House Democratic leadership held their weekly press briefing on Tuesday.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Good morning. Good morning. Pleased to be joined with representatives Gray and Kennedy and Salinas
00:11here today. On behalf of the vice chair and I, we also are pleased to welcome the Los Angeles
00:19Dodgers to Washington, D.C. area. Look forward to catching a game this homestand. Donald Trump
00:28has imposed the largest tax increase in 50 years on every single American. Republican
00:35incompetence is crashing the economy with reckless tariffs and bleeding the accounts, the retirement
00:42accounts, of Americans dry. We're watching global recession take hold because of the boneheaded
00:49policies of one person, which will cause hardworking people to lose their jobs, potentially lose their
00:56homes and their health care. At the same time, Republicans in Congress are preparing to cut
01:04Medicaid $880 billion so they can give a massive tax cut to billionaires. They are telling us
01:13with a straight face that the economy, that the economic growth will pay for these tax breaks
01:20while the economy is in a tailspin. The truth is, passing the Republican budget would be a death blow
01:27to the American economy. And the people that get caught in the crossfire of this Republican
01:32recession will be hurt most by Medicaid as a tool that Republicans want to chip away at.
01:42Congress needs to take away the keys of economic policies like tariffs from this incompetent
01:48administration and restore some stability to the economy. House Democrats are going to continue
01:55to prioritize the economic needs of the American people by working to bring down costs, make health
02:01care more affordable, and look out for everyday Americans. With that, turn it over to Vice Chair Ted Lute.
02:08Thank you. Thank you, Chairman Aguilar. As an American and as a veteran, my heart goes
02:14out to the four U.S. soldiers who tragically died in an accident in Lithuania. The Lithuanian
02:21president did a very dignified ceremony for those four U.S. soldiers. And when those four soldiers'
02:27caskets landed at Dover Air Force Base last Friday at a transfer ceremony, U.S. officials greeted
02:33them, elected officials greeted them. But Donald Trump was not there. Donald Trump instead chose
02:39to go to a golf tournament. And I'm just going to read to you what one of the persons at this ceremony
02:48said. He deployed to Iraq. His name is Blythe Potter. He's a military police corps veteran. He said, quote,
02:54I have never been so embarrassed to be an American. President Trump should have been at that transfer
03:02ceremony for the four fallen U.S. soldiers instead of at his golf tournament. I now want to also echo
03:09what Chairman Aguilar said about the tariffs. There are attacks on the American consumer. As all of you know, the
03:15way tariffs work is when the foreign products come to our ports, the American company that imported those
03:24products pays the tariff, not the foreign country. And what happens when this American company pays
03:31that tariff? Well, they're going to pass along those costs to the consumer and the prices are going to
03:36increase. And poll after poll, we see that the overwhelming majority of American people oppose tariffs.
03:41There are ways to try to make competition more fair, but let's not do it by increasing prices on
03:47Americans. And their estimates are it's going to be about three thousand eight hundred dollars per
03:52family in terms of increased costs. And then let me also now congratulate Susan Crawford for winning
03:58the Wisconsin Supreme Court race last week. What we saw there was the world's wealthiest man,
04:04Elon Musk, tried to buy the election, spending over 20 million dollars. And the people of Wisconsin
04:09figured that out and they overwhelmingly elected Susan Crawford. So what was once Elon Musk's greatest
04:17asset, his money, has now become his greatest liability because the people now understand that
04:23he's trying to buy elections and they overwhelmingly vote against that. And then the hands-off protests
04:30that we saw this past weekend were amazing. The American people were waking up that Trump and Republicans'
04:36policies are harming our nation. So now it is my honor to introduce my friend Adam Gray, who I had the
04:43honor of serving with in the California State Legislature. So thrilled he is now in Congress and he represents
04:48the Central Valley.
04:49MR. Good morning and thank you to Chairman Aguilar and Vice Chair Liu for inviting me to speak with you this
04:59morning. I represent California's San Joaquin Valley, the world's largest agricultural region.
05:06The President's recent announcement of tariffs on our global trade partners poses a serious risk to
05:12farmers in the San Joaquin Valley and across the country. The last time blanket tariffs went into effect
05:18under President Trump's first administration, California farmers lost an estimated $683 million in crop
05:25revenue. The most significant losses were concentrated in tree nuts and dairy products, among others,
05:31which are top exports from the San Joaquin Valley. In fact, the California delegation recently received
05:38a letter from ag industry leaders in California pleading with Congress to support common-sense measures
05:44that will protect fair competition for their products and defend our nation's food supply.
05:50This group of producers represent more than 400 commodities and billions of dollars of revenue.
05:57They warn of uncertain market conditions, disrupted business operations, increased costs associated
06:03with retaliatory tariffs. This all poses a significant risk to family-owned farms, which account for
06:09over 95 percent of American agricultural operations. I grew up in the ag industry. My family owned and operated
06:17a dairy supply store. My grandparents grew pistachios like many Valley families. I know personally how tight budgets are.
06:25I know how one bad season can derail an operation for years. These aren't just individual farmers or business owners
06:33who will lose jobs or shutter businesses. These are entire communities like mine in the Central Valley who rely
06:39on the ag industry to power their economy. Rather than work with Congress to make precise strategic changes to our trade policy,
06:48the President has decided to impose sloppy blanket tariffs and stuck American farmers with the bill.
06:55I am ready to work with anyone and everyone who is serious about rising above partisan politics,
07:01to protect our ag communities from the impacts of tariffs. We must do something now. Our farmers deserve it. Our communities deserve it.
07:09With that, I'm happy to introduce my colleague, Representative Tim Kennedy.
07:19Good morning. First, I want to thank Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar
07:26and Vice Chair Ted Lieu for not only bringing us together this morning, but for their continued
07:30leadership on this issue and so many other issues. Before Trump's tariffs plunged us and the entire world
07:40into chaos, Western New Yorkers that I represent were sounding the alarm on the President's trade war.
07:48As a representative of a border community in Buffalo in the Niagara region and the co-chair of the Northern
07:57Border Caucus, families in my region know how important our ties are with our Canadian neighbors.
08:04In my district, Trade with Canada supports tens of thousands of jobs, nearly 30,000 jobs, and brings in
08:12over a half a billion dollars in purchases by Canadians every year. Across the border, there's $1.3 trillion
08:23of commerce every single year. Billions of dollars a day supporting states all across the northern border,
08:30but all across our great country. Again, in Western New York, Canadians pour over the border,
08:36whether it's going to a Bills game or a Sabres game or shopping or using our restaurants, sleeping
08:41in our hotels. Over 40% of the 5 million employments out of the Buffalo Niagara International Airport
08:47are Canadian citizens. Our economies are reliant upon each other and benefit from the tremendous
08:55relationship that we have economically, culturally, historically, and presently. However,
09:03Trump's tariffs are putting our hardworking families in Western New York at risk, and it's hurting our
09:11entire national and international economy. Cross-border traffic is down by double digits from last year,
09:17robbing small businesses across the country of tourism dollars. Tariffs that are being put in
09:24place across the board, these blanket tariffs, including things like lumber that are hurting
09:30homeownership, especially new homeowners. They're also stymieing development. And other industries,
09:37including steel fabrication, auto manufacturing, craft brewing, logistics. Every industry across the
09:45board is worrying about supply chain disruptions, skyrocketing operating costs, and keeping their
09:51employees on the payroll. Businesses are going to be hurt by these tariffs. Jobs are going to be lost in our
09:56country because of these tariffs. Because our economy is so tightly intertwined with Canada's, people in my
10:05district and across the country are being hit right in their pocketbook already. Meanwhile, Donald Trump is
10:15golfing in his own club while trillions of dollars are wiped away from American citizens and hardworking
10:23families and their retirements that they were dependent upon as we risk this Republican recession.
10:30But Trump's tariffs aren't just robbing folks of their retirement savings and driving up the cost
10:34of housing, groceries, clothes, and gas. His indiscriminate blanket tariffs are putting our allies
10:41on the same playing field as our adversaries. Trump inherited an improving economy with low unemployment
10:49and he crashed it. He inherited the strong alliance and friendships we have with Canada, with our
10:55European allies, with our global allies, and he crushed them. Trump's tariffs send a message to
11:02our friends and allies that we no longer are the reliable partners that they can depend upon.
11:08And hardworking families in western New York and across the country are paying the price.
11:12They are setting our nation down a dangerous path of chaos, stealing from American families and
11:20jeopardizing our alliances all to justify tax cuts for the richest Americans. This is wrong and we're not
11:28going to stand for it. We're not going to sit back and hang tough like the President suggests we do. We're
11:35going to continue to use our voices and demand an end to Trump's tariffs and get back to work creating an
11:41economy that benefits all hardworking families across this great country. With that, I yield to a wonderful
11:48representative, Salinas.
11:51Salinas Salinas
11:55Well, thank you, Chair Aguilar, Vice Chair Liu, and everyone for being here today. As my colleagues have
12:01already pointed out, President Trump's tariffs have created chaos and uncertainty across the country and
12:08around the world. Many Americans have spent the last few days watching their retirement savings
12:13go up in smoke and bracing for a recession or possibly worse. But instead of doing something
12:19to stop the bleeding, Donald Trump spent the weekend, as already been mentioned, playing golf with
12:24billionaires. In case there was any confusion about where his priorities are, he clearly is more
12:30interested in improving his golf game than improving the economy. Trump's reckless and harmful approach
12:36to tariffs will devastate states like Oregon, where our economy relies heavily on trade. From wine to wood
12:43products, Oregon exports billions of dollars worth of homegrown goods every year, and we import billions
12:50more. All things considered, Trump's tariffs are going to raise taxes on Oregon businesses and families
12:57to a tune of about $7.5 billion per year. So whether you're a hazelnut grower in the Willamette Valley
13:03or a small business owner in Salem, hardworking Americans, not foreign countries will end up footing
13:09the bill. And those costs add up. Experts have estimated that the average family will pay about $73 more per week
13:18or close to $4,000 more per year for everyday necessities. It's frankly reprehensible that this
13:27president is choosing. And I want to be clear, this is a choice to play roulette with people's hard
13:33earned money and roll the dice on whether our folks can afford food, pay the rent, send their kids to
13:41college or even retire right now. And don't be fooled. This is not a market correction. It is a market
13:48disruption of the highest magnitude. I won't stand for it. My colleagues will not stand for it. House
13:54Democrats are united in our opposition to Trump's tariff tyranny. And we will continue to speak out
14:00against his attacks on working families. What we won't do is let Republicans in Congress off the hook.
14:08They have the power to stop this, these tariffs right now. And they're refusing to fulfill their
14:14constitutional duty. Our message is clear. Democrats will not bow down to billionaires. We will fight
14:20back with everything we have to protect our constituents from the great Republican ripoff.
14:25Thank you. And I yield back to Chair Aguilar. Thank you, Andrea. I want to thank Tim, Andrea,
14:32and Adam for joining us here today. Questions? Nick, it's your birthday, so I got to give you the first
14:39one. It's a contractual obligation, I think. Thanks, sir. Question for Conklin Gray. He's not available for
14:46questions. Would you vote to repeal all of the tariffs that Trump rolled out last week?
14:53Yeah, I'll let Adam speak for himself here, too. But I do think that there are legislative tools
15:01that the caucus is looking at. We believe that this is boneheaded, wrongheaded policies that
15:07the president is enacting. We look forward and we want to work in a bipartisan way. And I would point to
15:14the Cantwell-Grassly effort in the Senate is one bipartisan effort. I know there are others,
15:21and there could be more in the future. But House Democrats want to work to lower the costs that
15:27Americans face. And these wrongheaded policies and these tariff policies put everyone at risk and
15:33raise everyone's costs. And I'll let Adam answer. I appreciate the question. As I said in my early remarks,
15:42the administration has taken a blunt, broad approach to this instead of actually digging
15:51in and looking at each individual tariff, each individual market. This has huge impacts on
15:58agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley. My office has been working on some legislation related
16:03specifically to agriculture and those kind of our top import-export markets as a way to require
16:09congressional review and approval there. Certainly support what's going on in the Senate in bipartisan
16:15fashion. I'm ready to support bipartisan solutions in the House as well as pursue individual
16:22legislation if that's necessary. But I just think we've got to get serious about this and we need
16:26serious people here in Washington. You know, this is going to impact food prices across the country. It's
16:31certainly going to devastate farming communities like mine.
16:37I'd also say Ranking Member Meeks has an effort that would turn off the emergency that President
16:43Trump is using here, claiming fentanyl as a reason for tariffs for Canada and Mexico. Michael.
16:51Thank you, Mr. Chair. House conservatives are threatening to
16:55vote against the Republican budget blueprint. Tidman's President Trump's agenda. We've seen plenty
17:02of examples of Republicans flipping on their votes at the last minute, and I don't want to go down the
17:07list. But at this point, have you and the caucus come to expect that most House Republicans will
17:13ultimately support measures on the floor that they say that they oppose in the press?
17:16Yeah, absolutely. I think that it's pretty clear that House Republicans generally say one thing when
17:23they're in an elevator with us or with you, and then they do something else when they are given an
17:29opportunity to vote on the floor. We're looking for reasonable Republicans to work with. We just
17:35haven't found many. That's the problem. Speaker Johnson is pretty good at counting to 200,
17:43but he clearly can't count much beyond that without Donald Trump putting his thumb on the scale. That's
17:49why he's bringing them down to 1600 Pennsylvania. That's why it's a full court press. But many of
17:55these Republicans who say that they are no votes will ultimately cave. Generally, the only one who we
18:02can believe is Thomas Massey, who's principled. And if he says he's a no, he's going to be a no. Everyone
18:08else generally will say one thing until they get a phone call from the president. Me.
18:12Yesterday, Leader Jeffrey said that he's still exploring some legal avenues in the Texas special
18:19election against the governor. What legal pathway do you think that there is? And are you still
18:22supportive of potentially urging him to move this race up if possible? I believe he said that before
18:29the governor put the special election date. It was after last night. The governor's put the special for
18:35November. If there are options, I'll let Leader Jeffrey's and the DCCC speak to that. I don't have
18:43anything more on that. Oriana with notice. The House is voting today on Daryl Eisen's bill to stop
18:50nationwide injunctions. And then leadership, I know, is whipping against that bill. But just two years ago,
18:56Democrats were calling for kind of similar judicial reform following Judge Kismaric abortion bill
19:01ruling, which also involved nationwide injunctions. So isn't judicial reform an area where there should be
19:07some sort of bipartisan path? Well, I think it's clear. And and, you know, Republicans were opposed to
19:15any reform efforts when this affected women's reproductive care and Mifepristone in the North
19:20Texas ruling that you're that you're talking about. I'm going to ask Vice Chair Liu to speak in his kind of
19:26judiciary capacity. But House Democrats see this effort for what it is. This is an effort for Republicans
19:35to push back on Judge Bozbert giving a ruling that they disagree with. By the way, that's a judge who
19:44was appointed by a Republican president, elevated by a Democratic president. And this is this is a concern
19:52that that we have, that Republicans just aren't playing fair. Just like elections, they believe the
19:57results only when their person wins. They don't believe the results of the election when the opposing party
20:04wins. Democrats are willing to engage and have conversations about a wide range of issues in
20:10the committees that that have jurisdiction, but not just when it's a president we agree with or a
20:18president we disagree with. That's the unfortunate part in the standard that Republicans have set.
20:24Thank you. So let me give you an example why injunctions are helpful,
20:30because when the law is violated, sometimes it doesn't make sense to only say, okay, well, we're
20:36going to let that violation of law not occur in this area, but let it occur everywhere else. So let's take
20:41birthright citizenship. A federal judge has basically said, look, the Constitution is pretty clear.
20:47If you're born in the U.S., you're an American. And I'm going to say you can't change that. If that only applied,
20:53let's say in one state and nowhere else, then what's going to end up happening is you're going to have
20:5749 other plaintiffs and these 49 other states also bringing the same exact lawsuit and it's very
21:02inefficient. So you have a nationwide injunction and then that can be appealed if their opposing
21:08party doesn't like it and eventually that could get to the Supreme Court. So that's why you have
21:12injunctions. It just makes a lot more sense where there's a violation of the law to have that law be
21:17held nullified in every place. And it depends on the case. So judges have discretion to decide,
21:23do I want to make this a nationwide injunction or not? And I think that flexibility should remain with judges.
21:30Last question. See, that's a much better answer. He's a real lawyer. Cassie. I wanted to ask you about this,
21:35you know, back and forth on the Republican side about the proxy voting and the discharge petition that
21:41Democrats supported. You know, now I'm talking about this live dead pairing. I mean, realistically, can Democrats
21:47even consider lending a vote to someone who might miss across the aisle? I mean,
21:52do you see this as an unsuccessful path to trying to get proxy voting? This is Speaker Johnson doing
21:58everything he can to cut a deal just to survive the day. He needs to unlock the floor to pass a rule
22:04so he can pass a tax cut for billionaires at the expense of cutting Medicaid. In order to do that,
22:11he's willing to give Rep Luna everything up to proxy voting, apparently. So this is a fake and phony
22:19effort. Democrats won't participate in this. We won't be voting for the rule. We won't be engaging in
22:24this in this pairing effort. It's a complete show. It's disrespectful to the members who have put so
22:32much work into this. Representative Pedersen joining with Representative Luna. We stand ready to ensure that
22:41that Congress is a place where parents can do this important work. This was a pretty modest bill,
22:4812 weeks right after childbirth seems like the bare minimum that we can do to help support young
22:55families like Rep. Pedersen and Rep. Luna. It's unfortunate that Representative Luna is walking away
23:01from the bipartisanship that that we had in this in this effort. Thank you.