GOP congressman says US isn’t worth defending because of a trans music teacher in 9/11 speech

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) delivered a long speech on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks in which he said that the U.S. isn’t worth defending anymore because he has a friend whose kid’s music teacher is transgender.

Roy opened by acknowledging that it was September 11 and then segued into attacks on immigrants.

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He says he’s a “whistleblower” because he believes gender-affirming care is “child abuse.”

“It reminds us, of course, of what happens when you leave your country wide open for attack,” he said before he started giving examples of immigrants who have committed crimes. Roy said that he supported mass deportations because of these crimes. Immigrants are less likely to commit crimes in the U.S. compared to U.S.-born Americans.

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In the middle of his speech, Roy started ranting about what he deemed wasteful government spending, attacking spending on defense as wasteful because, he argued, the U.S. isn’t worth defending anymore.

“In this town, we can’t ever fight for you, the American people, to actually secure you with a secure border with secure communities and with an economy that isn’t blown to hell by irresponsible government spending,” Roy bellowed. “And you want to know why? In the false name of defense, in the false name of securing this country, because the defense world tells me every year that if I don’t vote for one of those bloated spending bills: ‘We won’t get a new submarine. We won’t get a new carrier.'”

“What the hell are we trying to defend? What is left of the United States to defend? A school where I can’t send my child to pray to God, without spending $20,000 a year on top of the taxes I pay?” he said, referring to the private school he sends his kid even though students are allowed to pray in public schools, according to the Department of Education.

“A school that my friend sends her sixth grader to with a trans music teacher asking her kid to do some dance in class? Yes, true story,” he stressed, as if there was something unbelievable about sixth graders dancing in music class. “Is that what we’re defending with carriers and missiles and endless wars?”

This isn’t the first time that Roy has argued that the U.S. shouldn’t be defended because of LGBTQ+ people. Last year, he cited a Pride event being held at a U.S. Air Force Base in Georgia as a reason to vote against funding for the military.

“What’s next, rainbow uniforms during Pride Month?” Roy said at the time. “The Air Force and Defense Department sanctions this ridiculous use of taxpayer dollars and then expects members of Congress who represent Americans who are livid about this stuff to green light an $800 billion-plus [Department of Defense (DOD)] budget. If DOD doesn’t put a stop to these kinds of divisive – and frankly embarrassing – DOD events, Republicans should pull support for this year’s [National Defense Authorization Act].”

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