Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) held a press briefing on Monday where he spoke about the tariffs imposed by President Trump.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Afternoon everybody. Donald Trump and extreme mega Republicans spent all of
00:07last year promising to lower the high cost of living in America while at the
00:15same period of time running away from Project 2025 and pretending as if it
00:22didn't exist. They consistently lied to the American people and now the American
00:28people are feeling the consequences of this extreme administration, the Trump
00:36administration, this extreme president Donald Trump and these extreme mega
00:43Republicans who are temporarily in the majority in the House of
00:47Representatives. This year Republicans have done nothing, not a single thing, to
00:55lower the high cost of living in the United States of America. The cost of
01:00living is too high. Housing costs are too high. Grocery costs are too high.
01:07Insurance costs are too high. Utility costs are too high. Child care costs are
01:14too high. America is too expensive and Democrats remain committed to driving
01:22down the high cost of living in the United States of America. Instead, instead
01:29of costs going down, which Donald Trump promised would happen on day one of his
01:36presidency, costs aren't going down, they're going up. Inflation is going up. Donald
01:43Trump and Republicans are actually crashing the economy in real time. You
01:49can't make this up. They are intentionally inflicting pain on the
01:56American people. This Trump tax, these reckless tariffs will cost the American
02:06people thousands of dollars a year. It's the largest tax increase on the American
02:14people since 1968. This is what Donald Trump's presidency and Republicans in
02:26control of the House and the Senate are delivering to America. Not lower costs,
02:32not a more prosperous economy, not the golden age in America, economic disaster.
02:41And then at the same period of time, these MAGA extremists are trying to jam
02:48a reckless budget down the throats of the American people, take away health
02:54care from the American people, strip away veterans benefits from the American
03:02people, and hurt nutritional assistance, and literally take food out of the
03:08mouths of babies in America. Why? Because they want to pass massive tax breaks for
03:19their billionaire donors and puppet masters like Elon Musk. This is
03:25Republican policy in America, and it's a complete and total disaster.
03:34Questions?
03:38Question from the audience.
03:50The Trump tariffs, which are a tax on the American people, are so reckless, so
04:01unstrategic, so lacking in any sophistication, that the only conclusion
04:10that one can draw is that Donald Trump and Republicans are intentionally
04:16tanking the economy. Is it because, as Donald Trump has indicated, that during
04:23tough economic times, the rich get richer, and it's a buying opportunity?
04:31Those are Trump's words. Can you confirm? I just asked it.
04:41If Democrats were in power, would you fully repeal the tariffs?
04:46If Democrats were in control of the House of Representatives at this particular point in time,
04:55we would use every legislative tool available to us to protect the American
05:01people from this kind of economic harm. Every single legislative tool. Tariffs,
05:10when properly utilized, have a role to play in trying to make sure that you
05:21have a competitive environment for our workers and our businesses. That's not
05:27what's going on right now. This is a reckless economic sledgehammer that
05:38Donald Trump and compliant Republicans in the Congress are taking to the
05:44economy, and the American people are being hurt. Enough. There's no rational
05:51explanation for any of this, except perhaps that there's some scheme that
05:57Donald Trump has publicly alluded to, which is that the rich get richer when
06:03the economy collapses, because there are buying opportunities. There's no rational
06:09basis otherwise to explain the economic carnage that Donald Trump is visiting on
06:16the American people, and House Democrats, partnering with Senate Democrats, will
06:20continue to stand up against these extreme economic policies.
06:29Is my part of some push in the Senate to reclaim some Congressional power over
06:34tariffs and trade policy, and downgrade things that people have been accused of doing
06:38over in the House? You're not saying, apparently, my brain was built before Donald
06:42Trump's election to the White House, but I'm saying those administration policies
06:46that he would dethrone the billion-dollar tax system. Do you think it's still worth
06:51controlling these legislative vehicles to try to restore Congress's role in
06:56trade and tariff policy?
06:58Yes. At the end of the day, the Constitution is very clear that tariffs and tax policy,
07:08the ability to raise revenue, that authority is vested in the Congress for a
07:13reason, because the Congress is most closely associated, particularly the
07:19House, with the American people. And what we've witnessed under complete
07:26Republican control of government is a willingness to simply bend the knee to
07:34Donald Trump, no matter how much pain he is inflicting on the American people, or
07:40how much damage Trump is doing to the American way of life. At the end of the
07:47day, House Democrats are going to continue to press our case, because the
07:52American people are listening, paying close attention, and as special election
08:00after special election after special election have demonstrated since late
08:06January, responding. Republicans will either start acting like a separate and
08:15co-equal branch of government and work with Democrats in a bipartisan way to
08:22push back against Trump's failed economic policies, or continue to suffer
08:28the political consequences that have been visited upon them with record speed
08:36during the last several weeks.
08:45I haven't had the opportunity to fully evaluate this proposal and or talk with
09:04Representative Pedersen or Representative Sarah Jacobs, who have
09:09been the leaders of this effort on our side, and so I'm going to refrain from
09:14commenting on the proposal until I've had those conversations and the
09:17opportunity to review this so-called agreement. The question has to be raised,
09:24what is the Republican problem with allowing expectant mothers or new
09:34mothers to vote on behalf of their constituents? This seems like a very
09:43strange hill for them to die on legislatively. House Republican leaders
09:49were already embarrassed last week, and the floor of the House of
09:57Representatives was, as a result, shut down. Republicans scurried off a sinking
10:05ship last week, and it's strange because clearly a majority of members of the
10:13House, Democrats and Republicans, have already expressed through the discharge
10:17petition and last week's rule vote that it is inherently reasonable to allow new
10:26mothers and expectant mothers to vote. This is not a Republican or Democratic
10:34thing, it's an American thing, but this speaks to a larger issue. The whole
10:41Trump flood the zone approach is designed to create this appearance of
10:46inevitability. Nothing was ever inevitable. As if Democrats were going to
10:52roll over and allow it all to happen, the exact opposite has occurred. We will
10:59never roll over in Congress, we're not rolling over in the courts, and we
11:05certainly aren't rolling over in campaign after campaign after campaign
11:09across the country where the extremists are losing. And on all of these things,
11:14that level of forceful and principled opposition to policies that are hurting
11:21the American people, directly or indirectly, in the case of this proxy
11:28issue, will continue.
11:31Second row.
11:33Just slightly on the topic, but I want to get your thoughts on, as lawmakers seem to have more concern about these means of outbreaks, and you have been throughout the country. We heard recently that actually Senator Bill Cassidy wants to put in a request for Secretary Kennedy to testify about the means of outbreaks. What are your thoughts on having him come to the House side, rather than on this? And do you think that he suggested that he was not going to be trusted?
11:58HHS is clearly not doing enough. The fact that we even have a measles outbreak in 2025 is stunning, and it speaks to the incompetence of the Trump administration. We were promised by Donald Trump directly the best, most capable administration ever. Is that what Donald Trump and Republicans are delivering right now? Is this what competence and merit
12:27looks like?
12:30In department after department, including the Department of Defense, we have the most unqualified Secretary of Defense ever.
12:39And the others, including the HHS Secretary, are not far behind.
12:47And these things
12:49have real consequences when you have such an arrogant and incompetent
12:56administration.
12:58We believe in merit as Democrats. We believe in merit. Merit should be based on what you know, not who you know,
13:08or whether Donald Trump likes the way that you look,
13:13or a view that you're not going to stand up to any outrageous or extreme idea that Donald Trump presents. So you put sycophants
13:28into the cabinet,
13:30and now the American people are paying the price, both in terms of the economy
13:37and as it relates to their health. And unfortunately, things aren't going to get better.
13:46They're likely to get worse.
13:48Yes.
13:57The emergency DC funding bill brought up at some point this week. Do you have any updates that you can share on that?
14:02Have Republicans talked to you or talked to any Democrats about when that bill can be introduced?
14:08My understanding is that President Trump has clearly and forcefully expressed his support for the emergency DC funding bill.
14:16It has bipartisan support in the Senate and will pass the House. What's the problem?
14:21House Republican leaders fall in line when it comes to doing the most extreme things, like the largest Medicaid cut in American history.
14:32Donald Trump says jump, they say how high.
14:35It doesn't matter how much pain is going to be inflicted on the American people.
14:40So it's strange to us that the Speaker and the Republican leadership refused to put the DC emergency funding bill on the floor,
14:51which will pass even after Donald Trump says get it done.
14:56It's evidence that you've just got some mean, spirited, cruel people in the House Republican conference.
15:09Who apparently are the ones, including the so-called Freedom Caucus, who are blocking Republican leadership from bringing this bill to the floor.
15:22Thank you, Leader. The SAVE Act is expected to be voted on this week. We're probably expecting a couple, not a lot, but at least a couple of Democrats to support it.
15:33What do you think that's going to say?
15:35It'll speak for itself. The SAVE Act is a voter suppression bill and there will be strong Democratic opposition to it,
15:44just like there is unified Democratic opposition in the lawsuit that was filed against Donald Trump related to his unconstitutional and unlawful voter suppression executive order.
15:59Thank you, Mr. Leader. Multiple new state governors have had contact with their counterparts from four nations, specifically Canada,
16:08trying to have some relief for their states when it comes to tariffs and trade wars. Do you think that's an effective strategy for the short term or long term?
16:16I think that governors are always going to try to do what is in the best interest of their state.
16:21I haven't followed those communications closely, but what I will say is that this can all end if House Republicans and Senate Republicans decided to do their job.
16:34Congress can step in and end the pain that is being inflicted on the American people by Donald Trump,
16:45his out of control tariffs and the massive tax increase that is being inflicted on the American people.
16:54Last week Donald Trump called his tariff announcements Liberation Day. It wasn't Liberation Day, it was Recession Day.
17:05Because Donald Trump and the Republicans are marching the American economy toward a recession.
17:10And it appears to be intentional, which should shock the conscience of the American people.
17:19And it's just another reason why it's our expectation that all across the country, despite all of the doom and gloom predictions from some in this town,
17:31Democrats are winning special elections, not losing.
17:36Thank you. Last week Governor Abbott responded to Democratic concerns about your not calling for Texas to be in a special election.
17:44You said that you would consider litigation. Have you given any direction as to how you would go about that? Would that go through the teaser? Any details on how that would go?
17:56We're in close communication with the people on the ground in Houston who are impacted.
18:02And it's my expectation that an announcement will be forthcoming.
18:08The Republicans are on the run on the economy, they're on the run on health care, they're on the run in the courts, they're on the run electorally,
18:19and they're on the run legislatively, which is why Governor Abbott is conspiring with House Republicans
18:29to rig the system and not call a special election.
18:35The Honorable Sylvester Turner unexpectedly passed away over a month ago on March 5th.
18:45His homegoing service was on March 15th.
18:50Greg Abbott is intentionally disenfranchising hundreds of thousands of people in Houston by not calling a special election
19:04because he is conspiring to rig the system with House Republican leaders and Donald Trump.
19:10Plain and simple. That's what's happening. There is no explanation. Why is it occurring?
19:16Because Republican policies and proposals are unpopular.
19:23They are struggling to govern. We were told they had a mandate.
19:29A mandate for economic chaos doesn't exist.
19:34A mandate to cut Medicaid, the largest cut in American history, doesn't exist.
19:40A mandate to dismantle Social Security as we know it doesn't exist.
19:47A mandate to fire thousands of veterans doesn't exist.
19:53We were told that Republicans had a massive electoral mandate. It didn't exist.
20:01It was a joke when it was said.
20:05And Democrats never bought it.
20:08Which is why you've seen principled opposition every single step of the way.
20:13Every hour, every day, every week, every month. It will continue.
20:18And so as a result of that, the fact that they know that Democrats are standing up to their extremism and foolishness
20:26and efforts to hurt the American people, and they are struggling to produce the votes
20:31as this current Republican budget resolution debate shows,
20:38they are going to suppress the ability of the people of Houston to actually elect someone.
20:46They are rigging the system in real time. They can't win otherwise.
20:53They can't win otherwise.
20:57So that seat is going to eventually get filled, and the courts will likely have to step in.
21:05And the American people are going to continue to express themselves.
21:10And we're going to see it in New Jersey, and we're going to see it in Virginia in November.
21:15The courts will continue to aggressively push back to stop these extreme executive orders and unconstitutional actions that are being taken.
21:23And House Democrats and Senate Democrats are going to continue to work together to make the case to the American people
21:31that we are defending their interests, and Republicans are actively trying to harm them.
21:38Thank you, everyone.