The House is back in session and it looks like Republicans have a nifty surprise waiting for their Democrat colleagues: they're going to make them go on the record about whether or not they support socialism. And how Democrats vote could be a key factor in the November midterms.
Things apparently got quite heated on Monday during a House Rules Committee hearing as Republicans moved forward with a resolution condemning socialism “in all its forms."
Democrat Rep. Jim McGovern (MA-02) was apoplectic and tried to dismiss the resolution as “nonsense” while also accusing Republicans of wasting time on socialism instead of tackling issues like grocery and gas prices.
"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.
The real fireworks, however, came during an exchange between Dem Rep. Joe Neguse (CO-02) and GOP Rep. Bryan Steil (WI-01), after Neguse tried to turn the socialism question back on Republicans by floating a hypothetical question about the federal government taking a stake in grocery giant Kroger.
Steil wasn’t one bit impressed by the question. “Some folks on your side of the aisle would like to have government-run grocery stores,” he shot back. “I think that’s nuts.”
House Republicans just advanced a resolution condemning socialism.
— Arkadalo® (@Arkadalo) August 31, 2026
Not one Democrat on the committee voted to even let it move.
They called it a waste of time. Nonsense. Silly season.
Asking Congress to reject an ideology that has produced mass graves, empty shelves, and… pic.twitter.com/3JBnyhO6Fq
House Republicans just advanced a resolution condemning socialism.
Not one Democrat on the committee voted to even let it move.
They called it a waste of time. Nonsense. Silly season.
Asking Congress to reject an ideology that has produced mass graves, empty shelves, and secret police is apparently too much for the Democrats.
Then they spent the hearing yelling about grocery stores and trying to trap Republicans with hypotheticals instead of saying the obvious: government-run everything is a disaster.
One of them even flipped out when he could not get the answer he wanted.
If your party cannot vote to denounce socialism without a tantrum, you are not fighting it.
You are covering for it.
Put it on the record.
Yes or no.
Stop hiding behind process complaints while the DSA crowd keeps marching into real power. 🇺🇸
Things got so heated between the two that Republican Committee Chair Virginia Foxx (NC-05) had to step in as Neguse repeatedly interrupted Steil.
Another Democrat, Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), also blasted the resolution and accused Republicans of trotting out socialism as a political “boogeyman.”
Despite the blustering by Democrats, Republicans accomplished exactly what they set out to do: the committee advanced the resolution Monday without one single Democrat voting to move it forward for a full House vote.
They really don't want to go on record about this, do they?
House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain (MI-09) made it clear that putting Democrats on the spot is very much the point of the whole thing. “It’s time for the Democrats to pick a side,” McClain said, adding that if Democrats believe in socialism, they should “say it loud and say it proud.”
There is more included the resolution than just the declaration that socialism is bad. It also includes support for the SAVE America Act, giving Democrats another reason to oppose it and more ammunition for Republicans when they return to the campaign trail.
This hearing gave Republicans exactly what they wanted – a Democrat reckoning on socialism. The full House gets its turn Tuesday, with a procedural vote expected in the afternoon and the resolution itself scheduled for a full vote sometime Tuesday evening.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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