By Brandon Moseley
Congressman Mo Brooks (R-AL05) voted “No” on H.R. 5314, a bill by Congressman Adam Schiff’s (D-California) Protecting Our Democracy Act. Brooks claimed that the legislation codifies House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s longstanding President Trump paranoia.
“President Trump lives rent-free in socialist Democrat brains, as evidenced by their obsession with President Trump and unwillingness to recognize their never-ending delirium and crushing defeat in 2016,” Brooks said. “Labeling their obsession as Trump Derangement Syndrome does not do justice to the word ‘obsession.'
“Socialist Democrat paranoia and delusion is never-ending. HR 5314 is not proactive legislation. Rather it is a list of grievances against President Trump that go back to 2016 and beyond."
Brooks said Democrats should focus on issues with borders, mask mandates, welfare, inflation, international relations, supply chain disruptions, national debt and spending, and other issues he believes Democrats created.
“The American people would be better served if socialist Democrats spent their time investigating Hunter Biden’s shady art and influence-peddling deals that reek of corruption,” Brooks said. “The American people would be better served if the House considered border security legislation, welfare give-a-way program rollbacks, or bills aimed at addressing rising prices and the crime crisis. Instead, we’re wasting time on partisan, unnecessary legislation that’s going nowhere in the Senate.”
Schiff disagrees with Brooks’ assessment.
“Today, the House delivered a simple, unequivocal message — our democracy is worth fighting for," said Schiff. "We will not allow the abuses that defined the previous administration to become our norms, nor will we will allow a future autocratic president, Democrat or Republican, to exploit weaknesses in our democratic institutions. Most important, we must earn back the people’s trust that our government will serve the public interest, and not the personal interests of any one officeholder."
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-California) also supported the legislation.
“The genius of our Constitution is our system of checks and balances, envisioned by our Founders and enshrined into our Founding documents to ensure the survival and strength of a democracy of, by and for the people,” said Pelosi. “Nearly two and a half centuries later, in the wake of a rogue past president, Congress has the responsibility and opportunity to restore our Founders’ vision and bolster the democratic institutions and norms that are the foundation of our republic with the Protecting our Democracy Act."
Congressman Barry Moore (R-AL02) agrees with Brooks and voted against the bill.
“I just voted against Adam Schiff's reckless Protecting Our Democracy Act,” Moore said. “Democrats are incapable of turning away from their fanatical obsession with President Trump and getting to work to fix the multiple catastrophes the Biden administration has unleashed on American families."
To read Schiff’s in depth promotion of the bill that has numerous measures, click here.
To read the text of the bill, click here.
H.R. 5314 passed the Democratic U.S. House of Representatives and now goes to the Senate; where it faces an uncertain fate due to the 50:50 composition of the Senate and the fact that Senate Democrats would need ten Republican votes to close debate.
Brooks is in his sixth term representing Alabama’s Fifth Congressional District. He is a U.S. Senate candidate.
