The House Rules Committee on Monday considered a resolution called Denouncing the Horrors of Socialism (H. Con. Res. 58), which says “Congress condemns socialism in all its forms and opposes the implementation of socialist policies in the United States.”
At the beginning of the hearing, committee chairwoman Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) said: “Socialist ideology necessitates a concentration of power that has, time and time again, collapsed into communist regimes, totalitarian rule, and brutal dictatorships.” She added, “We can, and should, denounce this corrosive ideology in the strongest possible terms. This resolution before us will allow for that.”
Ranking Member Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), who noted that “Republicans routinely say that everything Democrats do is socialism,” asked Rep. French Hill (R-AR), Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, at the hearing to provide a definition of socialism since one is not provided in the resolution.
McGovern presented a rapid fire “yes or no” line of questioning to Hill, and started by asking if Hill believes if Medicare is socialism or not. Hill replied, “That’s on the side of state-controlled healthcare so I’d say it could be considered socialist.”
Wow. So rather than working to fight inflation, Republicans are re-passing a resolution they already passed “condemning socialism.”
I asked a pretty simple question. Can they even define what they’re condemning?
Spoiler alert: Apparently they are condemning MEDICARE as… pic.twitter.com/8LuN9cWC0l
— Rep. Jim McGovern (@RepMcGovern) November 17, 2025
When asked about Social Security, SNAP (the food assistance program), fire departments, and national parks, Hill said “no.”
But when McGovern asked about the tax credits for the Affordable Care Act, Hill said, “Again, I think the state has far too much control in healthcare, dominating, and therefore I think the healthcare programs is a general or could be considered state controlled and therefore on the side of socialism.”
McGovern summarized Hill’s responses — that he believes the tax credits for ACA and Medicare might be considered socialist programs — and asked, “So is this resolution condemning Medicare?” Hill replied, “No, it’s condemning socialism.”
McGovern also asked Hill about “Trump’s proposal to use tariff revenue from his trade war to bail out farmers in the tune of billions of dollars,” Hill replied, “I don’t think that’s socialism”, to which McGovern noted, “That’s kinda redistributing wealth.”
McGovern then asked Hill, “How about Trump administration’s $9 billion stake in chip manufacturer Intel?”
Hill replied, “I didn’t support the CHIPS Act during the Biden administration and I’m not a big fan of industrial policy on that scale, personally.”
McGovern proceeded to ask about the administration’s proposal to take large ownership stakes in defense companies like Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Was that socialism? “Not necessarily,” said Hill.
McGovern concluded his time by warning his colleagues that the word socialism is “thrown around all the time, for every program that seems to be about lifting people out of poverty and helps people’s quality of life better, and again, I think Medicare is a good program. I support it a million percent.”
He added, “So I cannot vote for a resolution that could be interpreted as condemning Medicare as a socialist policy.”