The House of Representatives on Thursday saw an unusual display on the floor where Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the Minority Leader, waved a stuffed Elmo doll while accusing Republicans of targeting beloved children’s shows like ‘Sesame Street’ in their push to slash federal spending. The stunt, which has gone viral online, occurred during debate over the Republican-backed Proposed Rescissions of Budgetary Resources from President Trump, a bill aiming to eliminate over $9 billion in unspent or low-priority federal funds.
Jeffries held up the Elmo doll while accusing Republicans of targeting beloved children’s shows in their push to slash federal spending. The moment came during debate over the Republican-backed Proposed Rescissions of Budgetary Resources from President Trump, a bill aimed at eliminating over $9 billion in unspent federal funds.
Among the targeted programs included in the bill is $3 million in taxpayer support for an international version of Sesame Street in Iraq. Democrats criticized the move as cultural and humanitarian vandalism disguised as fiscal responsibility. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif., delivered one of the sharpest lines of the day: ‘While you all have killed off Elmo, I urge my colleagues to vote no on this trash and I yield back,’ Garcia said.
Republicans responded by dismissing the theatrics and defending the package as a commonsense rollback of bloated, ideological spending. The bill also includes broader cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which supports PBS and NPR, long-time targets of fiscal conservatives who argue the taxpayer shouldn’t subsidize public media.