A recent vote in the U.S. House of Representatives has reignited national debates over socialism, drawing attention to historical atrocities and the ongoing tension between ideology and governance.
The resolution, which garnered surprising bipartisan support, highlights how lawmakers are framing socialism as a threat to individual liberty and democratic institutions.
WASHINGTON—Nov. 21 —The House passed a resolution condemning the “horrors of socialism” with a 285–98 vote, while two members voted “present.”
Notably, 86 Democrats joined every Republican in supporting the measure, introduced by Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.), whose family fled Fidel Castro’s Cuba. The resolution had 63 co-sponsors.
The text of the resolution portrays socialist ideology as a pathway to concentrated power, often collapsing into totalitarian regimes. It claims that historically, socialism has resulted in mass killings, famine, and the deaths of over 100 million people worldwide.
Specifically, the resolution condemns leaders including Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro, Pol Pot, Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un, Daniel Ortega, Hugo Chávez, and Nicolás Maduro for policies linked to severe human rights abuses.
It cites tens of millions of deaths in events such as the Bolshevik Revolution, the Soviet gulags, and the Ukrainian Terror-Famine. Mao’s Great Leap Forward in China is estimated to have caused 15–55 million deaths,
while Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge regime killed more than a million in the killing fields. North Korea is noted as currently facing widespread starvation affecting 3.5 million people, the resolution states.
The measure also criticizes the Cuban government for expropriating land and businesses, forcing millions into exile, and denounces Venezuela’s socialist policies for creating hyperinflation and widespread economic collapse.
Quoting founding fathers, the resolution emphasizes the dangers of collectivism. Thomas Jefferson warned against taking the fruits of labor from industrious citizens,
while James Madison cautioned that property and liberty are insecure under governments that redistribute resources arbitrarily.
The resolution frames the U.S. founding principles as inherently opposed to collectivist socialist systems.
The vote coincided with a White House visit by New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a self-described socialist, who met with President Donald Trump—who has publicly labeled Mamdani a “communist.”
Conclusion
The House resolution functions as both a historical caution and a political statement. By linking socialism to past atrocities while reaffirming the U.S. commitment to individual liberty, the measure highlights lawmakers’ enduring concerns about ideological influences on domestic and international policy.
Its bipartisan support underscores that anxiety over socialism transcends party lines, reflecting broader debates about the future direction of American governance.