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Coming up, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffery speaks to reporters about President-elect Trump's cabinet nominees, including Representative Matt Gates for Attorney General and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health and Human Services Secretary.
He also reviewed the Democratic Party's performance in the 2024 election.
Morning, everyone.
The elections are over, and the American people have spoken.
The former President Donald Trump will be the next President of the United States of America.
And House Democrats have fallen a few seats short of reclaiming the majority.
House Democrats in the new Congress will work to find bipartisan common ground whenever and wherever possible with the incoming administration in a manner consistent with our values, but at the same time, always push back whenever necessary against far-right extremism that will hurt the American people.
We will continue to exercise common sense.
We will always try to find common ground, but we will also vigorously defend the common good.
We need to focus on the issues that matter, beginning, of course, with addressing the economic challenges facing everyday Americans who, for far too long in this country, not simply for years, but for decades, have been struggling paycheck to paycheck.
We look forward to leaning into that work in a very narrowly divided Congress next year.
And we extend the hand of bipartisanship in that effort while also making clear that we're going to defend Social Security.
We're going to defend Medicare.
We're going to defend the Affordable Care Act.
We're going to defend voting rights.
And we will continue to defend a woman's freedom to make her own reproductive health care decisions at all times.
Questions?
Mr. Jeffreys, how concerned are you that the House Ethics Report will not release their findings into their investigation into Congressman Gates?
And do you think that's information that the Senate's entitled to before his confirmation happened?
I think it was Justice Brandeis who once said that sunlight is the best disinfectant in a democracy.
Transparency is always the best course of action, particularly when it relates to high-ranking government officials.
But I'm not going to get out ahead of the top Democrat on the House Ethics Committee, Susan Wilde, until she and I have had an opportunity to talk.
Mr. Jeffries, you serve with Matt Gates.
What do you make of him being a nominee for top law enforcement officer in America?
Here's what I have to say about all of the nominations that we've seen to date and those that will continue, as well as the daily outrage that will be understandably engendered, not simply over the next few days, next few weeks, but over the next few months and next few years.
Former administration and the former president promised on the campaign trail that America would have the best economy, the best border security, and the best administration possible.
And the question that we have to all ask when we're confronted with nominations like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are these the best individuals available to the incoming Trump administration is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
By way of example, the best that America has to offer.
Will he and others give us the best opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the American people, or are there other people who are better qualified to do the jobs that need to be done on behalf of the American people?
The American people spoke loudly and clearly in this most recent election.
They want us to focus on the issues that matter and to come together to solve problems for hardworking American taxpayers, beginning with lowering costs for everyday Americans struggling to live paycheck to paycheck.
Are some of these nominations A real path forward to solving problems for everyday Americans?
That's the question that I've been grappling with, that the American people are grappling with.
And the answer should be clear.
Thank you, Ms. Lord.
Mr. Leader, I'm sure you're aware of the brush fires in Brooklyn.
There are fires in Connecticut, New Jersey, all up and down the East Coast.
You often talk about fighting climate change with the fierce urgency of now.
There's now going to be a Republican trifecta.
Donald Trump has nominated Lee Zeldin, who I'm sure you're familiar with, to lead the EPA.
Can you just talk about what the climate movement, what climate policy is going to look like this next Congress, as it continues to be an issue that's top of mind along with the economy for a lot of Americans across the country?
Lee Zeldin is someone I respect, someone that I serve with, someone who I disagree with on a whole host of issues, but actually given the communities that he represented on the eastern end of Long Island in Suffolk County, has some familiarity as far as these things go in the context of conservative Republicans with the importance of protecting our climate,
protecting our environment, and protecting God's green earth.
Hopeful that we will be able to find some common ground as it relates to combating the climate crisis with the fierce urgency of now.
Clearly, we have a problem when you are seeing brush fires in places like Prospect Park, Brooklyn, and in other parts of the Northeast.
We've seen extreme weather events later into hurricane season hit with greater intensity and devastate places like Florida and Georgia and North Carolina.
The climate crisis is not a Democratic issue or Republican issue.
It's an issue for the entire world to deal with in a meaningful fashion.
And I'm hopeful that we will be able to do so and find the necessary common ground.
As a result of the Inflation Reduction Act, which is one of the signature accomplishments of President Joe Biden, Vice President Harris, and Democrats in the Congress who enacted the largest investment in combating the climate crisis in the history of the world,
the jobs that are being created in terms of standing up a clean energy economy are disproportionately cited in red states and in small-town America and in rural America and in ex-urban America.
If the new administration truly is determined to stand up and improve the quality of life for hardworking American taxpayers and working class Americans, they should lean into supporting the clean energy economy and the wind and solar jobs that have been created in the heartland of America, not undermining it.
Veter Jeffries, who do you think is the leader of the Democratic Party right now?
Well, I announced earlier today my candidacy to continue to serve as House Democratic leader in the new Congress, and that will be before my colleagues on Tuesday.
And hopefully I'll have the opportunity to continue in that position, working alongside Catherine Clark and Pete Aguilar and every single member of the House Democratic Caucus.
We have a responsibility to deliver on behalf of the people that we represent as House Democrats to partner with the Senate Republicans and Senate Democrats.
I congratulate incoming Majority Leader Senator Thune.
Look forward to working with both Leader Thun and Leader Schumer.
And as I've indicated, we will work with the incoming administration whenever and wherever possible.
Thanks.
Kevin?
To actually build off of that question, though, what role do you see yourself playing in rebuilding the party going forward?
And in what ways do you see that action taking place?
We're going to work as hard as we can to organize as House Democrats in advance of the 119th Congress so we're ready to go on day one to deliver for everyday Americans.
That is the most important thing that we can do.
Build upon the track record of accomplishments as a result of what President Biden and Vice President Harris have done over the last four years and decisively address the challenges that remain.
Clearly, we all have a responsibility to lower costs for everyday Americans.
We have a responsibility to lower housing prices, lower food prices, lower gas prices, and lower the things that are preventing everyday Americans from getting ahead.
The American dream has been under assault for decades as a result of a variety of different factors, poorly negotiated trade agreements, the outsourcing of good-paying American jobs, the decline of unionization, and the rise of automation, which has some benefits, but also costs everyday Americans good-paying jobs, particularly in the Great Lakes states and the heartland of America.
We have to address that issue decisively.
We shouldn't address it as Democrats or Republicans or independents.
We should address it as Americans.
It's something that we look forward to doing in the new Congress.
Republicans, again, have this narrow majority here repeatedly over the past couple of years.
Your side has bailed them out, debt ceiling, government funding.
What's that going to look like this time around, though, when you have President Trump, a Republican Senate?
Will Democrats be more reluctant to assist, depending on the issue, saying, you guys have the majority, you think you're so smart, you figure it out?
We're going to do what we have to do on behalf of the American people, but it is an interesting question from the standpoint of the Republican claim that they've got this overwhelming mandate.
House Democrats started the last Congress at 212.
We'll start the new Congress no lower than 214, and we're still monitoring several races in California.
27 or 28 out of the 31 most vulnerable House Democrats have been reelected.
There were five open seat races that were tough holds for House Democrats.
Tough holds.
One in Maryland, two in Michigan, one in Virginia, and one in California.
We held four out of those five races.
And at this point in time, at this point in time, we flipped this year eight Republican-held seats, eight Republican-held seats.
We flipped.
We've defeated more Republican incumbents than House Republicans have defeated Democratic incumbents.
But we're still going to fall a few seats short.
And the question that has to be asked, if you believe that that's an overwhelming mandate, then of course the American people will expect that you will do the basics in terms of governing, that you will be able to avoid a catastrophic default on our nation's debt, that you can fund the government, that you can meet the needs of the American people.
If you believe that that's an overwhelming mandate, where notwithstanding, notwithstanding the adverse political environment that happened with a Trump wave sweeping every single battleground state in America,
Democrats will have actually increased the number of seats in the new Congress, not decreased, and we're still counting in California.
On foreign relations, as a minority, as opposition, what is your strategy for future support of Ukraine?
Because elections might be finished, but the war is happening and conflicts in the world are happening and even increasing.
We're going to have to continue to provide the type of leadership necessary to keep the American people safe.
Our support for Ukraine, our support for Israel, our support for our allies in the Indo-Pacific relate to America's national security interests, and America's national security interests relate to keeping the American people safe.
And it's something that we will continue to prioritize.
We prioritize the health of the American people.
We prioritize the public safety of the American people.
We will prioritize the national security of the American people.
And our top priority will be the economic well-being of the American people.
And hopefully, you know, in the context of the national security issues, we can find common ground on Ukraine and in other areas with the incoming administration.
Thank you, Leader Jeffries.
I want to ask you about a dumb leadership race.
It's clear that freshman Jasmine Crockett is planning to challenge Debbie Dingell for the DPCC policy chair.
What do you make of a freshman kind of putting their hat in the ring for a senior position like that?
Having had an opportunity to speak with Jasmine at this point, I've worked closely with Debbie Dingell in the context of her leadership as the chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, and I think she's done a great job.
As is the tradition, other House Democratic leaders don't get involved in leadership races, and it's not my plan to get involved in that leadership race.
Obviously, you heard from your caucus earlier this week, and I know you're holding listening sessions regarding the election results.
I'm curious if you can share, you know, at all, at least in general terms, about what you've been hearing from members about why they think you guys lost the election, what you could be doing differently going forward.
Lost what election, the House, the Senate, or the presidency?
House.
We're in the middle of having those conversations.
I think the facts speak for themselves.
We fell a few seats short.
There are a variety of different explanations.
Three seats, of course, were taken away from us in unprecedented mid-decade redistricting in North Carolina.
There are a lot of reasons that will, at the end of the day, explain why House Democrats fell a few seats short.
But what has been consistently made clear is that we overperformed and defied the national environment.
We have to do a better job in making it clear to the American people that as House Democrats, we are focused on making the lives of hardworking American taxpayers better.
We are focused like a laser beam on lowering costs and helping everyday Americans who for far too long are struggling to live paycheck to paycheck.
And that situation was clearly exacerbated by post-pandemic inflation in America and all across the world.
And we have to deal with it decisively to the extent that there is a consistent theme.
We all understand that we have to collectively in the new Congress, working with the new administration, figure out ways to put the American people into a more sustainable place in terms of a healthy and affordable economy.
Senator Jeffries, I'm wondering about the future of AI safety under Republican trifecta and with the influence of, clear influence of Elon Musk and the White House.
Well, that's an open question in the House.
Working with Speaker Johnson, we have an AI task force that's bipartisan in nature, evenly divided in terms of the number of Democrats and number of Republicans.
It's led quite capably by Ted Liu on the Democratic side.
And this task force is working to present recommendations to the House of Representatives.
I expect those recommendations to be forthcoming in the next few days, if not next few weeks, so that we can potentially act on some of those recommendations in terms of artificial intelligence safety before the end of the year and have a foundation to do more in the next Congress.
Thank you.
Leader Jeffries, SBA ran out of money for Exactly for Relief Loan Program back in October.
We saw on the Senate floor yesterday, Senator Tom Tillis and Senator Mark Warner do a bipartisan dog pile on Senator Rand Paul as they were trying to get money through, saying that for them, businesses will completely fall under if they don't get the money through.
Well, Speaker Johnson had said that they were going to address it after the election, but we haven't heard anything.
Have you spoken to him about this?
Is this still a priority for the House?
It's a high priority for House Democrats to make sure that we meet the needs of the American people who have been suffering as a result of these extreme weather events.
And in this particular case, making sure that entrepreneurs and small business owners and hardworking American taxpayers get the relief that they need and deserve.
Do you think you'll be addressed this Congress, though?
Has to be addressed this Congress.
Thank you, Leader Jeffries.
You opened your statement today talking about the need for bipartisan solutions without sacrificing your values.
On some, you mentioned specifically reproductive freedoms, on some of the more divisive issues like that.
Do you think there are bipartisan solutions and how are you going to work towards them with the Republican trifecta?
We're going to defend our values and our principles and the freedoms of the American people.
We will defend Social Security.
We will defend Medicare.
We will defend Medicaid.
We will defend the Affordable Care Act.
Will defend the progress that we've made on the climate crisis.
We will defend voting rights.
We will push back against the aggressive, extreme partisan gerrymandering that continues to be a part of the Republican playbook in the House of Representatives.
And we will certainly defend a woman's freedom to make her own reproductive health care decisions at all times.
It's a decision that should be made between a woman, her family, her doctors, and her faith, not extreme right-wing politicians.
And the American people, as was recently affirmed, overwhelmingly in New York State, agree with that position.
Thank you.
Now, President-elect Trump and other Republicans did make gains with just about every single demographic of voter, whether it's minority Americans or women.
What do you make of that?
Yeah, we're still in the process of analyzing all of that, and we've got to do it in a state-by-state manner to fully understand the dynamics.
Obviously, you have the battleground states, and you have a state like New York, which is a very interesting case study, because Donald Trump did make electoral gains in New York City in many of the five boroughs, including most explicitly in parts of Queens and even in the South Bronx at the same period of time.
This year, Democrats flipped four Republican-held seats in New York State in the House of Representatives, and on Election Day, the same day that Donald Trump narrowed the margins at the presidential level, defeated three, not one, not two, three Republican incumbents and reelected Tom Swazi and Pat Ryan.
We have to analyze all of these dynamics on a state-by-state basis.
We need to analyze it in the context of what happened in the House, what happened in the Senate, what happened at the presidential level.
It's kind of extraordinary to me as well, and I congratulate Ruben Gallego and Alyssa Slotkin, two incredibly talented public servants, on their election to the United States Senate.
We're very proud of them.
I think to the point of your question, we also have to figure out that given the Trump earthquake, as has been described at the national level, that there were seven battleground states, no statewide elections in Georgia, so you can remove Georgia from the equation.
Issues in Pennsylvania that we've got to figure out what happened, but that leaves, I think by my count, five other battleground states.
And in an election where Donald Trump won every single battleground state, Ruben Gallego was on his way to the United States Senate in Arizona.
Alyssa Slacken is on her way to the United States Senate in Michigan.
Tammy Baldwin was reelected to the United States Senate in Wisconsin.
Jackie Rosen was reelected to the United States Senate in Nevada.
And every single statewide constitutional office in North Carolina will be held by a Democrat.
Don Davis was reelected in North Carolina.
Dina Titus, Stephen Horsford, and Susie Lee were reelected in Nevada.
Hillary Sculton was reelected in Michigan.
Kristen McDonnell Rivet held the Dan Kildie seat in Michigan.
So we have to take some time to assess in a precise way what voters were actually doing at all three levels.
In the Senate level, notwithstanding the so-called Trump earthquake, in the House level, where we've gained seats, fall short of the majority, and that is bitterly disappointing.
Bitterly disappointing.
But we also have to be precise, trying to figure out what exactly happened all across the map.
One thing I can tell you, our frontline incumbents did an extraordinary job, and that's why 90% of them are coming back.
And the ones that fell short were up against atmospheric dynamics that proved, particularly in Pennsylvania, too tough to overcome.
And our red-to-blue candidates did an extraordinary job.
But we fell short by a few seats, and we're going to figure that out.
The one lesson, of course, is that we all have to do a better job of making life better for working class Americans who have had enough, and they are right.
The deck has been stacked against working-class Americans and middle-class Americans and those Americans who aspire to be part of the middle class for far too long.
Our jobs going in the wrong direction for far too long.
I'm thankful that President Biden and Vice President Harris got the Chips and Science Act over the finish line.
That's why domestic manufacturing jobs are coming back to the United States of America.
More of that, please.
We have to do it.
And we have to lower housing prices.
Doesn't make any sense.
It's not a New York City issue alone.
It's not a San Francisco issue.
It's not an LA issue.
It's all across America.
As I traveled to more than 30 states all across America, we've got to do something about housing prices.
Everyday Americans have had enough.
They are correct.
They are correct.
When you work hard and play by the rules in the United States of America, you should be able to provide a comfortable living for yourself and for your family.
Purchase a home.
Educate your children.
Have access to high quality health care.
Go on vacation every now and then.
And one day retire with grace and dignity.
That's the American dream.
And for far too long, the deck has been stacked against everyday Americans.
Enough.
They're correct.
And it should fall on all of us, Democrats and Republicans, the House, the Senate, and the administration to change that.
You served, let's set aside the Ethics Committee investigation.
Not about that.
You served, I think, for four or six years with Matt Gates on the House Judiciary Committee on the Antitrust Subcommittee.
What attributes does he possess that make him fit to be Attorney General?
That's a question that, you know, a lot of people are asking, and ultimately, Congressman Gates and the incoming president is going to have to answer that question decisively, not simply for the Senate, but for the American people.
Now, I appreciate your question, Paul, but at the end of the day, here's what I'm not going to do for the next two years and the next full year.
I'm not going to deal with it, it's Tulsi Gabbard one day, then an hour later it's Matt Gates, then the next day it's Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and then he says something on X or on Truth Searchle, and then the people connected to him are doing something outrageous.
No.
That I'm not doing because that's all a distraction.
These are incredibly important issues.
The Senate has a job.
They should focus, meaning the Senate Republicans, on being a separate and co-equal branch of government and serving as a check and balance on a particularly out-of-control when it emerges administration.
That's their job.
Advice and consent should mean something.
It certainly doesn't mean rolling over and giving any administration, Democratic or Republican, what they want.
The House Democratic caucus will be a check and balance on this incoming administration.
That's not a partisan strategy.
That's James Madison's strategy.
So we're going to do it.
And I hope, I hope that Senate Republicans will do the same.
Thank you.
Speaker Johnson has said he wants to pass a bill this year that would restrict U.S. outbound investment in China, particularly in high-tech sectors that could aid China's military.
Do you support that goal?
And is there anything else you would like to see happen with regards to China?
Haven't reviewed the proposal and I haven't talked to Speaker Johnson about that.
I do look forward to working with the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party under the leadership on the Democratic side of Raja Christa Morthy to figure out where we can find bipartisan common ground on the issue related to China.
Not because we seek conflict with China, but because we are in a serious competition that America must win.
Last question.
What is Democrat strategy to combat Trump's agenda, not only between now and January, but also next session as well?
Well, I think that part of the reason why we are in the midst of having a family conversation that's going to be comprehensive, candid, clear-eyed,
and continuing is that we're going to have a unique role as House Democrats to make sure that we are partnering with the incoming administration when possible to make a difference in the lives of the American people while pushing back against far-right extremism whenever necessary.
And that's a team effort.
And I'm honored to be part of the team.
And we'll see what happens on Tuesday when we have leadership elections.
But we know the mission.
The mission is first and foremost to make a difference in the lives of the American people and the lower costs and improve their quality of life and solve problems for hardworking American taxpayers.
Hopefully, that's what the administration that will be sworn in on January 20th is prepared to do as well.
Thank you, everyone.
Thank you, everyone.
Do you think Knicks or Nets will win tonight?
I'm tired, delirious.
All the above.
Congress returns Monday for their final week of work before their break for the Thanksgiving holiday.
On Tuesday, House Democrats will hold leadership elections for the next Congress.
And newly elected House members are back in Washington, D.C. for more orientation sessions, including selecting their Capitol Hill offices by lottery.
Both the House and Senate continue talks ahead of another government funding deadline and must pass additional federal spending by December 20th to avert a shutdown.
As for the floor schedules, the House is back Monday at noon Eastern.
Members will consider foreign policy, several bills under suspension of the rules, including legislation banning the U.S. government from contracting with any person that has business operations with the current Venezuelan government.
Later in the week, the House will revote on legislation that failed last week, ending the tax-exempt status of any group supporting terrorist organizations.
The Senate returns Monday at 3 p.m. Eastern.
Senators will vote throughout the week on several of President Biden's remaining judicial nominations for U.S. district and circuit courts.