Hakeem Jeffries, House Democrats press conference after House vote rejects DHS funding bill

[0:10] Good afternoon, everyone. This is day 42 of the Trump-Republican shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. [0:21] Republicans have decided for weeks now to force TSA agents to work without pay, inconvenience millions of Americans, and create chaos at airports all across the country. [0:37] This could end and should end today. There is a bipartisan bill that has been sent over from the Senate that would reopen the non-controversial parts of the Department of Homeland Security, [0:55] make sure TSA agents are paid, and end the chaos at airports throughout the nation. [1:02] The bipartisan bill sent over by the Senate has been supported by every single Democrat and every single Republican, [1:14] as it made its way over to the House of Representatives. [1:19] House Democrats are prepared to support the bill to end the Trump-Republican shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, [1:28] make sure TSA agents are paid, stand up for FEMA and for the Coast Guard and for our cybersecurity professionals, [1:40] and stop inconveniencing Americans, which is being intentionally done by Donald Trump and House Republican extremists. [1:50] Why is this happening? [1:53] Many Americans are asking. [1:54] It's because House Republicans have decided that they would rather inconvenience you, create chaos for you and for your families, [2:07] so that they can continue to jam their extreme right-wing ideology down the throats of the American people, [2:15] so they can continue to spend billions of dollars for ICE to brutalize and kill American citizens, [2:25] as we've seen horrifically in the case of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Prettig. [2:31] Our views on immigration enforcement are the views of the American people. [2:40] Immigration enforcement should focus on violent felons who are in this country illegally, [2:47] not target law-abiding immigrant families or brutalize and in some cases kill American citizens. [2:55] Your taxpayer dollars should be used to make life more affordable for you and for your family, [3:03] and that's what Democrats are going to continue to fight to accomplish. [3:08] The only thing standing right now between the chaos that is taking place at airports all across the country [3:16] and the American people and making sure you are no longer inconvenienced are House Republicans. [3:25] That's the only thing standing right now as we approach Easter and Passover, [3:32] with chaos breaking out all over the country, TSA agents being forced to work without pay week after week after week, [3:43] and now we have this bipartisan bill. [3:46] Sent over by the Senate that House Democrats are prepared to support. [3:49] If that bill is brought to the floor today, it will pass and the Trump Republican DHS shutdown will be over. [3:59] But unfortunately, MAGA extremists in the House of Representatives continue to inflict pain on the American people. [4:13] It's now my honor to yield to the House Democratic whip, my good friend and colleague from the great Commonwealth of Massachusetts, [4:23] Catherine Clark. [4:26] Thank you so much, Mr. Leader, and good afternoon, everyone. [4:30] There's no reason for TSA to be shut down. [4:34] There's no reason for FEMA and our Coast Guard to still be unfunded. [4:40] There's no reason for travelers to be waiting in absurdly long lines. [4:46] We could have voted today, yesterday, last week, last month, [4:51] to open every part of Department of Homeland Security [4:56] that actually keeps Americans secure. [5:00] That's what we've been fighting for four weeks. [5:04] That is what the Senate passed unanimously this morning. [5:11] But House Republicans refuse to take yes for an answer. [5:16] In fact, Mike Johnson said that this bill is a joke. [5:21] That's another classic we can add to their lines [5:25] about how they feel about the American people [5:29] and what they are going through right now. [5:32] We can add it to affordability is a hoax. [5:37] Donald Trump on gas prices going up a dollar a gallon. [5:41] When they rise, they rise. [5:44] I will declare no new wars if elected president. [5:48] And the impact of all of this [5:51] on Congress, [5:52] on consumers is the last of our concerns. [5:56] None of this is a joke. [5:58] All of this has real world consequences [6:01] for American families. [6:03] And the same day that they're refusing [6:06] to fund our cybersecurity, [6:09] they learned that Iran has hacked the director of the FBI. [6:14] Republicans won't fund TSA or FEMA or the Coast Guard [6:19] unless we green light more terror [6:22] in our communities. [6:24] That's what they care about. [6:26] That's more important to them than anything else. [6:30] Funding ICE and the paramilitary force [6:34] that they have turned into. [6:37] So if you've ever doubted for a moment [6:40] how craven the House Republicans really are, [6:44] today you have your answer. [6:47] And with that, I will turn it over [6:49] to our amazing House Chairman, [6:52] our friend and colleague, Pete Aguilar. [6:54] Thanks, Whip Clark. [6:57] Thank you, Leader Jeffries. [6:58] House Democrats have been clear from the start. [7:01] We must pay TSA, Coast Guard and FEMA [7:05] and other public safety agencies [7:07] while we negotiate common sense reforms for ICE. [7:10] Weeks ago, we put forward legislation [7:12] that would do just that [7:15] and outlined a list of changes [7:17] that we knew we wanted to see at ICE [7:19] to make our communities safer. [7:21] Republican Democrats held firm in our position [7:25] and we never gave [7:26] in and as a result, you saw early this morning, [7:29] Senate Republicans agreed with our approach. [7:33] But now Speaker Johnson is calling [7:35] this bipartisan agreement a joke [7:38] simply because it doesn't give more money [7:40] to Trump's out of control ICE agency. [7:45] Think about it, after witnessing the chaos at the airports, [7:48] after hearing about TSA agents quitting [7:51] or picking up second jobs or sleeping in their cars, [7:54] this is the response [7:56] that Mike Johnson has. [7:59] This isn't a joke, as the Whip said, [8:00] these are real people's lives [8:02] and there's only one reason, [8:04] one real solution to end this shutdown [8:07] and that's passing this bipartisan [8:10] DHS funding package today. [8:13] Republicans cannot continue to hold funding [8:16] for airport security, disaster assistance [8:19] and response for the Coast Guard hostage [8:22] because they want an out of control ICE [8:25] that brutalizes our communities, [8:26] detains children and kills U.S. citizens. [8:30] Republicans know they need Democratic votes [8:33] in order to pass this. [8:35] They can't keep ignoring our calls to rein in ICE. [8:39] The American people elected us [8:41] to make their lives better, not worse. [8:44] We have the opportunity to do that now [8:46] and with this bipartisan bill, [8:48] we urge our Republican colleagues to do the right thing [8:52] and put this bill on the floor. [8:57] Our message to Mike Johnson and House Republicans, [8:59] is clear, paying TSA agents, [9:01] reopening the Department of Homeland Security, [9:05] ending the chaos and stopping the inconvenience [9:09] for millions of Americans all across the country [9:12] is no joking matter, it is serious. [9:15] You should take your responsibilities serious. [9:18] Bring this bipartisan bill to the floor today [9:22] so we can end the nonsense, end the chaos [9:25] and actually end the chaos in the United States. [9:29] Thank you. [9:30] Thank you. [9:33] Thank you. [9:34] Mr. President разработer of ICE CDC poll, [9:39] we heard today that the police had turned법an [19:45] and women in case of justice [19:48] start doing the type of things that the American people [19:51] want us to focus on which is making their life more affordable. [19:55] In an environment where Donald Trump and Republicans have made life more hospital in the United States of America. [19:56] Thank you very much. [19:58] Immigration enforcement in America should be fair, just, and humane. [20:02] That's not what's happening right now. [20:05] And the American people know that ICE is out of control, and they're demanding changes that are bold, transformative, and meaningful, while at the same time anchored in common sense. [20:17] Now, this bill that has been sent over from the Senate in a bipartisan way that House Democrats are ready to embrace separates out ICE funding. [20:32] And separates out funding for the Trump Republican violent mass deportation machine. [20:40] So we are prepared to support it while continuing to fight on behalf of the American people to get ICE under control. [20:48] That's why it's not that complicated. [20:50] It's because Senate Republicans have at least recognized that it's time for them to stop holding TSA agents and the American people hostage. [21:00] Pete? [21:04] I agree with what the leader says. [21:06] I think it's incredible. [21:08] It's incredibly unfortunate, the position that Senate Republicans have waited this long to understand what House Democrats have said, which is we want a bipartisan solution. [21:20] Now, the policies that the leader and Senator Schumer sent over are incredibly important, and we don't believe that ICE should get funding until we achieve those policy changes. [21:31] Neither of that happens here. [21:33] ICE doesn't get its funding, and the policy changes we will continue to discuss and debate. [21:38] But the important thing for the American people is TSA will get funded, FEMA will get funded, Coast Guard will get funded, individuals who work for the federal government will be held harmless, which has been our position for weeks. [21:51] We've stood at this podium, and we've said this is what we want. [21:54] We want to isolate and have a discussion about ICE and Border Patrol. [21:57] We want to ensure that their bad actions do not receive more money so they can't brutalize our communities, and we want them, above all else, to have rules. [22:07] We want them to have rules. [22:08] We want them to have rules. [22:09] We want them to have rules. [22:10] Just like our local police officers, just like our local police agencies do. [22:12] That's what this has been about. [22:14] And then we have a bipartisan agreement, not just bipartisan, a unanimous agreement, where 100 senators were given an opportunity to object and not a single one objected. [22:24] That's the type of solution that we believe we can gravitate around, and unfortunately, Mike Johnson doesn't believe that that's enough of a solution because he wants more brutality in our communities. [23:09] You know, Mike Johnson is really struggling right now. [23:11] They have a new message every week. [23:14] But you know what also is happening? [23:16] Republicans have been losing elections for the last 15 consecutive months, over and over and over again, including in deep red places like Texas, Louisiana, and most recently in Florida. [23:26] As a matter of fact, Donald Trump will now be represented at Mar-a-Lago by a Democrat in a district that he previously won by double digits. [23:37] Make no mistake, Republicans are falling apart. [23:40] When are they going to learn? [23:42] They want to learn their lesson that the American people are rejecting their extremism and actually want Congress to focus on making life better for everyday Americans. [23:52] That's what Democrats are continuing to do. [23:57] We're fighting to lower the high cost of living, to fix our broken health care system, to clean up corruption, to get ICE under control, to end the chaos at airports, to stop this reckless war of choice, and to actually focus on the things that matter. [24:17] The American people know Republican priorities have nothing to do with making their life better and everything to do with jamming their extreme and radical right-wing ideology down the throats of the American people. [24:29] And Exhibit A today is the fact that House Republicans are rejecting a bipartisan bill supported by 53 Republican senators that would end the chaos at the airports, pay TSA, and stop inconveniencing millions of Americans. [24:46] Thank you. [24:47] Thank you. [24:48] Thank you. [24:49] Thank you. [24:50] Thank you. [24:51] Thank you.