House Republicans are pushing two votes this week designed to force Democrats to state their positions on socialism and expanding the Supreme Court, amid an ongoing rift within the Democratic Party over its leftward-leaning wing.
The House Rules Committee advanced a resolution Monday condemning socialism, with no Democrats voting to move it forward. A House-wide procedural vote on the resolution is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, with a final vote on the measure itself Tuesday evening, according to a provisional schedule obtained by Fox News Digital. A separate constitutional amendment capping the number of Supreme Court justices at nine is expected to come up for a vote Wednesday afternoon.
Democrats on the Rules Committee dismissed the socialism resolution as political theater. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., called it “nonsense” that does nothing to address rising costs.
“So you’re concerned about rising gas, or are you concerned about grocery prices? You know, don’t worry. Republicans in Congress are passing another non-binding resolution condemning socialism,” McGovern said.
A heated exchange over Kroger and ‘silly season’
The committee meeting grew tense when Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., pressed Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., on whether he would consider it socialism if President Donald Trump sought a 20% stake in Kroger grocery stores. Steil said he would “want to see the details.”
“Oh, you’d want to see the details,” Neguse responded, as the two spoke over each other. “You said if the government owns grocery stores, that would be socialist. But if, of course, Donald Trump were to announce an equity stake in a grocery store, well, ‘I’d have to really see the details,’ because we all know the play.”
Steil said he would consider such a move acceptable only if it had a national security justification, and argued Neguse was describing a hypothetical. Rules Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., told Neguse not to interrupt Steil, who at one point said, “Some folks on your side of the aisle would like to have government-run grocery stores. I think that’s nuts.”
After further back-and-forth, Steil said, “I think there would need to be a national security rationale for the action. I don’t see any in your hypothetical. I don’t see a national security focus.” When Neguse called that a “helpful answer,” Steil replied, “It’s a hypothetical. So we’re entering silly season.”
Republicans say it’s time for Democrats to ‘pick a side’
House GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain, R-Mich., told Fox News Digital the votes are meant to put Democrats on record.
“It’s time for the Democrats to pick a side. Stop playing the middle. Be proud of who you are. You were elected to lead, so lead. Have an opinion. We intend to put you on record,” McClain said. “Do you want to pack the Supreme Court or not? It’s really simple. It’s a yes or no vote. It’s no bigger than that. Two — do you believe in socialism? If you do, you should say it loud and say it proud. I personally don’t believe in socialism. I like the fact that we have a democracy, that we have a republic, that we have a free society. And I’m proud to put myself on record.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., avoided directly answering whether he supports the anti-socialism resolution, instead criticizing another part of it.
“I haven’t taken a look at that resolution, although it’s my understanding that the resolution elevates the so-called SAVE America Act, which is just the ‘Suppress the Vote Act.’ And I’m not clear how many Democrats are actually gonna support a resolution whose focus is on trying to rig the midterm election by elevating this voter suppression legislation that Donald Trump has been trying to jam down the road to the American people for the last year,” Jeffries told reporters.
What’s in the resolution
Beyond condemning socialism, the resolution praises Republican-backed election security measures as “common-sense election integrity measures, including proof of citizenship, photo identification, and database checks,” and calls for enforcement of the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which has passed the House but has not moved in the Senate.
Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa., said the SAVE Act was intended to “silence political opponents,” adding: “Let’s scare people with yet another boogeyman and not do anything about it. Not really solve problems, just try to scare people.”
Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., argued the debate is not abstract, pointing to New York politics.
“I’ve seen firsthand the alarming rise of socialism…families in western New York have watched one-party rule in Albany pile on more taxes, more mandates, more government control, while hardworking taxpayers are left to foot the bill,” Langworthy said. “And now downstate, we’ve watched the socialist left move more from the activist fringe into positions of real, serious political power. And anyone thinks that these ideas are going to stay confined in New York City is sadly mistaken.”
The court-packing vote
House GOP leaders fast-tracked the Supreme Court amendment past the Rules Committee, but in exchange it will need a two-thirds majority to pass rather than a simple majority. The move comes after several prominent progressives — including former Vice President Kamala Harris and Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Ed Markey, D-Mass. — have called for expanding the Supreme Court to as many as 13 seats.
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