Steve Scalise - Dear Colleague - October 4 2023

Dear Colleague,
We all came here to save this country from being taken down a dangerous path of destruction.
We don’t sacrifice time with our families to come to Washington to fight over the small things
– we are here because we care about our children’s futures and the kind of country they will
grow up in. Under the failed leadership of President Biden, our country is being pushed to the
brink. Americans cannot afford life’s daily expenses, and for many the American Dream is
getting further out of reach. Our debt will cripple our grandchildren. Our border is wide open
and must be secured. Our energy supply is being willingly depleted. Crime is surging, our
cities are being destroyed, and drugs are flowing into our communities from Biden’s open
border. Every state is now a border state, with millions of unvetted illegal immigrants being
shipped across the country, robbing social services meant for hard-working citizens. The rule
of law is in doubt; the Justice Department is weaponized to target political enemies and shield
allies. Our standing around the world is in question, and there is no accountability for the
decisions that allowed 13 of our soldiers to be killed in the failed surrender of Afghanistan.
I firmly believe this Conference is a family. When I was shot in 2017, it was Members of this
Conference who saved my life on that field. When I made it to the hospital and my family was
told my chances of surviving were low, it was the prayers from all of you that carried us
through. When I was in the hospital for nearly 15 weeks, it was the possibility of getting back
to work with all of you that kept me motivated to get better. During that time, I was often
asked why after nearly losing my life because of this job I would want to go back. But it was
never a question for me: I love this country, and I believe we were sent here to come together
and solve the immense challenges we face. As I face new challenges, I feel even more strongly
about that today. I know the coming weeks ahead will be some of the most arduous times we
will face together, but this Conference is worth fighting for – we cannot lose sight of our
shared mission. Now, more than ever, we must mend the deep wounds that exist within
our Conference and focus on our objectives so we can get back to work for the millions of
people who are counting on us.
It is with that sense of responsibility and purpose that I am seeking the Conference’s
nomination for Speaker of the House.
You know my leadership style I’ve displayed as your Majority Leader and Whip.
I have a proven track record of bringing together the diverse array of viewpoints within our
Conference to build consensus where others thought it impossible.
When I ran to be your Majority Leader, I made a commitment to turn our conservative agenda
into legislative action, facilitate a legislative process built on regular order and Member input
so all Members and their constituents have a voice in the House of Representatives, and to hold
the Biden Administration accountable.
We moved our top agenda items through the House based on those three commitments. We ran
an efficient, collaborative, and successful process involving multiple committees of jurisdiction
to pass H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act, which would lower costs, lower inflation, and
make America energy independent once again. When we ran into challenges on our border
package, we pressed pause on that committee process to bring in dozens of Members, both on
and off committee, to iron out our differences on border and immigration policy. The result of
that work was H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, the most conservative border bill the House
has ever passed. And we delivered on our commitment to ensure that parents have a say in
their children’s education through the passage of H.R. 5, the Parents Bill of Rights.
While we have made tremendous progress so far this Congress and have demonstrated that we
can unite against failing liberal policies, more work needs to be done. We have an extremely
talented Conference, and we all need to come together and pull in the same direction to get the
country back on the right track.
Now is not the time to slow down. We are conducting critical oversight of a corrupt
administration. We are in the midst of considering individual appropriations bills in an open
and transparent process, with Members from across the Conference offering amendments to
ensure their constituents and districts are represented. We laid out an aggressive schedule to
complete floor consideration of all 12 appropriations bills to go into Senate negotiations with
the strongest hand possible, and we cannot afford to lose any more time achieving that goal.
Our strength as a Conference comes from our unity, and we have seen when we unite as a
Conference, we can deliver wins for the American people. Now we need to take those unified
positions and work to extract conservative wins from the Democrat Senate and White House
by leveraging upcoming deadlines. While we need to be realistic about what can be achieved,
if we stay united, we can preserve leverage for the House to secure tangible wins in our
impending policy fights. The task before us is not without its challenges, but I believe in this
Conference and our ability to come together and achieve great things.
God already gave me another chance at life. I believe we were all put here for a purpose. This
next chapter won’t be easy, but I know what it takes to fight and I am prepared for the battles
that lie ahead. I humbly ask you for your support on this mission to be your Speaker of the
House.
God Bless,
Steve

Steve Scalise - Dear Colleague - October 4 2023

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Dear Colleague,

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