? No — it’s all about who we’re going to impeach.”
Former President Donald Trump addressed economic issues in a speech in New York on Thursday where he announced plans to cut the corporate tax rate to 15%. The GOP nominee also said, if elected, he would create a “government efficiency commission” led by billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk. while vowing to “make America richer and stronger” if elected in November.
“I’m here today to lay out my plan to rescue our country from this nightmare, and to bring back to its citizens the American dream — bigger, better, and stronger than ever before,” Trump said.
Today, it was my Great Honor to Address the storied Economic Club of New York! pic.twitter.com/YzobFNSUgg
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 5, 2024
“I am promising low taxes, low regulations, low energy costs, low interest rates, secure borders, low, low crime and surging incomes for citizens of every race, religion, color and creed,” Trump continued. “My plan will rapidly defeat inflation, quickly bring down prices, and reignite explosive economic growth.”
Contributing to the problems in Congress, according to Gonzales, is that the overarching attitude in both chambers and among both parties is that “It’s someone else’s fault.”
“I get that part of our job is oversight — but it’s not the entire job,” he argued, adding that “it’s Congress’s job to deliver for the people. And I think we have, we certainly failed in the 118th Congress.”
“This is why I think it’s so important for the House to lead,” he said. “Let’s be truthful with what happens. Let’s have these conversations — instead of just blaming somebody else. I think there are dark times ahead, and I think we need to have a steady hand where people can bring us together and focus on delivering real results.”
The Texas lawmaker asserted that Republicans need to decide if “we’re going to be the party that delivers for real people. Are we going to have these conservative values that make people’s lives better? Or are we going to be the party of rhetoric?”
“One of the things that I hate hearing is when folks say, you know, the party left me … even on the Democratic side, where I hear this all the time,” he said Thursday.
“As a Republican, I focus on delivering real results. The truth hurts. Sometimes the truth is painful, but I think it’s important that we stop blinding people and deliver on this,” he added. “I’ve been harsh with some of my colleagues. Guess what? Man, the House is a rough and rowdy place. You better put your mouthpiece in and go to work.”
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