House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries press conference

[0:00] Good afternoon, everyone. House Democrats remain focused on making life more affordable [0:08] for the American people. Donald Trump promised to lower costs on day one. Costs haven't gone [0:14] down in the United States of America. Costs have gone up. The affordability crisis is [0:20] real. It is not a hoax. And far too many people across this country, millions of hardworking [0:27] American taxpayers are struggling to live paycheck to paycheck, can't thrive, and can [0:34] barely survive because of toxic Republican policies that have made life more expensive [0:43] for the American people. House Democrats are committed to driving down the high cost of [0:48] living. Housing costs are too high. Grocery bills are too high. Health care costs are too [0:54] high. Gas prices are too high. And utility bills are too high. America is far too expensive. [1:03] And Republican policies have made a bad situation even worse. They've been a disaster as it relates [1:10] to the economy. And everyday Americans know it. Donald Trump's reckless and costly war [1:17] of choice has cost everyday Americans hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars more in increased [1:28] costs, particularly as it relates to gas prices. This war, this reckless and costly war of choice [1:34] needs to end today. House Democrats are going to advance a war powers resolution on the floor [1:42] this week. And all we need are a handful of Republicans to join us. And we can end this [1:48] reckless and costly war of choice. A war that has cost the American taxpayer over a hundred billion [1:58] dollars. That's extraordinary. And left our country in a weaker position relative to Iran than when this [2:07] reckless and costly war of choice began. Questions? The appointment of Bill Pulte as the acting director [2:31] of national intelligence is another indication of how unserious, reckless and dangerous Donald Trump and [2:42] his administration are with respect to the national security of the American people. What exactly are Bill [2:48] Pulte's qualifications? Does he have a national security background? The answer would be no. Does [2:56] he have a military background? The answer would be no. Does he have a law enforcement background? The [3:04] answer would be no. What qualifies Bill Pulte to hold one of the most important national security [3:13] positions for the United States of America? One thing, apparently, that Bill Pulte is willing to say [3:20] anything or do anything that Donald Trump demands, no matter how reckless, vengeful, or unlawful [3:29] Donald Trump's demand may be. Bill Pulte has weaponized the federal government to go after Donald Trump's [3:39] perceived enemies. He's weaponized the federal government to go after Lisa Cook. He's weaponized the federal [3:45] government to go after Adam Schiff. He's weaponized the federal government to go after New York State Attorney [3:51] General. Tis James, Bill Pulte is deeply unserious, deeply dangerous, and deeply unqualified. His [3:59] supposed elevation as the acting director of national intelligence will jeopardize the effort to pass [4:11] surveillance legislation that was already on life support. Why in the world should Democrats or any [4:19] member of Congress trust Donald Trump, Kash Patel, or Bill Pulte with the privacy of the American people? [4:30] Chad, did I call on you? Okay, I said something. That was a slick move right there. [4:40] Okay, yeah. Okay. Nixon 6. Republicans in the House are in deep trouble. They are on the verge of losing their [5:04] majority. They understand it. The Republicans have done nothing to make life more affordable for the [5:10] American people. Costs having gone down in the United States of America under complete Republican [5:15] control of government, costs have gone up. And so the legislative games that they may be playing on the [5:22] floor of the House of Representatives this week, next week, this month, next month, over the next several [5:27] months in advance of the midterm election, the American people have already concluded that the [5:32] Republican-controlled Congress has been a failure. And it's up to us as Democrats to continue to make [5:38] the case that we actually will be focused on making their life more affordable. Listen, Democrats are [5:47] going to make a decision based on what's the right thing to do for the district that they represent. [5:51] And I trust every single Democrat, particularly those who are in swing districts, to do the right [5:56] thing for the people that they're privileged to represent. Thanks. [6:00] Well, we certainly are committed as Democrats to get things done for the American people at a moment [6:18] when there are a whole host of serious issues that need to be addressed, particularly as it relates to [6:23] making life more affordable for everyday Americans. The Republicans can't get out of their own way. [6:28] Democrats have repeatedly governed in the minority as if we were in the majority. And we're going to do so [6:35] again this week, as it relates to what I believe will be a successful war powers resolution tomorrow, [6:41] and then a successful vote to stand up for the free world, for democracy, for truth, and the Ukrainian [6:49] people on Thursday. At the end of the day, what exactly do Republicans have to show for being in [6:59] complete control of Congress over the last 18 or so months? The answer would be nothing, nada, zero. [7:07] They've made life worse for the American people. And so that's one of the reasons why I'm convinced [7:15] that Republicans continue to cancel votes and do everything they can every week to get out of town [7:21] before sundown. Thanks. I have not had any conversation with him, and I'm unaware of whether he's under [7:39] investigation or not. I've seen those public reports on my way into the Capitol. We obviously take these [7:45] things seriously, but I have not had any conversation with the ethics committee. Well, the American people have [8:11] clearly come to the conclusion that taxpayer dollars should be spent to make their life more affordable. [8:17] And our view is that taxpayer dollars should not be spent. We're talking about $70 billion on top of [8:24] what ICE already has received from Republicans to brutalize and kill American citizens or to violently [8:32] target law-abiding immigrant families. There's a clear choice between the Democratic vision of strong, [8:41] safe, secure borders, while at the same time having immigration reform that is fair, just, and humane, [8:50] and the Republican vision which has unleashed a violent mass deportation machine on the American people. [8:56] Donald Trump promised that immigration enforcement in this country, under his so-called leadership, [9:02] was going to target the worst of the worst. That's what he said. They were going to target violent felons. [9:09] They're not targeting violent felons. I didn't see any violent felons at Delaney Hall, which I visited with [9:16] other members of the New Jersey delegation on Sunday. I saw people who were entrepreneurs, who were active, [9:25] productive members of their community. I saw an 18-year-old teenage girl who's been in custody for months [9:34] and was ripped away from her family, her community, and her classmates, and was being held as of Sunday, [9:43] just a month prior to her graduation. That's not the worst of the worst. And so there's no circumstance [9:51] where Democrats can support Donald Trump's violent ICE mass deportation machine, and the American people [9:59] don't support it. What happened is that the Republicans completely and totally caved. We made clear, [10:10] that the Department of Homeland Security should be reopened with the exception of ICE and Donald [10:19] Trump's mass violent deportation machine. And the Republicans insisted from the very beginning that [10:25] was never going to happen, but guess what? It did. And we'll continue to battle it out in terms of [10:31] bringing about the type of dramatic reform to ICE that the American people are demanding. ICE should be [10:39] compelled to conduct itself like every other cop, police officer, or law enforcement agency in the [10:45] country. That's not too much to ask. They're out of control and they need to be reined in. Thanks. [10:51] As I mentioned yesterday, the mayor and I have agreed to strongly disagree as it relates to [11:09] Congressman Adriano Espaillat, who's a bold, effective leader. He's been battling Donald Trump. [11:19] He's been battling MAGA extremism. Adriano Espaillat has been battling ICE to rein them in, [11:27] because he knows they're completely and totally out of control. And he's been pushing back [11:32] aggressively against Donald Trump's reckless and costly war of choice. I'm going to continue to [11:37] stand strongly behind Representative Adriano Espaillat, and we're going to work hard to make [11:43] sure he's reelected. Well, Governor Sherrill has overall been an effective governor. It's a very [12:00] difficult situation because of the inflammatory tactics that have been used by Donald Trump, ICE [12:09] agents, as we've seen in other parts of the country, particularly what went down in Minneapolis. [12:16] And we're going to continue, as Governor Sherrill has done, to urge everyone to make sure that they [12:22] exercise their right to protest peacefully in a manner consistent with the First Amendment. And I think [12:29] she's working as hard as she can to handle the situation as best she can. What we need to have [12:35] happen is that ICE needs to be brought under control. And the only way to do that is to ensure that we [12:41] can pass in this Congress the types of dramatic reforms that allow immigration enforcement in this [12:48] country to be fair, just, and humane, consistent with who we are as a country, a nation both anchored [12:56] in the rule of law and a nation of immigrants. Well, House Democrats are going to continue to push [13:14] for the use of taxpayer dollars in a manner that actually is designed to make life more affordable [13:23] for the American people. That's what the American people want, as opposed to what happened in this [13:27] budget reconciliation bill the first time around, the one big ugly bill, part one, where Republicans [13:36] ripped away Medicaid from the American people, causing up to 14 million folks to be in jeopardy of losing [13:43] their health insurance. Hospitals, nursing homes, community-based health clinics are closing as a [13:48] result of what happened in that one big ugly bill. Nutritional assistance was ripped away from millions [13:54] of children, seniors, and veterans. And all of this was done both to reward Republican MAGA extremist [14:04] billionaire donors with massive tax breaks that they did not need and do not deserve, and to give ICE [14:13] a 70 billion dollar or so slush fund, which has been used to unleash brutality on everyday Americans, [14:25] and in some cases to kill American citizens, as was the case in Minneapolis with Renee Nicole Good [14:33] and Alex Preddy. The whole thing is outrageous and unacceptable. And all of our challenges that this [14:41] country is facing can be traced to the fact that Republicans are focused on the wrong things. They want to [14:48] jam their extreme ideology down the throat to the American people, as opposed to actually working to make [14:53] life more affordable for the American people. Our commitment as Democrats will continue to be drive down [14:59] the high cost of living and make life more affordable for hard-working American taxpayers across the country. [15:05] Thanks. Having made a decision as it relates to that particular race, everybody has a right to run [15:24] where they see fit. They got to go make their case to the people that they hope to represent moving forward. [15:32] And that's what I've communicated directly to Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz. Obviously, she has a [15:37] strong track record of accomplishment here in the Congress and on behalf of the people that she's [15:42] represented over the years in Florida. At the same period of time, I think we all recognize the sensitivities of the moment, [15:50] in terms of an unprecedented Jim Crow-like assault on black political representation that has been [15:57] unleashed by the Supreme Court's outrageous decision to gut the Voting Rights Act. And it's an environment [16:04] that all of us need to be sensitive to as we move forward. I haven't taken a look at it yet. Thanks. [16:17] Well, I stand behind every single House Democratic incumbent, whether they're a member of the [17:00] Congressional Progressive Caucus, as is the case with Adriana Espaillat, a new Dem or a Blue Dog, [17:06] and I'm going to continue to do that. And then we'll see what happens at the end of the day in terms [17:10] of what the voters decide. But I think what unites House Democrats is the fact that we are all [17:17] of the view that Donald Trump and Republican policies have been an economic disaster for everyday [17:24] Americans, and that we actually, as a Congress, should be focused on making life better for the [17:31] American people, making sure that people can go see a doctor when they need one, that there are good [17:38] paying jobs available to younger Americans who have worked hard, they're doing the right thing, [17:43] they've gone to college, or picked up a trade, and now are unable to live comfortably, and certainly are [17:53] unable to, in many instances, to afford a home, which has always been a centerpiece of the American [17:59] dream. These are the type of things that will unite House Democrats. They have up until this point, [18:04] and I think they will continue to as we move forward. When it's all said and done, after the [18:10] election on November 3rd, we'll come together as a caucus, and we'll lean in to the issues that bring [18:16] us together, driving down the high cost of living, fixing our broken healthcare system, and cleaning up [18:22] corruption here in Washington, D.C. Thank you, everyone.