Press Releases

WASHINGTON — At the weekly House Republican Leadership press conference, Speaker Johnson addressed the senseless murder of a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee in North Carolina, the continuation of President Trump’s successful crackdown on crime, UN countries considering recognizing Palestinian statehood, and Democrats discussing shutting down the government ahead of the government funding deadline.

Watch Speaker Johnson’s full remarks here.

On the senseless murder of a Ukrainian refugee in North Carolina:

This 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee was brutally murdered in cold blood on a train in Charlotte, North Carolina. Her name Iryna Zarutska, and she was on the way home from her job at a pizzeria where she worked. She was stabbed repeatedly by a career criminal with a rap sheet a mile long. It's infuriating, it's heartbreaking. It gives you a feeling in the pit of your stomach. This young lady, Iryna, survived Ukraine. She fled amid the deadliest land war in Europe since World War II. She fled to the safety, or so she thought in the United States, just to have her life senselessly ended by someone who should have never been allowed to walk freely. This individual, DeCarlos Brown is his name, was arrested and released 14 times. More than a dozen, 14 times.

Now here's what is stunning to me. If you only read the New York Times, the Washington Post, or most of the other mainstream outlets, you don't know anything about this heartbreaking story. For some reason, many national news outlets have refused to cover it. It's social media that has amplified the story and made everyone pay attention to it. Axios shamelessly reported that this was, “fuel for the MAGA messaging battle,” as if it's some sort of contrived problem. Watch the video for yourself. It's a tragedy. It's a completely avoidable tragedy that deserves the nation's attention. For now, all we can do is pray for the family, the Zarutska family, and continue our calls for the swift application of justice.

On President Trump’s successful crackdown on crime:

We don't have to live like this, and President Trump is proving that every single day in our nation’s capital. Since cracking down on violent crime in the district, roughly 1700 arrests have been made. Now, you may say that's a small portion of the population. It's just a small fraction, in fact, but somehow the city feels and is much safer. Everybody needs to think about why that is. The Trump Administration and local law enforcement know that always in every city, it’s relatively a select few individuals who are committing most of the crimes. And that's been true in D.C. as well. They're enabled by these soft on crime policies that were discussed here, and even softer prosecutors and prosecutions. Criminals have relentlessly abused the public and the public spaces. We just want to say this loud and clear, and we're demonstrating it. This is not just talk. This is action. Republicans are in charge. And when Republicans are in charge, those days are over, the days of allowing soft on crime policies. We're not going to do it.

On UN countries considering giving statehood to Palestine:

It's more important than ever that America maintains a posture of strength because others in the West are flirting with surrender. This week, international leaders will convene at the UN General Assembly in New York, and we'll be watching if close allies like France and Canada and the UK move ahead with plans to recognize a Palestinian state. It's equally baffling as it is deeply troubling to have this idea that you would reward Hamas with statehood before they've returned every hostage. What message does that send to would be terrorists and tyrants around the world? If you rape and murder and abduct innocent civilians and then cause enough suffering among your own people, then the free world will somehow reward you with international legitimacy? We can't do that. And I can tell you that President Trump and Republicans in Congress have been very clear that rewarding the carnage that took place on October 7th is a non-starter. It's unacceptable.

On government funding and Democrats shutdown chatter:

As we get closer to the funding deadline, though, we recognize the shutdown chatter from the left is growing louder. Some of these people seem to enjoy this. It seems Democrats may take the path of maximum resistance and try to shut the government down. It's not surprising because they're struggling. They don't really have a message or a leader, their party registration is falling, their approval ratings are in the low twenties and they're about to elect a Marxist to the be the mayor of New York City.

They're desperately searching for a solution. And some in the party apparently think a government shutdown would be some sort of political advantage to them. It'd be what we all know, dangerous and harmful to millions of Americans. And that is not the answer. So I'm going to say this again, and I'm say it in good faith. I've shared this with the Democrat Leader in the House and other colleagues. If Democrats are willing to work with us, we have our sleeves rolled up and we want to do this in good faith. We just have to think responsibly how to spend less money than we did last year. And if they're willing to do that, and it's incumbent upon all of us to do it with the high national debt, we're open to that. But the ultimate question of whether there's going to be a government shutdown at the end of the month is going to be up to Congressional Democrats. And that's just the way it is.