A Tale of Two Congresses: As Chaos Consumes House Republicans, Congresswoman Lee Looks Back on Two Years of Bipartisan Wins

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03) released the following statement in response to a third day of House Republicans' failed efforts to elect a speaker and officially begin the work of this 118th Congress:

"A new year brought a new Congress, and the stories could not be more different. Under Democratic leadership last term, we worked together with our Republican colleagues to pass major bipartisan laws to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, prevent gun violence, and invest in American manufacturing. This Congress, since Republicans can't agree on a Speaker, legislative work has yet to begin at all. Nevadans don't have time for this Republican dysfunction."

"I am willing to work with Republicans, but they must first show that they can work among themselves. I'm a problem solver. I've made it my mission since day one to work with anyone, Democrat or Republican, to get the job done for Nevada. That is the same mindset I'm carrying into this Congress. It's time for Republicans to put the politics aside, so we can all get back to business."

Following the eighth vote for speaker, Congresswoman Lee has now cast all eight votes for Democratic Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. For all eight rounds of voting, Leader Jeffries has received unanimous support from House Democrats and the largest number of votes overall. Until a candidate receives a majority vote and a Speaker is elected, the legislative process cannot move forward, delaying all legislative votes, hearings, committee work, and threatening the ability to assist constituents with federal agencies.

Congresswoman Lee is a proud member of the Problem Solvers Caucus, made up of equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans. As a member of the Caucus's working group on Infrastructure, she helped craft the framework that led to passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Additionally, Congresswoman Lee was recognized as one of the top ten most bipartisan members of Congress last year, and the most bipartisan from Nevada.

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