Hakeem Jeffries (00:00):
Have it in my hands, and it's available for all of the American people to read. The House Republican Budget Plan is a contract against America. It will hurt working families, hurt the middle class, hurt our children, hurt our seniors, and hurt our veterans. The House Republican contract against America will end Medicaid as we know it, destroy the Affordable Care Act, and eliminate the mortgage interest deduction, which will raise costs on tens of millions of working class and middle class Americans. The House Republican contract against America is an extreme plan that will not lower costs for everyday Americans, it will make our country more expensive. House Democrats will oppose this extreme contract against America, and we will push back against it on behalf of everyday Americans with every fiber in our body. Questions? Jim?
Jim (01:44):
Thank you. We're approaching this deadline in mid-March to fund the government. Can you give us some sense of specific things the Democrats would want in these negotiations? Would you want the Obamacare tax cuts, the things that would go up by millions and millions of Americans to be maintained? Would you push for the wildfires without strings? What are the two or three things you're going to want in that bill?
Hakeem Jeffries (02:10):
With respect to the upcoming March 14th spending deadline, Republicans now control the House, the Senate and the presidency. They promised the country that they would lower the high cost of living. We are willing to work with our Republican colleagues to address the cost of living crisis that we have in the United States of America, or any other issue that will improve the quality of life for working class Americans and the middle class. What we are not willing to do is to enable extreme MAGA Republicans to have a blank check so they can enact massive tax breaks for billionaires and wealthy corporations, and make working-class Americans pay for it through cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, veterans benefits or nutritional assistance. The ball is in the Republicans' court right now.
Jim (03:22):
They're going to need your help on getting some votes on this. Did they come to you with some of these requests already?
Hakeem Jeffries (03:27):
The Republicans have not opened up any line of communication with us, and they've made clear to America that they have a big, massive, beautiful mandate, which presumably means, to us, that they intend to pass a spending agreement on their own, to avoid a government shutdown on their own, and to raise the debt ceiling on their own. They've had no communications with us. It's not hard to find me. They know where I'm at, they know my number. I haven't received a single call about a single one of these issues.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
This morning, Republicans [inaudible 00:04:15] a bill that ends birthright citizenship for children whose parents are not either a lawful permanent resident or a U.S. citizen. What's your reaction?
Hakeem Jeffries (04:22):
House Democrats are prepared to work together with our Republican colleagues to find common ground with respect to securing our border, with respect to fixing our broken immigration system in a bipartisan and comprehensive way, and with respect to defending Dreamers, farm workers, and keeping families together, which is a high priority throughout the House Democratic caucus.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
So you would reject a bill like this?
Hakeem Jeffries (04:55):
I haven't seen the legislation, so I'm not going to comment on the specifics of the legislation, but we have no plans to support any extreme agenda that the far right wants to jam down the throat to the American people. We've made clear we will work together to secure our borders, we will work together to fix our broken immigration system in a bipartisan and comprehensive way, and we will defend Dreamers, farm workers and families.
Speaker 4 (05:26):
Thank you Leader. The President this week rolled back a number of diversity, equity inclusion initiatives, rolled back LBJ's affirmative action initiative. I wonder, what effect do you think those have on American families, and how Democrats are going to respond to them?
Hakeem Jeffries (05:39):
Diversity, equity and inclusion are American values. It's about economic opportunity for everyone. We support merit for everyone based on what you know, not who you know. The problem that seems to be unfolding is that there are some in this country who want an America of the billionaires, by the billionaires and for the billionaires. Not for working-class Americans, middle-class Americans or everyday Americans, a country of the billionaires, by the billionaires and for the billionaires. Diversity, equity and inclusion are about economic opportunity for everyone, even if you're not wealthy, well-off or well-connected. These are values that everybody in this country should embrace, and we're going to take this, issue working with the civil rights groups, head on.
Speaker 5 (06:53):
Thank you Mr. Leader. This is a follow-up to that question. Now, Dems, do you have a plan in place to combat Trump's DEI executive order, or is that something that you're going to have to work on?
Hakeem Jeffries (07:04):
No President in the United States of America can change the constitution, or change law like the 1964 Civil Rights Act, by way of example, through executive action or executive order. It can't happen. It's my expectation that in response to all of the activity that we've seen this week, it will unleash an avalanche of righteous litigation on behalf of the American people on that issue, and on many other issues.
Freddie Hayward (07:51):
Thank you Leader Jeffries. Since President Biden left the office, the Democratic Party doesn't have a clear leader As a face of the party. Are you going to become that new leader, and is this something that you're looking at, to assume his role?
Hakeem Jeffries (08:04):
It's my honor to serve as House Democratic Leader. We've got a strong House Democratic caucus. Republicans represent the smallest majority since the Great Depression when they're at full strength, and over the first 100 days, when there will be 217 Republicans and 215 Democrats, despite their claims of a big, bold, beautiful, massive mandate, we're searching for it in the House of Representatives. We're going to stand up on behalf of everyday Americans as a caucus, as a unit, as a team, and I'm proud to be in the leadership of that team. We recognize that House Democrats are on the front lines of many of the battles that will be fought in the year to come.
Speaker 7 (09:10):
Trump just said to the crowd at Davos, "We're working with the Democrats on getting an extension of the original Trump tax cuts, and we'll bring them down substantially, even from the original Trump tax cuts." Just to be clear, you've not had any communication with the administration on working on extending the tax cuts? Is that something that you were planning to work with them on?
Hakeem Jeffries (09:33):
I have not had any communication with the president or the incoming administration on the issue of the GOP tax scam. Here's what we know. This document, the Republican contract against America, the reason why it exists, the reason why there are so many extreme cuts in the GOP contract against America, including ending Medicaid as we know it, eliminating the mortgage interest deduction and slashing and burning the Affordable Care Act, is because extreme MAGA Republicans in the House who put out this document want to enact massive tax cuts for billionaires and wealthy corporations, and stick working class Americans with the bill. We are not down with that approach. Can I say it any clearer?
Speaker 8 (10:37):
Thank you, Mr. Leader. Last year, House of Democrats spent a lot of time talking about Project 2025. You spoke about it weekly during press conferences, there was a big hearing on it last September. A lot of the executive orders that President Trump has signed come straight from Project 2025. Now that you've had some time to think about it, do you think that House Democrats did an effective job connecting with voters, to warn them about the dangers of the executive orders that have now been signed since his return to office?
Hakeem Jeffries (11:10):
Here's my assessment of what happened with respect to Project 2025. Last year, Republicans across the country lied to the American people by claiming that they knew nothing about Project 2025, and have spent the first few weeks of this year implementing Project 2025. They were not truthful with the American people, and with respect to the high cost of living, the inverse has happened. Last year, Republicans spent an excessive amount of time promising to lower the high cost of living for everyday Americans, promising to lower housing costs, lower grocery costs, lower insurance costs, lower child care costs and lower utility costs, but this year have done nothing about it. In fact, they're proposing the exact opposite. The House Republican contract against America will raise costs on everyday Americans. How dare they even contemplate eliminating the mortgage interest deduction? That's a missile aimed directly at the financial heart of working class Americans and middle class Americans.
Speaker 8 (12:43):
Over the next two years, how will House Democrats fight back against those [inaudible 00:12:46]? You said that House Republicans lied to the American people about Project 2025. How will House Democrats make that case to the American people over the next two years?
Hakeem Jeffries (12:54):
We're going to make sure consistently and authentically that we hold Republicans accountable, particularly here in the House of Representatives, when they were running away from Project 2025 and acting like it didn't exist, and now, they've fallen in line as it relates to full implementation of the extreme Project 2025 agenda.
Speaker 9 (13:21):
Thank you. There's new reporting that the Republicans, House and Senate, are now weighing a plan to attach California wildfire aid to a debt ceiling payment. Is that something that Democrats could support, that pairing?
Hakeem Jeffries (13:35):
It's a non-starter.
Speaker 10 (13:40):
When it comes to California and the wildfires there, we've seen the fire chief have a back and forth with the mayor about funding the fire department. We've seen accusations of forest mismanagement. Obviously, we're going to have a talk at some point about funding for California, but does there need to be a discussion about forest mismanagement, funding for firefighters? Do those things need to be talked about?
Hakeem Jeffries (14:02):
There'll be a time and place to do an after action analysis as it relates to state preparation for extreme weather events, including but not limited to wildfires, hurricanes in the southern part of the United States of America, floods all across the country, the rise of tornadoes that have appeared connected to hurricanes in places like Florida, and a real assessment that needs to be made as to whether those states are actually prepared for the climate crisis in a meaningful way. We should look into things like, why are insurance costs through the roof in the great state of Florida? Why hasn't anything been done about that? Why are so many working-class and middle-class Floridians who are homeowners struggling? Why has nothing been done in the state of Florida to deal with the insurance crisis that exists, notwithstanding that they are smack dab in the middle of the hurricane belt in the United States of America? These are all legitimate questions, and if the House Republicans want to have this discussion, we will make sure, in the United States of America and in the Congress, that it's a comprehensive one.
Speaker 11 (15:45):
Leader Jeffries, are you concerned at all about the future of this administration when you're looking at the fact that during Inauguration day, you had a long line of those tech billionaires who were present, Elon Musk now reportedly has an office in the EEOB. Do you think that there's a possibility that Silicon Valley could have more of an influence on the President and the decisions he makes?
Hakeem Jeffries (16:12):
The biggest concern is what kind of America are we trying to create? House Democrats are focused on making life more affordable for everyday Americans, because we recognize that housing costs are too high, grocery costs are too high, insurance costs are too high, child care costs are too high and utility costs are too high. America is too expensive. It is not acceptable in the wealthiest country in the history of the world that there are far too many Americans struggling to live paycheck to paycheck. It's not an acceptable thing, and House Democrats are ready, willing and able to work with this administration and our Republican colleagues to build an affordable economy. We are not going to work with our Republican colleagues to build a country of the billionaires, by the billionaires and for the billionaires. That is a path that we will not take.
Speaker 12 (17:25):
Thanks Leader Jeffries. Last night, we saw the Laken Riley Act, almost four dozen of your conference voted for it, 48 the first time around. Does that signal to you that the politics around immigration and the border are shifting in some way? Obviously, this is not going to be the last bill related to these issues that y'all are going to have to vote on.
Hakeem Jeffries (17:47):
House Democrats are going to continue to make decisions based on what's right for the districts that we represent, and the politics will take care of themselves, as they did in the last election cycle. 27 of 31 battleground members in the toughest districts throughout the country won in the so-called Republican wave year. We won four out of five open seats that were in the Congressional battleground in a so-called Republican wave year. House Democrats flipped four seats in New York and three seats in California, and a total of 10 seats across the country. We're not concerned about the politics of any issue. We're concerned about doing the right thing by the districts that we are all privileged to represent. Our position on working to solve this problem is simple. We will work with anyone to secure our border. We will work with anyone to fix our broken immigration system in a bipartisan and comprehensive way. We will work with anyone to defend Dreamers, farm workers and families
Speaker 13 (19:19):
Is Mayor Eric Adams taking a firm enough stance on issues like raids at public schools, like birthright citizenship, which he's demurred on weighing in on, and are you comfortable with his warming relationship with Trump?
Hakeem Jeffries (19:34):
To the extent that Eric Adams decides to seek re-election, the voters in the Democratic primary in New York City will make a decision, perhaps decisively, as to whether he is the right person to lead the great city of New York moving forward.
Speaker 14 (19:55):
I talk to a lot of your members in the caucus and their staffers, who say they are more concerned about their safety now because of these pardons. I see the poster next to you. What do you think the safety and security implications are for Democrats, people in your district, because of the parties?
Hakeem Jeffries (20:14):
It's shameful that House Republicans have embraced the freeing of violent felons who brutally beat police officers on January 6th. These are violent individuals who beat police officers severely with fire extinguishers, sticks, flagpoles and other types of weapons. Officers were tased, officers were subjected to bear spray and other toxic weapons, and these violent criminals have been released, and those pardons have been embraced by House Republicans, including the top leadership. The release of violent felons who brutally beat police officers and women doesn't make America safer. It undermines public safety in community after community after community in the United States of America. Shame on my House Republican colleagues. What happened to backing the blue? Next question.
Freddie Hayward (21:52):
Freddie Hayward, from The New Statesmen. You just said that DEI represents American values. I was wondering, to what extent you've learned from the election in November, and I'm wondering, to what extent your opinion on DEI has changed? It seems like many of your compatriots don't agree with you.
Hakeem Jeffries (22:11):
It's not my understanding, based on anything that I've seen, that support for diversity, equity and inclusion had anything to do with the results in November. The results in November had everything to do with the high cost of living in the United States of America, and that should be everyone's takeaway, along with the importance of working together to secure the border. Diversity, equity and inclusion are American values. Perhaps I can explain. The model of the United States of America is E pluribus unum, out of many one. That's diversity. The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, one of the most important amendments in our country, provides equal protection under the law. That's equity. In this country, we pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, a flag that we just presented to the new president and vice president, and in that pledge, we promise one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all, A-L-L. That's inclusion. It's not complicated. Diversity, equity and inclusion are American values. It's about economic opportunity. It's about merit for everyone based on what you know, not who you know. Thank you everyone.
Speaker 15 (24:26):
These go to cloak room.
Speaker 16 (24:27):
I'll just keep this one.
Speaker 15 (24:30):
Yeah.