(LifeSiteNews) — Nearly 100 House Democrats opposed a measure condemning the “horrors of socialism” last month.
On the eve of left-wing New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s visit to the White House, Congress voted 285-98 on a resolution that rejects “the implementation of socialist policies in the United States.”
The measure was introduced by firebrand GOP Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida and was supported by 86 Democrats. Squad member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is rumored to be mulling a run for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Chuck Schumer, opposed the measure. Two Democrat lawmakers voted “present,” and 20 Republicans did not vote at all.
Mamdani was asked about the resolution while he was meeting with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office.
“I am someone who is a democratic socialist. I’ve been very open about that. And I know there might be differences about ideology, but the place of agreement is the work that needs to be done to make New York City affordable. That’s what I look forward to,” he said.
In recent years, conservative attacks on socialism itself seems to have fallen out of disuse even though Democratic lawmakers have embraced the term more openly, as Mamdani has. President Trump’s populist message and policies have at times borrowed language that some libertarians would categorize as socialism-lite, such as his plan to issue stimulus checks. Many liberals would also say that social security, public housing, food stamps, and similar “safety net” policies are socialist in nature.
At the same time, the fact that over 80 Democrats joined Republicans in backing the measure, which was clearly meant to put Mamdani under pressure during his meeting with Trump, indicates moderates within the party are unwilling to tie themselves to the more radical figures in their ranks. Notably, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries supported the resolution, though he dodged questions afterward asking if he condemns socialism outright.
Congresswoman Salazar, whose parents escaped Cuba, published a social media post just ahead of the resolution. “Stalin, Mao, Castro: criminals who used socialism to oppress, torture, and destroy entire nations,” she stated. “There is nothing ‘controversial’ about denouncing a poisonous, failed, and deadly ideology. Socialism will never take root in the United States. Not while I’m here to stop it.”
According to Politico, the vote was postponed for 10 minutes after Salazar accused left-wing Democrat California Rep. Maxine Waters of being a “friend” of the late Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. Waters requested that the comment be stricken from the record, to which Salazar responded that she would withdraw the remark.
Last month, a poll conducted by NBC News found that 44 percent of registered voters have a positive view of capitalism, the lowest on record over the last seven years. Sixty-six percent of Republicans view capitalism favorably while only a quarter of Democrats do. The study also found that 35 percent of Democrats view socialism positively while only three percent of Republicans do.
