IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 675 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that socialist proposals 

such as Medicare for All, student loan forgiveness, and the Green New 

Deal with a guaranteed job for all, are antithetical to American 

foundational values of self-responsibility and opportunity, and by guaranteeing these programs as ‘‘rights’’, we risk abandoning our actual rights. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 31, 2019 

Mr. WALKER (for himself, Mr. BROOKS of Alabama, Mr. DESJARLAIS, Mr. 

FULCHER, Mr. GAETZ, Mr. MCCLINTOCK, Mr. MURPHY of North Carolina, Mr. WILLIAMS, Mr. GIBBS, Mr. FLEISCHMANN, Mr. RIGGLEMAN, 

Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee, Mr. BANKS, Mr. CLOUD, Mr. HICE of 

Georgia, Mr. RUTHERFORD, Mr. WEBER of Texas, Mr. GUEST, Mr. 

CHABOT, Mr. EMMER, Mr. CRAWFORD, Mr. LAMALFA, Mr. WILSON of 

South Carolina, Mr. SPANO, Mr. KELLY of Mississippi, Mr. DUNCAN, Mr. 

KEVIN HERN of Oklahoma, Mr. CRENSHAW, Mr. MARSHALL, Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. KING of Iowa, Mr. WITTMAN, Mr. DAVIDSON of Ohio, Mr. 

CONAWAY, Mr. COMER, Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana, Mr. WRIGHT, Mr. 

BABIN, Mr. GOODEN, and Mr. MULLIN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in 

addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 

provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 

socialist proposals such as Medicare for All, student loan 

forgiveness, and the Green New Deal with a guaranteed 

job for all, are antithetical to American foundational 

values of self-responsibility and opportunity, and by guarVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:52 Oct 31, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\HR675.IH HR675

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•HRES 675 IH 

anteeing these programs as ‘‘rights’’, we risk abandoning 

our actual rights. 

Whereas, on February 7, 2019, Representative Alexandria 

Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Edward Markey introduced 

H. Res. 109 and S. Res. 59, respectively, resolutions recognizing the duty of the Federal Government to create a 

Green New Deal; 

Whereas, on February 27, 2019, Representative Pramila 

Jayapal and Senator Bernard Sanders introduced H.R. 

1384 and S. 1129, respectively, legislation to establish a 

Medicare-for-all national health insurance program; 

Whereas several Democratic Presidential candidates have 

proposed tuition-free college or wealth redistribution policies; 

Whereas, in socialism, the value of States and municipal government goes away and keeps government away from the 

people, instead favoring a centralized ruling body; 

Whereas increasing taxes for Americans to redistribute 

wealth would eliminate the incentive for the American ingenuity which has made the United States the most productive country in the world; 

Whereas eliminating private medical insurance options for 

nearly half of the population currently covered by employers and replacing it with a government-run system would 

result in a decrease in the quality and availability of care; 

Whereas a guaranteed job for those who are unable or unwilling to work violates the treasured principle of self-responsibility and merit-based opportunity; 

Whereas the late Charles Krauthammer defined the difference between political rights and economic rights, likVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:52 Oct 31, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR675.IH HR675

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•HRES 675 IH 

ening political rights to examples of free speech, worship, 

and freedom from government overreach, and cultural 

and economic rights as social and economic services guaranteed by the state; 

Whereas the idea of social and economic rights creates a dependence on the state for necessities and can begin to replace the importance of political rights; 

Whereas there is no form of socialism, whether extreme or 

modified, that has worked in other countries due to civil 

unrest and economic hardship for citizens; 

Whereas the United States is a large robust country with 

enormous economic capacity due to the ability of citizens 

to live unencumbered by arbitrary taxes, fees, and mandates from the Federal Government; and 

Whereas socialist proposals create government dependence for 

social services and neglect the identity of American political culture and freedom: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that— 

3 (1) the role of the United States Federal Gov4 ernment is to provide opportunities to increase indi5 vidual economic opportunity and self-empowerment; 

6 (2) the proper role of the United States Federal 

7 Government is governed and outlined by the United 

8 States Constitution; 

9 (3) current socialist proposals are working 

10 against the defined role of government and abandon 

11 the values which make us American; 


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•HRES 675 IH 

1 (4) capitalism is the pinnacle of American de2 mocracy and economic freedom; 

3 (5) the aforementioned proposals promote so4 cialism and undermine the American founding prin5 ciples of individual freedom and liberty; 

6 (6) despite any flaw in our political system, our 

7 political representatives in this compound Republic 

8 should be mindful and committed to promoting indi9 vidual responsibility and merit-based opportunity; 

10 (7) our belief is in the individual; government 

11 becomes dangerous when power shifts from the indi12 vidual to big government and the collective state; 

13 (8) the United States House of Representatives 

14 promotes capitalism and the free market as a way 

15 to empower Americans across all walks of life to ac16 cess economic opportunities and political freedoms; 

17 (9) the United States House of Representatives 

18 should continue to focus on policies which enrich the 

19 American identity by promoting self-responsibility 

20 and fostering opportunities through the free market 

21 and a healthy economy; and 

22 (10) the Federal Government should only do 

23 things that need to be done on the Federal level, like 

24 interstate commerce and the collective defense. 

Æ 


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