I have been waiting for a politician to properly address the Trump regime in its full criminal, anti-democratic, illiberal horror. There have been notable speeches like Cory Booker’s filibuster, Chris Kluwe’s disobedience, and a few great moments by people like Jasmine Crockett, but this annihilation of Kristi Noem by Rep. Delia Ramirez, for me at least, finally breaks through the bullshit and lays it all out, in less than five minutes.
This is one of the most awe-inspiring, patriotic and accurate takedowns I’ve ever seen, full of the righteous fury we need to see from the people who represent us. I know the news can be dark and the reality of our situation can seem bleak, but as long as we have patriots like Delia Ramirez, I will continue to believe we will win this in the end.
Rep. Ramirez: Let me ask you the follow-up question here because I have a lot of them. Do you agree that Article 1 of the Constitution gives Congress the power of the purse? Yes or no?
Kristi Noem: Yes.
Ramirez: Do you believe you have the power to disregard congressional appropriations and unilaterally repurposed funds that have been duly appropriated by Congress? Yes or no?
Noem: Ma'am, we are not doing that. The answer to you is no.
Ramirez: Let me continue. Interestingly, you said no. But since you've been secretary, you have repeatedly disregarded the law. You have illegally impounded funds that Congress appropriated and that your branch of government must implement pursuant to the law. Yet you, you've closed offices established in law including the office for civil rights and civil liberties, the office of the immigration detention admin, the office of the citizenship and immigration services, and you've canceled contracts for programs authorized in law, including shelter and service programs and citizenship and integration grants.
You, you've obstructed and roughed up members of this committee as they attempted to conduct congressional oversight and then you vilified them. But my question is, if they were so bad, why were they allowed to go in after to conduct oversight? Let me just continue.
You redirected funds to terrorize our communities. You created taxpayer-funded political propaganda campaigns to terrorize families and children who don't sleep at night because of the terror of those commercials that you are putting out there. You hold sick, disrespectful press conferences in my state where let me be clear, you are not welcome. You corruptly used emergency authority to avoid procurement to make Trump's private prison donors richer by directing $45 billion for them to expand ICE detention centers.
You defunded work to address real threats to the homeland, all while you pursued college newspaper editors, labor leaders and even a Harvard scientist who failed to declare frog embryos at the airport. Clearly, we don't have time for all my questions, so I have 13 pages worth of questions that I will be submitting to the record that I expect you and the administration to answer.
But here is my final question to you. When you took your oath, did you swear to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America? Yes or no?
Noem: Yes, I did.
Ramirez: So I find that laughable. You don't behave like someone who takes that oath seriously. And let me tell you why. We don't live in a dictatorship or a monarchy. Trump's will is not the guiding doctrine of this nation. And our country is not a playground for his or your twisted authoritarian fantasies. We are a democracy. We defend the Constitution and we affirm the rule of law. We respect the co-equal branches of government and we uphold our rights.
Even when we disagree, the foundation of our nation is based on a core set of constitutional rights upon which our prosperity, our pluralism, and our peace depend on it.
You, however, have been leading this work for 116 days. And in that time, you have profiled and dehumanized our neighbors. You've betrayed our constitutional commitment to due process. You've deported United States citizens. You've undermined the courts. You've broken the law. You've engaged in corruption and you've weaponized the immigration system to violate civil rights.
As Senator Murphy perfectly stated, your department is out of control. But you, you're responsible. You have betrayed the sacred fundamentals of your oath. And I believe to my core that you are not fit to hold the office. And I again, to your face, demand your immediate resignation. And I put it and place it on the Record for all of us to see.
With that, Chairman, I yield back.
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