A Vermont Democrat is in hot water after making derogatory remarks about migrants while attempting to make a case for why immigration in the United States shouldn't be restricted.
Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) made the remarks during a constituent town hall in Newport, Vermont, that took place on May 28.
'If we don't have avenues for people to come here legally to work or to build a home here … we're not going to have anybody around to wipe our a**es because we don't have enough people,' Balint said.
Paul Dame, chairman of the Vermont Republican Party issued a statement on Monday rebuking the remarks of Vermont's only member of the House of Representatives.
Paul Dame, chairman of the Vermont Republican Party issued a statement on Monday rebuking the remarks of Vermont 's only member of the House of Representatives
'It seems that every month Vermonters are subjected to coarse and vulgar language from our federal representatives. Congresswoman Balint should apologize—not only for her crude choice of words, but more importantly for the disturbing sentiment that the primary purpose of immigration is to perform labor that she deems beneath the dignity of others' Dame remarked.
'At the heart of these remarks is an opinion so offensive and so profoundly out of touch that it reveals a fundamental lack of respect for those who come to this country—abiding by the rules—in pursuit of freedom, opportunity, and a better life.'
'Many immigrants have come to Vermont and gone on to remarkable careers in high-tech fields, including at our microchip manufacturing facility in Essex Junction, or have become world-class physicians serving in Vermont's hospitals. Immigrants are also critical to our small business community, providing a wide array of goods and services that enrich our state.'
'The way Congresswoman Balint reduced Vermont's hard-working legal immigrants to little more than 'a** wipers' is embarrassing. She owes them—and all Vermonters—an apology for such a shameful characterization,' Dame concluded.
Representative Becca Balint (D-VT) speaks on February 10, 2025 in Washington, DC
The progressive Representative's comments also drew ire from social media users.
Conservative radio host Todd Starnes wrote on X that he had 'no idea the citizens of Vermont employed illegals to clean their nether regions.'
'Rep. Becca Balint is enraged because she's going to have to wipe her own buttocks,' he stated.
The openly lesbian lawmaker said if Trump continues to crack down on illegals, 'we're not gonna have anybody around to wipe our a**es.'
I had no idea the citizens of Vermont employed illegals to clean their nether regions,' Starnes wrote.
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) responded with a simpler statement, writing 'that's nasty.'
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) asked if Balint's statement didn't come across in the way that she had originally intended.
'So did that … sound better in her head? Yikes,' Lee wrote on X.
