Rep. Jasmine Crockett talks shutdown scare, going viral over ‘a—hole’ Republicans

Crockett recently went viral for her remarks during the GOP’s opening hearing on the impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden.

As a freshman member of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, admits she can get pretty “worked up and pissed off” over her Republican colleagues.

“Y’all are assholes,” Crockett said of House Republicans while discussing the temporarily averted threat of a government shutdown during a nearly 30-minute phone interview with theGrio.

The shutdown was engineered by a group of far-right members of the GOP who demanded steep spending cuts to various federal programs, including in education. Congress ultimately passed a spending bill that keeps the government funded for 45 days.

Crockett went viral on Thursday after delivering remarks defending Democratic President Joe Biden and scolding Republicans during their opening hearing on the impeachment inquiry of Biden. Rather than using their congressional powers to avert a shutdown that would’ve impacted millions of Americans and the U.S. economy, Republicans were playing politics over a sham investigation, Crockett argued. 

“[The president] has unfortunately been guilty of loving his child unconditionally. And that is the only evidence that they have brought forward,” Crockett said on the committee dais on Thursday. 

“Until they find some evidence, we need to get back to the people’s work, which means keeping this government open so that people don’t go hungry in the streets of the United States.”

Crockett also feverishly displayed photographs of classified documents left around the Florida home of former President Donald Trump. 

​​“These are our national secrets ― looks like in the shitter to me!” she exclaimed.

The 42-year-old attorney and congresswoman told theGrio she was “really surprised” that her committee remarks went viral.

“I knew something was happening because on my personal phone — it’s logged in on our campaign Facebook page — and I started getting all this MAGA hate. I was like, ‘Oh, I did something right today because the MAGA’s are out for me, honey,’” Crockett recalled.

The congresswoman from Dallas, who understands why her moment of “passion” resonated with so many, said a lot of her committee remarks were intentional. 

“This was for the people in the back that don’t understand, like, what’s going on … I need people to understand that their tax dollars are being wasted,” Crockett said. “It was annoying that we were wasting time. We weren’t doing anything productive.”

The federal government almost ceased funding for critical programs, like SNAP and WIC, and stop paying federal workers — including people serving in the military. Crockett said, for her, it’s also personal because she was raised by a federal worker. 

“[Republicans] want to talk about federal government employees being lazy … and I’m like, ‘y’all are not even on her level. You just happened to luck into this position,’” she said of her counterparts on the other aisle.

“My mom graduated college at the age of 19 after she got a full ride to go to [Washington University in St. Louis]. She did college in three years.”

Crockett also got a lot of reactions to her using profanity during Thursday’s committee hearing. She admitted to theGrio that she has a “terrible mouth,” but usually avoids cursing during official committee or congressional business. However, when she heard Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina curse during the hearing, she decided to go for it.

“She just kept using ‘shit’ … and it wasn’t even effective. And I was like, ‘well, I can use this word effectively.’ Like, I know how to use my words,” the congresswoman said.

Crockett said she also recognizes her unique role as a Black woman in Congress and feels a responsibility to show communities that look like her that “they are enough in their authentic way.”

“I do have the credentials. My resume is there. And it’s gotten there — in all of my beautiful Blackness — without affirmative action,” she told theGrio. “Ain’t nobody give me sh—t. I’ve kicked down the door for everything that I’ve gotten, obviously with the help of an amazing village.” 

Being confident and unapologetically Black is how Crockett runs her office. Her motto is, “Who’s gonna check me?” 

“It’s not that I try to be Black. I am Black. And when I get passionate … you know how we get. It is what it is,” said Crockett, who added, “You may not get as many head rolls when I’m not so worked up.” 

Crockett said she was most concerned about what impact a shutdown would’ve had on Black and brown communities nationwide, particularly in her district. Crockett represents Texas’ 30th congressional district, which includes parts of Dallas and Tarrant counties.

The congresswoman pointed out that dried-up spending for federal programs like Head Start would affect not only children’s ability to learn but also “who may even be able to go to work” because working parents might not be able to access childcare.

“Childcare has been so expensive for so many folks, especially middle-class or lower-income people. That’s about to be felt … almost immediately,” Crockett said, adding federal workers and contractors are “not like wealthiest of folk.”

Her message to Americans is that Republicans are not for the people and are beholden to one man.

“I need you to know that these boys ya’ll keep voting for, they don’t care about you. I needed people to understand and see that the priorities are misplaced,” Crockett said.

“Our priority should never be on doing the bidding of a two-time impeached loser, who has been found liable for being a fraud, a sexual abuser and has 91 pending counts against him.”

Gerren Keith Gaynor is a White House Correspondent and the Managing Editor of Politics at theGrio. He is based in Washington, D.C.

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