Rep. Chu on House Floor: “House Republicans would like toasters and microwaves to have more rights than women in this country.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. — During the House of Representatives Floor debate today, Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) spoke out against the Republican majority’s rule for H.R. 6192, Hands Off Our Home Appliances Act, and offered to substitute the H.R. 12, the Women’s Health Protection Act in its place. House Democratic Leader Jeffries took to the Floor shortly after to similarly denounce the priorities of House Republicans.

Republicans refused to defeat the previous question and bring up the Women’s Health Protection Act by a party-line vote of 204-200.

Rep. Chu’s remarks can be viewed here and read below:

“Mr. Speaker, the legislation this body brings to the floor each week speaks volumes about our priorities. House Democrats are defending our fundamental freedoms by fighting back against extreme MAGA Republican attacks on abortion care and fertility services like IVF. The majority believes that rather than protecting the rights of women in this country, it’s essential that we protect the so-called rights of home appliances.

“The difference could not be starker. In a time of unrelenting attacks on reproductive rights, when 21 states have bans that either fully or partially ban abortion access, House Republicans have chosen to do nothing. They’ve chosen to pretend that women are not dying, that they are not being forced to carry unwanted pregnancies. They are doing nothing to protect IVF, or birth control. Instead, they are bringing up a rule today to consider legislation to ‘protect’ home appliances. It seems that House Republicans would like toasters and microwaves to have more rights than women in this country.

“If we defeat the previous question on this rule, my Democratic colleagues and I will offer my bill the Women's Health Protection Act, or WHPA. WHPA is the federal solution to the extremist Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Roe v. Wade. It will restore the right to everyone, no matter what state you live in, to receive abortion care. And in a world where doctors are being threatened with prison time for doing their jobs, it would protect the rights of providers to provide abortion care.

“This is the legislation the body should be considering today, not bills protecting blenders and coffee makers. I urge my colleagues to defeat the previous question, and I yield back.”