House Republicans scheduled a hearing with the House Rules Committee earlier this morning (at 1 am ET), where Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM) asked Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) to read a line from President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.”
Leger Fernandez said she wants the American public to know “what this bill does,” including “the little things” like give a tax break to owners of tanning beds.
When Leger Fernandez asked Smith to “please read page 901, line 20,” Smith replied, “I think it would be better if you read it.”
Leger Fernandez looked around the room, and said, “Oh, he doesn’t want to read.” She added, “This is amazing.”
In fairness, they probably should be ashamed to say this out loud… pic.twitter.com/axpa4zteGi https://t.co/0CEbJ4CYXp
— Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (@RepTeresaLF) May 21, 2025
Since Smith declined to read it, Leger Fernandez asked Ranking Member Moore to read it and added, “This is in their bill. They don’t want to read a line from their own bill.”
Smith addressed Leger Fernandez and said: “I don’t want to read the bill for you.” He added, “I am, I am testifying about this legislation. I’m not going to read the bill to you.”
Ranking Member Moore proceeded to read the line: “Section 11106 repeal of excise tax on indoor tanning services,” and Leger Fernandez laughed and repeated, “So, they’re going to repeal, they’re repealing an excise tax…on tanning beds.”
She added: “So if you have a tanning bed, you get a little bit of a tax break and if you need a hospital bed in rural America, I’m sorry, you’re out of luck.”
Note: Last week, at a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies hearing, President Trump’s EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin was criticized by Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) for cancelling an EPA grant won last year by the rural town of Thomasville, Georgia, which was to pay for a new health clinic.
US taxpayers shouldn’t have to subsidize this town’s “trade-in of gas powered lawn care equipment”, “environmental justice offices”, and “green building consultants”. While politicians like @SenOssoff want to light your money on fire, I’ll stand in their way on your behalf. pic.twitter.com/0164ee5ALn
— Lee Zeldin (@epaleezeldin) May 19, 2025