The House approved a resolution with dozens of Democrats in support on Friday that condemns socialism and cites its damaging historical record in multiple countries.
The vote came shortly before New York City Mayor-elect and self-described democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani arrived in Washington for a scheduled meeting with President Donald Trump.
Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., introduced the concurrent resolution.
The New York Post reported that it passed in a bipartisan 285-98 vote. All opposition came from Democrats, and two Democratic members voted present.
But 86 House Democrats voted in support of the resolution.
The text states that Congress denounces socialism in all forms and opposes the adoption of socialist policies in the United States. Salazar has spoken about her parents fleeing Cuba after Fidel Castro took power.
Several elected officials who endorsed Mamdani closely identify with socialist political views. They include Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
The vote was held soon after Mamdani arrived at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. He is scheduled to speak with the president in the afternoon about a range of issues.
Trump said during a radio interview that he expected the meeting to be civil. Mamdani said on Thursday that he plans to bring up questions about the cost of living.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., argued during debate on the resolution that socialism and communism share the same foundations.
She referenced her mother’s departure from Cuba in 1959 and said that policies linked to socialism have led to restrictions on private property and government control of major economic sectors. She said these ideas come from the writings of Karl Marx.
Malliotakis and other members also cited recent examples from Venezuela. They said the country’s socialist government produced economic collapse and worsening living standards.
The resolution lists the record of several governments that adopted socialist systems before transitioning into full communist control.
It cites Russia under Vladimir Lenin and Josef Stalin, China under Mao Zedong, Cuba under Fidel Castro, and other nations. The text states that these governments produced famine, mass killings, and severe repression.
The resolution notes the estimated death tolls from the Soviet gulag system and the Great Leap Forward in China. It also states that millions have died in North Korea through starvation under the rule of Kim Jong Un.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., introduced a companion resolution in the Senate. Both resolutions were filed in September before Mamdani won the general election for New York City mayor.
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