Majority Whip Steve Scalise Discusses the Possibility of Greater Bicameral Achievement this Year

WASHINGTON, DC — House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (LA-1) spoke to a luncheon meeting of The Ripon Society yesterday afternoon, delivering a speech in which he not only discussed the recent retreat for House and Senate Republicans in Hershey, but the possibility for greater bicameral cooperation and achievement this year.

“We had over 200 Members of the House and over 45 Members of the Senate,” Scalise stated, referring to the retreat.  “That was very historic.  You had the House and Senate there together.  That was not only a good symbol, but it was a good opportunity for a lot of us to build even stronger relationships with Senators.  That bodes well for our ability to advance the issues that we think are important to get the country back on track, because I think people have been frustrated by the slow pace over the past few years.”

One of those issues, the Louisiana lawmaker stated, is the Keystone Pipeline.  The House approved legislation to build the pipeline in its first week in session, while the Senate has been debating the bill over the past three weeks.  “One number that’s really interesting is the number 24,” Scalise remarked, referring to the debate.  “Yesterday marked 24 different amendments that have been voted on by the Senate.  That is more amendment votes than the Senate took in the entire 2014 calendar year.  On one bill over the course of three weeks, the Senate has already had more amendments on the floor that have been voted on than all of 2014.

“That really shows you what a disconnect there was last year.  Whether Harry Reid thought he was going to protect all of his vulnerable Members by not having them vote on tough votes, the fact is that pretty much all of those vulnerable Members lost anyway.  They didn’t take up any of those issues, and they didn’t take any of those tough votes.  It shows you that people elect us to make tough decisions. They want us to make tough decisions.  They’re hungry for bold leadership.”

As an example of bold leadership, Scalise pointed to enactment of the welfare reform bill in 1996, which, he noted, was not only “one of the great conservative achievements,” but the result of focus, discipline and persistence on the part of the GOP.

“Almost 20 years after it was signed by President Clinton,” Scalise said of the reform legislation, “it is still considered one of the great conservative achievements.  It reformed mandatory entitlement programs.  We actually helped get people out of poverty. They didn’t put that in the Contract with America to save money.  What was more significant was that there was a federal program that had been going on for decades that wasn’t achieving its purpose.  It wasn’t helping people get out of poverty.  In fact, many would argue that it increased poverty.

“When welfare reform passed, they said all these things about how it wouldn’t work and how it would hurt people.  But what was the result?  A 50 percent drop in welfare caseloads, and an almost two-thirds increase in mothers who had never been married before that got into the workforce.  Kids that got out of poverty – that’s what welfare reform was all about.  But it was a fight.”

Noting that over 90 percent of the Members of today’s Republican Conference were not in office when welfare reform was passed, Scalise said that the lessons of the ’96 debate are clear:  “It takes discipline, it takes focus, and it takes a relentless ability to pursue your objectives,” he declared.  “But that kind of persistence is how you change the country for the better.”

Following his remarks, Scalise took questions from the audience, including one about the importance of immigration reform and the prospects that an agreement can be reached this year.

“Immigration has made our country great,” he stated.  “My great grandparents came to this country from Italy, and they were indentured servants who worked on a sugar cane plantation in Louisiana.  They came here because times were tough in Sicily and they wanted a better opportunity and a shot at the American Dream.  That American Dream still exists, and we want it to be there for the next generation of immigrants who are going to continue to make our country great.  The problem is, the system doesn’t work right now – the legal system is broken.

“What we’re working on right now is focusing on the things that don’t work on the legal side so that it can again function properly.  The first step is to get back to the rule of law.  Let’s first recognize that we’re a nation of laws and the President cannot make up the law.  He acknowledged this himself over 20 times last year that he can’t unilaterally do what he now has proposed to do in his executive actions.”

“You talk to most people across the country and everyone has their own ideas on areas of immigration reform.  But most people will recognize that the first thing we should do is secure the border.  Let’s get back to a system that works again and you’ll eliminate a lot of your other problems on the illegal side if you just have a standard rule of the game.  There are millions of people right now waiting in line to get into this country legally.  We ought to respect that.  We ought to celebrate that and actually reward the people who are playing by the rules right now.”

Scalise was also asked about the importance of trade.

“Trade is one of those areas where there is going to be a lot of Republican support,” he said.  “This is going to be a case where if we can get a TPA agreement, it’s going to primarily be Republican votes in the House that get it across the line.  The President has the responsibility to go and sell the case to the American people and, frankly, to his own party to help deliver some votes to get us there. If you look historically at past trade agreements, it’s been largely Republicans that support free trade. Democrats in the House and Senate have been less willing to be there.  I think we have a great opportunity to work together and to get something really good done.”

Scalise was introduced at the breakfast by U.S. Rep. Pat Tiberi (OH-12).  Tiberi serves as Chairman of the Ways & Means Subcommittee on Trade and also serves as Co-Chair of The Ripon Society’s Honorary Congressional Advisory Board.  In addition to introducing Scalise, Tiberi also took the opportunity to ask his colleague the last question of the morning, as well.  “In the next football season,” the Ohio lawmaker and Ohio State alum queried, “will LSU top Alabama in the standings?”  “Absolutely,” the Louisiana lawmaker and Louisiana State alum replied. “LSU will beat Alabama and compete for the national title next year!”

To view the complete remarks of Majority Whip Scalise and Chairman Tiberi before The Ripon Society’s luncheon discussion yesterday afternoon, please click on the link below: