Hakeem Jeffries holds press conference amid Pete Hegseth impeachment calls, House speaker vote

[7:38] American people. Life is way too expensive. There are far too many people in this great country [7:45] working hard, playing by the rules. They can't thrive and they can barely survive. [7:49] That's an unacceptable situation. Millions of Americans are drowning in this failed [7:56] Republican economy and have voted for a Congress to focus on driving down the high cost [8:04] of living in all of the areas, including groceries, gas, housing, and of course fighting [8:12] to make health care affordable for every single American. House Democrats are going to focus [8:18] on affordability, accountability, and a return to American values. We're going to fight for an [8:27] affordable America. We're going to fight to make sure that we root out corruption wherever it may [8:35] be found and hold the crooks accountable who have visited it upon the American people. And we're [8:43] going to fight hard so that our country can return to American values like liberty and justice for all, [8:53] equal protection under the law, the unencumbered right to vote, and the elevation of our heritage [9:06] heritage as a nation of immigrants. Questions? [9:15] Skepticism from some for grand real about your leadership? [9:20] We have a vote. Next Wednesday, I'm going to work hard to talk to every single member about what we've been [9:28] able to do together over the last two years and what the opportunities are for us to do together in the next two years to deliver upon the dramatic change that the American people so decisively [9:45] voted for this past Tuesday. That sounds like you don't have it nailed down. You think I don't have the vote nailed down? [9:55] I'm asking you. You're the vote counter. I guess we'll find out next Wednesday. [10:00] Leader Jeff, there's also a lot of consternation in the other side of the Capitol for Chuck Schumer. Do you personally think it makes sense for Democrats to realize Chuck Schumer as a Senate Democratic leader? [10:11] Yes. Chuck Schumer was the quarterback of a team effort led by Senate Democrats and incredible candidates who ran all across the country, including in places like Texas and Maine and Michigan and Iowa and Kansas and South Carolina. [10:37] And I think, as we'll soon see in Alaska and in Mississippi, as well as North Carolina, and of course, John Ossoff running a great campaign in Georgia, I think the results of that election, the outcome, the decisive victory speaks for itself. [11:04] What about the people who say they want a fresh space for leadership? [11:06] Will Democrats and I voting on military funding impacts that he's still in office? [11:11] Let's take one step at a time. Right in front of us right now is the Hegseth impeachment resolution. [11:18] I'm a hard yes, as I've made clear on the impeachment resolution. [11:24] Pete Hegseth has abused his power, undermined America's national security, and he's the architect of the reckless and costly failed war of choice in Iran, [11:37] which has skyrocketed gas prices on everyday Americans, made the country less safe, and Iran is stronger now than they were before Operation Epic Failure, led by Pete Hegseth, began. [11:54] Do you support this? Thank you, Mr. Leader. A lot of conversation has been made of your leadership prospects. [12:03] The Republicans will be holding their leadership elections tomorrow. [12:06] Your Republican counterpart, Mike Johnson, has said he's not running for minority leader. [12:10] Can you just reflect on what it's been like serving with Mike Johnson over these last couple of years? [12:15] Do you have a preference for Jim Jordan versus Steve Scalise when the vote comes up tomorrow? [12:20] No preference. That's the decision for the House Republican Conference to make. [12:25] And I have more to say about the time that Mike Johnson and I have spent in leadership together [12:33] at some point once we get free and clear of all of these leadership elections. [12:37] Thanks. I'll go to... [12:40] Hi. Do the new changes over the weekend to the permitting legislation, do those sufficiently address your concerns? [12:47] Still under review. [12:48] You've said that you can focus on affordability and accountability at the same time. [12:55] When it comes to actual policy and going forward, what's the first policy piece of legislation that you want to drive [13:03] to address specifically the issue of affordability? [13:06] And then on the accountability piece, what is the first investigation or, you know, moment of accountability for this administration that you want to focus on? [13:16] We'll have that conversation as House Democrats beginning tomorrow when we convene as a caucus for the first time since the election. [13:25] What I have said clearly and consistently and publicly is that there are several areas where we'll focus on delivering right out of the gate early in the new Congress. [13:40] We have to reverse the Medicaid cuts. [13:43] We have to do everything that we can to end this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran, which has skyrocketed gas prices, food prices, diesel prices, and the cost of everyday goods. [13:59] We need to end the tariffs that have increased costs on everyday Americans by thousands of dollars per year. [14:09] And we certainly need to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits because the Republicans failure and unwillingness to do so has resulted in tens of millions of Americans experiencing dramatically increased premiums, [14:23] co-pays, co-pays, and deductibles, in some cases in excess of $1,000 per month. [14:30] That's unacceptable. [14:32] So these are clear steps that the Congress can take, Democrats in the majority, to try to drive down the high cost of living. [14:42] Yep. [14:44] It's a conversation that I look forward to having with not simply the members of the House Democratic Caucus, but with the Senate as well, to see what's possible. [15:03] It certainly needs to be increased. [15:06] It's a disgrace that the minimum wage hasn't been raised in 20 years and is currently $7.25 per hour. [15:18] So we have to raise the wage for every single American. [15:23] And one significant step that can be taken in that direction is to raise the minimum wage. [15:29] So what number? [15:30] Thank you. [15:31] Jeffries, the President talked about wanting to work with Democrats on specific issues such as immigration and affordability. [15:40] What are your thoughts on that? [15:42] And how can that be worked out, especially when there are members of your caucus who, while this would be happening, there would be a potential impeachment? [15:53] We have a broken immigration system. [15:56] It needs to be fixed in a comprehensive way. [15:59] And in divided government, it needs to be fixed in a bipartisan way. [16:03] House Democrats have taken the position that we're not going to give a dime to the administration's violent mass deportation machine. [16:14] Because taxpayer dollars should be used to make life more affordable for the American people, not brutalize or kill American citizens, and violently target law-abiding immigrant communities and families. [16:28] Which is what has happened over the last two years. [16:32] That's unacceptable, unconscionable, and un-American. [16:35] And it needs to come to an end. [16:37] We believe that immigration enforcement in this country, it should be fair, it should be just, and it should be humane. [16:45] And we need to move the situation in a much better direction. [16:51] And hopefully, some of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle will be willing to do that work. [16:58] Perhaps beginning with one additional signature that we need to force a vote on the Dream and Promise Act from a Republican. [17:09] Leader Jeffries, three House committees, they called for a closed-door briefing with NVIDIA's Jensen Huang. [17:16] If his answers aren't sufficient, would you call for a full public congressional hearing? [17:20] There's a closed-door briefing that I think will need to take place with members of the intelligence community and certainly folks connected to the NVIDIA situation. [17:33] I haven't had a conversation to talk to any of the soon-to-be chairs about their perspective on this. [17:39] But clearly, the Congress needs more information. [17:43] Is that a possibility though? A full public congressional hearing? [17:46] We'll have a conversation about that when we have a conversation about it subsequent to me speaking to the chairs. [17:53] If you're willing to so strongly support a rank-and-file impeachment without a full investigative committee process that normally would happen, [18:04] how are you going to deal with it next year when one of your own rank-and-file wants to impeach Trump the same way? [18:13] We're going to follow the facts, we're going to apply the law, we're going to be guided by the Constitution, [18:17] and we're going to let the chips fall where they may. [18:19] And I'm very confident that that is the process that will be undertaken by Jamie Raskin and House committee Democrats on the Judiciary Committee, [18:30] as well as Robert Garcia and House Democrats on the Oversight Committee. [18:35] With respect to the situation with Pete Hexat, the so-called Secretary of Defense, it's clear as day. [18:42] He's been a failure and a disaster for the American people. [18:48] He shredded the law and the Constitution with impunity, and there is no circumstance that justifies Pete Hexat continuing to hold this position. [19:01] This resolution is brought by a Republican member of Congress, and it's my expectation that there will be Republican members of Congress [19:10] who will join in the effort to try to pass the resolution. [19:16] But he was following the orders, Commander-in-Chief, so why would he just get impeached the same way? [19:25] I have made clear since the spring of 2025 that Pete Hexat, the most unqualified Secretary of Defense in American history, has got to go. [19:43] In my view, as I communicated directly to President Trump last spring of 2025, he should fire Pete Hexat. [19:54] The fact that Pete Hexat is still around makes zero sense to a whole lot of people in this country. [20:05] And hopefully this can come to an end. The national nightmare that has been Pete Hexat can end this week if the President doesn't make the decision on his own to terminate him. [20:19] How do you view the lame duck, and what do you envision your involvement, and how much should Republicans just take care of on their own? [20:28] There's a Four Corners conversation that is underway between Democrats and Republicans in the House and the Senate on the Appropriations Committee, led by Rosa DeLauro, and we'll see what that yields. [20:39] Our principles will remain consistent. At all times, we want to reach a spending agreement that meets the needs of the American people, particularly in the face of this affordability crisis that we're confronting. [20:53] And if there's an opportunity to enter into a spending agreement that lifts up the health, the safety, and the economic well-being of the American people, then that's something that I think Democrats will embrace in good faith. [21:12] But what we will not do is continue down the path that Republicans have undertaken since the beginning of this presidency, which is my way or the highway. [21:24] That has gotten the Republicans nowhere. In fact, it has the Republicans in a deep deficit and political hole with the American people. [21:37] And hopefully, over the next few weeks, they can change direction so we can get something meaningfully done for the American people in advance of December 11th. [21:48] Before you all left. [21:53] Sorry, that was you. [21:54] No? [21:55] Yeah. [21:56] Following up on the theory, I've heard that President Holland said recently Democrats should be open to a shutdown in order to end the war in Iran. [22:08] Is that a position that you agree with? [22:10] We're going to end the war in Iran one way or the other, but with respect to the appropriations process, right now that's in the hands of Rosa DeLauro on the House side and Patty Murray on the Senate side. [22:27] You've had mandates since last week, and I'm curious what you view as the mandate from last Tuesday. Is there a particular portion of the party, whether it be the progressives, the blue dogs, that you see as having a mandate as a result of the election? And how will that shape your policy approach? [22:45] When every single vote is counted across the country, House Democrats are going to have the largest majority of any party this century. And there's a clear mandate for House Democrats to get things done, to make life more affordable for the American people, to hold the crooks accountable, and to make sure that this country can return to being the best version of herself. [23:14] Speaker Johnson says that this is the most productive Congress because the House has passed a lot of legislation, despite almost none of it becoming law. What do you define as success for the 120th? [23:24] With respect to the 120th Congress, we have a mandate to work on these issues that are designed to make life better for the American people. And we're committed to doing that and bringing about change that's bold, that's dramatic, and that's transformational. [23:44] Mr. Leader, I know you just talked about Jensen Huang, but just to put a finer point in it, you had that briefing downstairs. We know that it came up. You said earlier that you would be asking about it. Are you concerned by what you've seen publicly in this Huang case? [23:54] There are real concerns that need to be addressed with respect to the NVIDIA situation. The briefing was primarily about Iran and the situation as it currently exists. It was undertaken by the Director of National Intelligence, Jay Clayton, and the CIA Director, John Radcliffe. [24:16] What is clear, and the NVIDIA issue did come up, but that we're going to need a full briefing specifically as it relates to the NVIDIA issue so we can all get to the bottom of what has happened and what the implications are in terms of America's national security. [24:40] Regarding NVIDIA, will Democrats seek to restrict chip exports to China and would you support using the NDAA to do so? [24:47] There are provisions currently in the Senate version of the NDAA that will restrict chip access to China that I strongly support, and I think we're going to work hard to make sure that those provisions make it into the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act. [25:08] You mentioned that no more money should be going through the deportation machine, but so much of ICE is already funded through 2019, so what can the Congress do next year to kind of maybe shift those funds around, or what could you do about that? [25:24] We're going to have to take a look at the one big ugly bill, which was a disaster for the American people. [25:32] It was the largest cut to Medicaid in American history, a $186 billion cut to nutritional assistance, literally ripping food away from the mouths of hungry children, veterans, and seniors. [25:47] ICE was given a $75 billion slush fund so that mass agents could brutalize and kill American citizens and violently target law-abiding immigrant communities. [26:01] That's unacceptable. [26:02] That's unacceptable. [26:03] And all of this was done in order to provide massive tax breaks to billionaire MAGA donors. [26:11] It certainly is the case that we need to do everything we can to reverse all of those harmful provisions, including the assault on the clean energy economy and the clean energy tax credits that was also a part of their one big ugly bill. [26:31] We need to reverse all of those provisions and reallocate funding in a way that actually is designed to make life more affordable for working-class families, middle-class families, and everyday Americans. [26:46] On debt limits, Republicans have suggested they want to address the debt limits during lame jobs. Is that something Democrats will work with them on, and are you looking for any specific concessions? [26:58] It's not a conversation that Speaker Johnson has brought up directly to me yet, and we'll see what they have to say about it in the days to come. [27:09] Thank you, Mr. Leader. So what's your message to Democratic voters who, I know you've seen it, or they say they don't want you to be the House Speaker. [27:20] They've even called their Democratic representatives asking them not to vote for you given ties to AIPAC and all the things you've seen. What's your message to them? [27:29] We're going to work hard to secure the 218 votes that are necessary. It's in the hands of the caucus right now. We'll have a conversation as a caucus next Wednesday when the leadership elections begin. [27:47] And then we're going to continue from that point to work as hard as we can to improve the high quality of life that the American people deserve, but do not have right now in this failed economy. [28:02] And execute on all of the things that we've talked about over the last two years, such as the affordability agenda, the accountability agenda, and bringing American values to life. [28:16] There was some reporting leading up to the election that Jared Kushner encouraged you to talk to Susie Wiles to make a relationship with the White House Chief of Staff. [28:27] There's, of course, no more Susie Wiles. It's Stephen Miller, who you've commented on. Do you think he can be a viable partner for Democrats? [28:33] No. [28:34] Is there anyone in the administration who you think can be a good legislative partner? [28:40] Stephen Miller is a stone-cold racist. His track record speaks for itself, and I've got zero interest in working with that kind of individual. [28:51] Oh, Peter Jeffers, have you decided... [28:56] Directionally, we're a little bit off right now. So, yeah, we can go here, and then I'll go to you. [29:00] Sure. Thank you. When it comes to the sort of deal-making that the President was discussing, have you reached out to him to talk about what the terms of that would be? [29:08] No. [29:10] Have you decided whether to keep the China Select Committee in the next Congress or to create an AI Special Committee or Select Committee? [29:16] We'll meet with some of the current top Democrats on all of the relevant committees on Wednesday morning, and we'll have a conversation about their thoughts in terms of what the work ahead of us can look like, both as it relates to foreign affairs and certainly as it relates to AI safety, where we have to act swiftly and decisively, and in my view, not wait until the new Congress. We should act as quickly as we can in this Congress. [29:47] Are Democrats all united on rolling back the Trump tariffs? In the past, Democrats have supported some tariffs, and would it be all the tariffs or just some of them? [29:57] We're going to work on the tariff issue in the new Congress quickly and aggressively. It appears as though our majority is going to exceed 260 members or so. That is a historic majority. And what unites everyone in that majority, whether they are progressives, New Dems, or Blue Dogs, is a shared commitment to making life more affordable for the American people. [30:29] And that would include on dealing with the tariff issue, which has clearly increased costs on everyday Americans, particularly as it relates to groceries and goods by thousands of dollars per year. The Trump tariffs are deeply unpopular. The American people know that the tariffs have been one of the reasons why toxic Republican policies have made their life more expensive. [31:00] Thank you, Mr. Leader. You call for accountability on corruption. Does that same standard apply equally to Representative Ilhan Omar if the evidence does hold up that she did indeed commit immigration fraud? [31:11] There's zero evidence that Representative Omar committed immigration fraud. This remains a right-wing conspiracy. And I'm going to continue to stand behind Representative Omar as she works to actually fight on the issues that Democrats have talked about addressing decisively, particularly as it relates to our affordability agenda and our accountability agenda. [31:40] Not to talk about the sexy subject of the House rule package, but what conversations have you guys had about sexual harassment? [31:49] I was waiting for that to come up. What conversations have you guys had about sexual harassment? In particular, I know there was an effort and it seemed like maybe we would get something in September, but you all obviously left early. Now you're poised to be Speaker. How are you going to tackle what became a major issue for your members this year? [32:04] It remains my hope that we can take decisive action in this Congress, led by Teresa Ledger Fernandez, who chairs the Democratic Women's Caucus, working with her colleagues on the other side of the aisle. I think there's an opportunity to act decisively in this Congress. We should seize it. [32:23] And separately, we've seen from polling that voters' trust in politicians, including members of Congress, has been an all-time low. What other steps will you be taking to help shore that up with the American people now that you're going to be in charge of the House? [32:35] It's our view as House Democrats that we have to clean up the mess, wherever it may be found, in the Congress, in the Supreme Court, and with respect to the Trump Administration. And in cleaning up the mess here in Congress, one of the most decisive things that we can do is to be [32:54] ban members of the House and Senate from trading stock. It is our intention to do just that. Thank you, everyone.