Democratic Senators-elect Andy Kim of New Jersey and Adam Schiff from California will both be sworn into the Senate following their resignations from the House on Sunday.
Senators will also continue to vote throughout the week on President Biden's remaining judicial nominations for U.S. district courts.
Watch live coverage of the House on C-SPAN, the Senate on C-SPAN too.
Also, watch all of our congressional coverage with our free video app, C-SPAN Now or online at c-SPAN.org.
C-SPAN is your unfiltered view of government.
We're funded by these television companies and more, including Cox.
When connection is needed most, Cox is there to help.
Bringing affordable internet to families in need, new tech to boys and girls clubs, and support to veterans.
Whenever and wherever it matters most, we'll be there.
Cox supports C-SPAN as a public service, along with these other television providers, giving you a front-row seat to democracy.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries here answers questions on President-elect Trump's policy agenda, nominees to serve in his cabinet, and a proposed commission led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to cut wasteful spending in the federal government.
I think they're all waiting for us to wrap up.
Oh, oh, this is a question.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, my brother.
Hey.
Oh, you're the only one.
Here we go.
Okay.
Heads up.
Morning, everyone.
Morning.
In the remaining few weeks, House Democrats look forward to finishing up the National Defense Authorization Act and doing it in a strongly bipartisan way, as should always be done in connection with our national security interests and protecting the safety and security of the American people.
We, of course, need to resolve the issues connected to the year-end spending agreement, and bipartisan conversations continue to be underway in that regard to make sure we are meeting the needs of the American people.
We, of course, have to address the looming expiration of the farm bill, and that issue must also be dealt with in a bipartisan way and in a manner consistent with protecting farmers, protecting the agricultural industry, and protecting nutritional assistance for vulnerable Americans.
As Democrats have repeatedly made clear, as we prepare for the new Congress, we will seek to find common ground with the incoming administration whenever and wherever possible in order to solve problems for hardworking American taxpayers.
But we will push back against far-right extremism whenever necessary.
Questions?
Martin Jefferson, welcome back.
On the Doge proposal here, should Democrats be more involved in this?
Are you disappointed that Mr. Musk and Ramaswamy didn't come to meet with you?
Do you think that the opportunities here that their political appetite is bigger than their parliamentary stomach when it comes to getting some of these things done?
Yeah, it's unclear to me what exactly the objective is related to this so-called Doge initiative.
From our perspective, we want a federal government that is effective and efficient and equitable.
And to the extent the other side of the aisle shares that objective, which is what is right for the American people, then we'll see if there's common ground that's possible.
But does it worry you about the idea that they're doing this just with these two guys who aren't part of the government, who don't have experience directly in understanding discretionary, non-discretionary spending, and therefore should Democrats be directly involved and say, look, we don't want wastewalk and fraud and abuse.
Democrats will, of course, have to be directly involved to the extent that there is any legislative aspect of this, and we will, by necessity, be engaged because it's clear that the incoming House Republican majority will not be able to do much without us.
Thanks, Leader Jeffries.
On the NDA and the Farm Bill, what are the odds that either of those or both gets attached to the year NCR that will need to pass to keep the government open?
Well, with respect to the National Defense Authorization Act, we're proceeding on a track where we hope to be able to bring it forward in a bipartisan way as a standalone.
Remains to be seen what the process will be in connection with the Farm Bill.
Thanks.
Thanks, Leader Jeffries.
This past couple weeks, we've seen Raul Grijalva drop his bid for natural resources, Gary Nadler drop his bid for judiciary, and David Scott is facing two challengers for agriculture.
What is your reflection on this increasing trend of members challenging seniority of ranking members?
I have no reflection other than that the caucus is working as well, and we're doing it in a cordial fashion, having internal discussions and deliberations about how to make sure we're in the strongest possible position moving forward to deal with the excesses of the incoming Trump administration whenever and wherever that manifests itself.
You got it?
What do you make of these reports, the prospects of possible pardons for House Democratic caucus members who may have been on the January 6th Select Committee or who've just been critical of Donald Trump?
Yeah, there hasn't been a we've had no communication with the White House as it relates to potential pardons with respect to any sitting members of Congress or former members of Congress.
It has been the perspective that many of us have shared that there are working-class Americans all across the country who've been caught up in an overly aggressive criminal justice system that at times, has gone too far in terms of excessive sentencing, as it relates to nonviolent offenders who do not present any risk to society.
and are prepared to contribute to the well-being of society, to the extent that the Biden administration is considering additional pardons moving forward.
It's my suggestion that that is where the focus should be at this point in time.
Do your members have any concern that a Kash Patel might try to come after them?
Members are in a position to speak for themselves, but I don't think we're prepared to do our jobs and we will not be intimidated.
Thanks.
Thank you, Leader Jeffries.
The election behind Gunnson considering it's now already the end of the year.
How do you envision the future of Democratic Party?
Well, you know, we look forward to continuing to do the people's business in the new Congress.
And as we've repeatedly indicated, we're going to fight hard to make a difference in the lives of the American people.
To the extent that there was any mandate that has emerged from this most recent election, it is that the American people want us to work hard to lower the high cost of living and to bring down grocery prices, gas prices, the cost of childcare, and housing costs.
And that will be a focus of House Democrats as we move forward.
Kevin?
This morning, Mayor Eric Adams did not rule out the possibility of switching back to being a Republican.
I'm wondering if you have a response to that.
And then separately, now that you've had a few weeks to reflect on it, any updated thoughts on the revitalization of congestion pricing?
No additional thoughts on congestion pricing.
With respect to Mayor Adams, I'm going to support the Democratic nominee who emerges in the primary in June as it relates to the next mayor of the city of New York and work as hard as I can, partnering with the congressional delegation, to make sure that the next mayor of the city of New York is a Democrat.
Do you think that's going to be Eric Adams?
It's going to be the next Democratic nominee?
I have no idea that's in the hands of the people of the great city of New York.
Should it be?
That's a decision that has to be made by the people of the city of New York.
Thank you, Mr. Leader.
Republicans have started internal discussions about how they'll use the reconciliation process next Congress.
Reporting says that they are considering putting some border funding in one of the reconciliation bills, some of which would go to the wall.
Donald Trump in his first term said that Mexico would be paying for the wall.
What are your thoughts about Republicans having discussions about border funding that includes wall funding, given that the president previously said that the wall will be paid for by Mexico?
What we've seen repeatedly amongst my extreme MAGA Republican colleagues is that they say one thing to the American people before the election and then do something different after the election.
The House Republicans said they were going to protect Social Security and Medicare, and so did their presidential nominee.
And now we learn after the election that House Republicans are planning to try to cut Medicare and Social Security and end it as we know it.
House Republicans said before the election that they were focused on improving the quality of life of working class Americans.
But after the election, they're focused on tax cuts for the wealthy, the well-off, and the well-connected.
For years, up until this election, the incoming president-elect has said that we're going to build a wall and Mexico will pay for it.
But now after the election, House Republicans are planning to use the budget reconciliation process to force everyday Americans and hardworking taxpayers to pay for their so-called border wall.
We all support, on the Democratic side, a strong, a safe, and a secure border.
We have a broken immigration system, and we need to fix it.
We need to enhance our border security.
And we need to do it in a sensible, bipartisan way.
And Democrats are prepared to do just that.
Paul?
In terms of your personal view on seniority, is it sacrosanct that seniority trumps everything?
Or is there some level of you've reached a certain amount of years at the top of a committee and a younger, newer person is the right thing to do here?
What is the, like, how do you view that system?
How do you weigh it back and forth?
Well, the caucus will continue to work its will, and I'm not going to get out ahead of any ongoing deliberations that are taking place within the House Democratic caucus, as per the tradition for decades in terms of House Democratic leadership.
We have enormous talent spread throughout the caucus, and that talent, of course, includes both more seasoned members who bring great experience to the congressional arena, as well as newer members who've got a lot of energy and capacity and ability.
And we welcome their entry onto the playing field.
I just want to get your thoughts on President Biden's decision to pardon his son Hunter and also how you feel about the White House potentially considering blanket pardons and if those would be a smart move.
I issued a statement with respect to the pardon issue, and that statement will speak for itself.
Thank you, Leader Jeffries.
House Speaker Johnson said yesterday that the Gates ethics report is, quote, moot.
What is your response to that?
With respect to the Gates report, it's an ongoing matter of public interest, as has been expressed by many.
We'll see whether our former colleague is presented for any additional positions with the incoming Trump administration.
And to the extent that occurs, it certainly is not a moot matter.
It's a matter of interest to the American people and any senators from the Democratic or Republican side who may be asked to vote on any confirmation or weigh in on their perspective with respect to who is best positioned to serve the American people in the new administration.
Thank you, Leader Jeffries.
I have a question on SALT Typhoon, the hacking of telecommunications companies in the U.S. Has your office been affected by this hack, and has this been brought up in your caucus in any discussions?
We're in the midst of ongoing discussions that are classified in nature as it relates to that matter, and so I'm not at liberty to have any discussions, but it is a matter of significant congressional interest, and it's my expectation that those ongoing classified discussions will continue to occur.
All right.
Jeff, everyone good?
All right.
Thank you, everyone.
I'm sorry.
Do you have any reason to believe Gates might be up for another sort of appointment that would require confirmation?
Given all the nominations that we've seen up until this point, anything is possible.
Thank you all.
Thank you.
C-SPAN is your unfiltered view of government.
We're funded by these television companies and more, including Sparklight.
What is great internet?
Is it strong?
Is it fast?
Is it reliable?
At Sparklight, we know connection goes way beyond technology.
From Monday morning meetings to Friday nights with friends and everything in between.
That the best connections are always there, right when you need them.
So how do you know it's great internet?
Because it works.
We're Sparklight, and we're always working for you.
Sparklight supports C-SPAN as a public service, along with these other television providers, giving you a front-row seat to democracy.