WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA) delivered her final speech on the floor of the House of Representatives today, highlighting her four years of service in Congress of delivering for Coastal Virginia and urging her colleagues to counter the growing threat that China poses to the United States by maintaining and growing the Navy.
Click here for the video of Rep. Luria’s remarks on the House floor.
Rep. Luria’s remarks as prepared are below:
“I rise today as we approach the conclusion of the 117th Congress and as I near the end of my service in this esteemed body.
As I reflect on the multitude of challenges this nation and the world have faced in these four short years and those that lie ahead, I thank my colleagues and our leadership for the seriousness and dedication with which they have tackled these challenging issues.
I want to thank my staff in Washington and our three district offices for your tireless dedication to the people of Virginia’s second district. You have assisted so many who needed a helping hand— everyone from farmers to shipbuilders in Coastal Virginia.
And I want to thank my family. My husband Robert and daughter Violet. I could not have been here and served the district and the people of Virginia without you.
I also want to acknowledge the strength and the bond of the Class of 2018. You have been amazing colleagues and true friends. I know that you will continue to be leaders focused on improving our country for our next generation.
We entered Congress under a partial government shutdown, a legacy of the protracted battle of how to fund security at our southern border— a 35-day lapse in government funding— the longest in our history. On my first weekend in office, I visited a pop-up food bank where the local community rallied behind our Coast Guard families who were starting the new year without a paycheck. This was a story of our community stepping in to care for one another that are so common and that I heard repeatedly in every corner of our district over these four years. But they are also stories of how the distractions caused by political theater and political divisions lead to unnecessary hardship. As we approach a looming deadline to fund our government, we should not let divisions or rhetoric stand in the way of performing our fundamental role as Congress of funding the government.
On May 31, 2019– a day that remains etched in the memory of Virginia Beach — I saw the devastation caused by the first of what would be two mass shootings that roiled our community. That day, twelve innocent victims left home for work before the approaching Memorial Day weekend, a time where they would have enjoyed celebrating the beginning of summer with backyard BBQs and trips to the beach, yet instead their lives were senselessly stolen by a shooter who entered the municipal center and indiscriminately opened fire. And again, just weeks ago, on the eve of Thanksgiving a shooter opened fire in a local Chesapeake Wal-Mart as shoppers were grabbing their last-minute needs for a holiday meal. This time our community lost 6 more precious lives who would not join their families at the holiday table. Among these losses was a 16-year-old boy. This Congress has taken small measures to prevent these types of tragic events in our community— and yours— but as I depart, I implore my colleagues to continue to do more
The first time I stood in this very place to speak on the floor of this house as a new member, I rose as Jewish woman to speak out against antisemitism which has seen a rapid and alarming rise and had even reared its head among our colleagues in this body in the form of claims of dual loyalty towards those who show support for Israel. I look back on that first speech I made as a member of Congress even more concerned today about the rising frequency and pervasiveness of antisemitism. I implore my colleagues to continue their quest to root out this scourge of vile and pernicious antisemitism.
In that first speech I mentioned my oath to “support and defend the Constitution,” but little did I know that two short years later I would witness an attempt by our own President and his allies to subvert the Constitution and summon a mob to disrupt the counting of electoral votes of a free and fair election. On that day— Jan 6, 2021– Lives were lost, these hallowed halls were desecrated, and the strength of our democracy was tested. I have been humbled to participate in uncovering the facts about that dark day in our nation’s history. I thank Chairman Thompson, Vice Chair Cheney, and my colleagues and the staff of the Jan 6committee for standing on the side of democracy.
I am proud of the work we have done over the last two congresses to support our veterans and their families. My “Gold Star Families Tax Relief” legislation eased the tax burden on children of those killed in combat or deceased from service-connected disabilities. And I thank President Biden for making veterans’ toxic exposure a priority. We passed the largest increase in access to veterans benefits in our lifetime through the PACT Act, which included my legislation, the COVENANT Act to provide healthcare to burn pit veterans.
The threats we face as a nation continue to grow as we witness Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine, Iran’s persistent pursuit of a nuclear weapon, and the rise of China, threatening our maritime and national security. We have heard testimony that China is likely to attempt to take Taiwan by force in the next five years, and this is our most pressing national security concern. The action or inaction we take in standing up to China in this moment will determine whose values will rule the remainder of the 21st century and beyond— The United States and our allies— or the Chinese Communist Party. That is why, as I depart, I urge my colleagues to take this threat seriously. To fulfill the constitutional task of Article 1, Section 8, to “provide and maintain a Navy.” If we fail to remain the predominant maritime power in the Pacific. Frankly, nothing else that we do here in this Congress will matter if we don’t get this right.”
The voters spoke loud and clear, GOOD RIDDANCE you liberal idiot!
We are going to miss you thank you for all you did
I think you were a good representative for The Eastern Shore. Unfortunately you chose to align yourself with the scum of The Democrat Party. Biden, Pelosi and Schumer cost you your seat. If you lay with pigs don’t be surprised if you get dirty. People in Virginia are tired of the make believe world of the liberal Democrats.
As an AMERICAN citizen who is older than Ms. Luria, and who took the same oath Ms. Luria claims to have taken many times, although in none of those times did she ever seem to understand the meaning of the words ” will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” which domestic enemies included Elaine Luria, Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Benny Thompson, Adam “SHIFTY” Schiff, and Jaime Raskin, and “will bear true faith and allegiance to the same,” I am glad to see that the people of Virginia recognized Elaine Luria as a CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER to OUR REPUBLIC and so took pains to cause her removal or ejection from OUR house of Representatives, which Ms. Luria mistakenly and quite foolishly thought was hers and the DEMOCRATS personal play toy.
WELL DONE, people of Virginia!
And in addition to helping Nancy Pelosi introduce the political policies of the Soviet Union’s Joe “The Butcher” Stalin for dealing with his political enemies with “show trials” reminiscent of the January 6 Committee proceedings into American politics, which serves to weaken, not strengthen the pitiful excuse for “democracy” we now have in this country under Democrat rule, what else do we people of America have to thank Elaine Luria for helping her Democrats to bequeath us with?
Let’s take a look:
MoneyWise
“‘A major problem’: The US surpasses $31 trillion in debt, made worse by rising interest rates — and this is who holds the IOUs”
Story by Lauren Bird
17 December 2022
The gross national debt in America surpassed $31 trillion for the first time, according to a U.S. treasury report in October.
The number climbed to $31.3 trillion in December.
If you find that hard to wrap your head around, it basically boils down to $93,878 of debt for every person in the country, according to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation.
end quotes
Yes, people, ALL that blather from Elaine Luria about lowering the deficit was empty rhetoric, plain BULL****, because the Democrats are “BORROW BIG AND SPEND HEAVILY, and we American people who don’t benefit from the Democrat’s progressive welfare society are the ones who suffer for it, as we see by going back to that article, to wit:
And with the dramatic rise in interest rates over the past few months — the Fed funds rate target is currently between 4.25% and 4.50% — the national debt will be growing at a rate that makes it even harder to ignore.
“Interest rates are a major problem,” says Phillip Braun, clinical professor of finance at North Western University’s Kellogg School of Management.
“The Treasury finances the debt with a lot of short-term borrowing …”
“It’ll push other budgetary items out.”
The last couple of years have been expensive
A deficit is what happens when the government spends more money in a fiscal year than it brings in through taxes — and the last couple of years have been expensive.
Several large bills with hefty price tags have been approved since the start of the pandemic, including the American Rescue Plan Act, which cost $1.9 trillion, and $750 billion for student debt relief, all adding to the deficit, which then adds to the debt.
And though the Inflation Reduction Act, which was passed in August, is expected to reduce the deficit by $240 billion, policies and programs brought in by the Biden administration are expected to add trillions more over the next decade.
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a non-profit that addresses federal budget and fiscal issues, estimates that $4.8 trillion will be added to the deficit by 2031.
“Excessive borrowing will lead to continued inflationary pressures, drive the national debt to a new record as soon as 2030, and triple federal interest payments over the next decade — or even sooner if interest rates go up faster or by more than expected,” says the CRFB.
Much of the borrowing in the past couple of years happened while interest rates were historically low, but now that they’re not, with inflation rising at the fastest pace in decades, the cost of this debt will be amplified.
“Having the government debt being 1.2 times larger than the economy is not a very good thing,” says Braun.
“And it really jumped up because of the pandemic.
But even before that, it’s been rising since the great recession.”
Currently, more than $965 million is spent every day just in interest on the national debt.
The Peter G. Peterson Foundation estimates that will triple over the next decade, making it the fastest-growing item in the federal budget.
end quotes
Thanks, Elaine!
And for a look at the type of world Nancy Pelosi, the hero of Elaine Luria, has created in her home city of San Francisco, which is now known as a MODEL DEMOCRAT CITY, which model the PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATS want to export to all the other cities in America to make them “democratic,” too, which is to say, favoring the criminals among us who are the Democrat base, which is yet another reason we all in America should be very happy that the good people of Virginia did the right thing by removing Elaine Luria from public office before she could aid and assist Nancy Pelosi in doing further damage to the fabric of society in America, we have as follows:
The New York Post
“Condo prices in San Francisco plummet as drug abuse and crime soar”
Story by Mary K. Jacob
19 December 2022
Luxury condo prices in the heart of downtown San Francisco have plummeted as drug abuse and crime have spiraled out control — and as many techies continue to work remotely.
Data analyzed by Compass shows the Golden Gate city — once pegged as the hottest real estate market globally — has since fallen fast.
The median sale price of a two-bedroom condo, for example, has fallen 16.5% since 2021, while sale prices in surrounding areas have slipped only 7%, according to the market report.
“I knew that market segment had weakened, but I didn’t realize the degree to which things had changed,” Patrick Carlisle, the chief market analyst for Compass, noted.
“It was a bit shocking.”
“San Francisco went from being the hottest office market in the world to just about the weakest,” Carlisle added.
Since December of last year, the condo median sales price dropped from $1.47 million to $1.23 million in the greater downtown and South of Market district.
Compass doesn’t beat around the bush in this report, citing “a triple whammy of economic, demographic and quality-of-life issues.”
The report highlighted that high-rise housing intended to accommodate hundreds of thousands of workers who inundated the city each morning.
But with people now working from home, demand for it has dwindled.
Since the massive exodus of workers, the rapid decline in housing prices has since been attributed to the area’s high crime rate and growing homeless population, which Carlisle explains has affected the “quality of life ambiance” that the city once offered.
“High tech workers were the ones who were most likely to say, ‘well if I can work from any place, I’ll move some place where housing costs 90 percent less.”‘
The report also comes months after it was revealed that San Francisco’s ultra-luxurious Four Seasons Residences sold just 13 of its 146 units in the two years since its opening.
Prospective buyers, who included Steph and Ayesha Curry, have snubbed the high-rise, where condos are priced up to $49 million.
San Francisco occupancy is just at 39% as of late September — one of the lowest in the nation.
Comparatively, New York City reported a 46% occupancy — and Los Angeles, which had 45% occupancy around the same time.
Carlisle explained that for the downtown condo market to make any sort of comeback, offices would need to start filling up again.
In 2020, San Francisco was in the top three cities with the highest property crime, according to data from the SF Chronicle.
More than 4,400 incidents of property crime per 100,000 residents were reported.
In July 2022, the Chronicle asked 1,653 San Francisco residents which problem in the city needed to be addressed most urgently.
Crime and public safety were the second most common answers after homelessness.
DEMOCRATS DESTROY:
* Our economy;
* Our quality of life;
* Our property values; and
* Our liberty as a free people!