Pete Aguilar (00:00):
Has access to personal information for every American, including potentially tax and social security information. We're less safe because President Trump released violent criminals into our communities, some with records of domestic violence, rape, and attacking police officers. We are less safe because hundreds of FBI agents are on the verge of being fired for not being sufficiently loyal to Donald Trump. Women who serve in the military are less safe today because of an executive order Donald Trump signed preventing them from traveling across state lines to seek abortion care. America is more expensive because egg prices are at an all-time high, and Republicans in Congress have not taken a single step to reduce the cost of living. The reckless Republican tariffs will increase costs for households by $1,200 each year. Everything from groceries to alcohol to lumber used to build homes will be more expensive. The Republican ripoff will increase healthcare costs by stealing from Medicaid to pay for tax cuts for billionaires and corporations. The American people voted for solutions to their economic challenges and instead got a corrupt White House and an America that is less safe and more expensive. Vice Chair Ted Lieu.
Ted Lieu (01:31):
Thank you. Chairman Aguilar. Leader Jeffries has laid out a 10 point plan to fight back against the lawless actions of the Trump administration. That plan has three themes. There's going to be a legislative strategy, a mobilization strategy, and a litigation strategy. To that end, over 25 lawsuits have already been filed. We expect that a number of these actions by the Trump administration will be reversed because all the courts have to do is follow the law. And in fact, if you look at what happened, a number of Trump actions have been stopped or the administration has simply folded. The administration wants you to think that they are invincible, that they were just rolling right along and do all these things. That is simply not true. A number of times they have been stopped and they have had to back down. So for example, on the birthright citizenship order, a Reagan-appointed federal judge declared it unconstitutional, put an injunction on it. And then with the OMB freeze memo, there was pushback from Democrats, from the American people and they had to rescind that memo, and a judge also declared that memo to be illegal.
(02:37)
And then most recently you saw Trump's signature issue, the tariffs. He backed down because of the reaction from the stock market, the reaction from the American people, basically Canada, Mexico are doing what they said they were already going to do. So essentially Donald Trump simply voted on that issue. So I want people to understand their power to shape public sentiment. And not only are the Trump administration's actions ludicrous, they are harming people. So I'll end on this example. In California, Donald Trump ordered the Army Corps of Engineers to release a whole bunch of water from these dams when no one needed it. So over 2 billion gallons of water had now been wasted in California. This water from Northern California isn't even going down to Southern California. It's largely going to evaporate when farmers don't need it. And so Republican Congressman David Valadao is going to have to answer to his farmers when in the summer months they need water and they don't have enough. Those are the harmful actions of this administration, and I want people to understand that pushing back gets this administration to fold.
Pete Aguilar (03:44):
Thank you, Ted. Questions? Ryan?
Ryan (03:47):
Mr. Aguilar, the Republicans just accused Democrats of being willing to shut down the government if they don't get their way in terms of these negotiations and push back on Donald Trump. You mentioned the legislative component of your plan to push back against Trump. How far is your conference willing to go to try and prevent what you see as the usurping of Congressional authority from Donald Trump? Could it lead to a government shutdown? Could it lead to the debt ceiling not being raised? What is the strategy there?
Pete Aguilar (04:18):
That's on our Republican colleagues. Look, we will meet with folks and we will try to find common ground where it is possible, but what we will not do is engage in an effort that gives Donald Trump money to direct our federal government that he has no plan to utilize or implement. When we pass something… And this is where I would just strenuously object with Appropriations Chair Tom Cole who said, "Appropriations isn't law. It's a directive of Congress." I think there's a number of past appropriations chairs who would disagree with that on both sides of the aisle. This is law. If we're going to pass law, we need to know that the law is followed and it doesn't appear that house Republicans are in a position to push back against Donald Trump to protect vital funding that supports our communities. And if they aren't willing to do that, they should just be honest with us.
(05:17)
And so we will meet with them. We will talk with them about funding government and the issues of the day, but I think it's pretty clear based on what happened in December, who they answer to. They answer to Donald Trump and Elon Musk. And so we need the certainty that the work, the legislative work, that we do will actually be implemented and passed. And if we find thoughtful partners on the other side who are willing to do that, we'll engage.
Ted Lieu (05:47):
Republicans control the White House, the Senate, and the House. It's completely on Republicans to not have a government shutdown. If they can't get the votes, they're the majority party, it is their fault if there's a government shutdown.
Pete Aguilar (06:02):
Mika and some special guests?
Mika (06:05):
Yes. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Aguilar. I do want to ask… So I know at the same time that a lot of your members, and just now you mentioned attempts to find common ground with the administration and Republicans while they're in power. I just want to get your reaction to one of your members, Congressman Al Green filing these impeachment articles already. Do you think that's an appropriate step to take given that Trump's only been in office now for two weeks?
Pete Aguilar (06:26):
It's not a focus of the caucus. Next. Cassie?
Cassie (06:31):
Two questions for you, one California-focused. With the governor on the hill today, are you hoping that these conversations he's having with leadership as well as his meeting with the White House will help with leveraging California's position in trying to get some of this wildfire aid? And then more broadly, do you feel Leader Thune and Speaker Johnson are advocating their constitutional authority by allowing the president to step on Congress's authority, and how are Democrats planning to push back on that?
Pete Aguilar (07:00):
I'll take the first part. Vice Chair Lieu and I were pleased and privileged to be able to join Leader Jeffries and Whip Clark along with Brad Sherman and Judy Chu to tour the fire devastation in Palisades and Altadena. Our hope, our focus is to make sure that we help our fellow citizens, our Americans across the country. When there are disasters, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, all of that deserves an immediate response. We lift up the work that FEMA and the Army Corps are doing to help residents recover and rebuild. We need to keep the politics out of this, and I think that there are a number of Republicans who feel the same way, Thankfully, will work in a process that meets the needs of the American public who are going through disasters no matter if they're in a blue state or a red state. So I appreciate the governor being here. It's important to talk about the needs that our residents have, that the residents of Southern California have from this recent tragedy, and so we'll continue to work to deliver.
(08:12)
On the second part. Look, I think it's very clear. I mean, the Constitution is pretty clear both on spending as well as the role of Congress, and I do think that Speaker Johnson and Leader Thune are in a rush to deliver as much as they can for President Trump. That is who they answer to, not their constituents or their conferences, but that's who they answer to. And so we see that in everything that they do from deadlines to bills to the issues of the day. As the Vice Chair mentioned, this is on them to deliver funding bills and to deliver for the president. If they can't do that, they have the votes to do that. We'll see if they can. Chad, then Michael.
Chad (08:58):
Thank you. Good morning. You talk about the pushback by Democrats and President Trump and some of the things Republicans are trying to do. What is the appropriate approach? Is it to ask Democrats to walk all nominees if possible, at least slow walk them? Is it to, say, take over the streets of Washington D.C., and if that's the case, also why then saying this is not a focus of the caucus on the articles of impeachment from Mr. Green? I mean, it would seem that if you think that the administration is doing all of these dastardly things, but that's something that the caucus would want to get around, or is that bad to revisit since this guy's already been impeached twice and that didn't go too hot for the Democrats previously?
Pete Aguilar (09:37):
I think the Vice Chair mentioned it. I can't speak to Senate Democrats. It's a different press conference that they don't invite me to, but I think what the vice chair outlined is very clear. Look, our focus is on outreach, mobilizing our communities, being responsive to our communities, a litigation strategy the Vice Chair laid out. Each time these executive orders come before the judges, they've been beaten back or they've been pulled back. Donald Trump does not have success in the court system, I mean that both governmentally and personally. So it's very clear that the litigation strategy will be one tool that we can use. And then we have legislative strategies, and I'll let the Leader outline those in the coming days, but we need to forcefully ensure that Americans' data is protected and that no third-party can walk into the Treasury and start downloading information, and so we need to protect the public. That's what we're focused on. That's what House Democrats this week are focused on and we'll continue to work through those.
Chad (10:49):
But just to be clear here, and coming back to my point about Mr. Green, if you think that Elon Musk has control of the Treasury system and so on and so forth, why wouldn't you then be behind an idea of impeaching-
Pete Aguilar (11:00):
Look, I get the question. I get the question. I mean, the Vice Chair and I are here to talk on behalf of the Democratic caucus. I mean, that answer's still the same. This isn't a focus of the Democratic caucus. We've laid out our strategy, legislative litigation, outreach and communication, and that continues to be the focus. If there are more focuses or if there are new ideas that we feel have the support of the caucus, you'll hear us talk about them. Michael?
Michael (11:23):
Following up on the spirit of the caucus, Leader Jeffries has mentioned that all Democrats need are three or however a small number of House Republicans to join you all to stop some of the [inaudible 00:11:37] that's going on. Have you all targeted any Republicans that members can speak to, that you all can communicate with, whether it's a private to discuss and get some feelers on are there any Republicans who could bypass leadership, them leadership or go against the Trump administration and survive a primary to work with you all to stop this, or again, are you all saying because they control all levers of government, it's up to them? Leader Jeffries has mentioned a few times that he invites three Republicans to join you all. Is that something you all are talking about inside the caucus?
Pete Aguilar (12:15):
Look, absolutely. And each of us enjoys relationships based on our committees and based on when we came to Congress, the Vice Chair and I came together 10 years ago with Republicans. Some of the reasonable partners on the other side of the aisle who I've worked with on things have moved on, retired and left this place, and that's unfortunate. But look, we will continue to have conversations, but what you highlighted is incredibly important. What Republicans say in the hallways and in the elevators is often very different than what they're comfortable saying and doing in front of a podium to push back against Donald Trump, and so we will highlight a time and time again that it only takes a couple.
(12:59)
If you want to protect Americans' data at the Treasury Department, join our efforts. If you want to ensure that essential cuts to education in the classroom are not implemented, join us. If you want to protect vital funding for people at nursing homes and young people to have healthcare, join us. We will engage and have conversations with them if it is around protecting funding and protecting our communities. Now, that will not change. What we hope changes is colleagues on the other side of the aisle speaking out and speaking up that they oppose this. We haven't seen that yet, but we're always hopeful. Nick, and Joe.
Nick (13:44):
Yeah. I want to ask about the Senate. Senator is calling for halt all Trump nominees. I mean, do you want to see a more muscular response from the party to his agenda over there where you still do have some leverage over Republicans?
Pete Aguilar (14:05):
Same answer. I'll let the Senate speak to their processes and procedures and what tools they have. I can speak to ours that we have here in the House. This is a majority-run institution, and so this is a little different, but we will use the levers and the tools available to push back legislatively and to communicate our message about the policies that we see from Donald Trump and House Republicans making us less safe and not lowering the costs that people pay. We'll continue to do that and we'll use the levers that we have here in the House to do it, but you'll have to ask the folks on the other side of the dome what their tactics and strategies are. Joe?
Joe (14:48):
Couple more Newsom questions. Did he speak to the caucus today?
Pete Aguilar (14:51):
No.
Joe (14:51):
And is the caucus going to be doing anything to help him as he's going around to talk to legislators today?
Pete Aguilar (14:58):
It's my understanding that he's talking to Judy Chu and Brad Sherman, the members who were affected by the tragedies. We all have a line and communication into the California team, and so we'll continue to uplift their needs as they arise. We met with FEMA last week. We talked about how much is in the disaster recovery fund, what that looks like. They didn't give us an idea on the timing for a supplemental and where it's needed, but they did stress the urgency and the importance of a disaster relief fund and how that is allocating payments to people who are affected. That all runs a risk on March 14th when government funding elapses. When Donald Trump turned off the federal funding, that also will have an effect on the FEMA recovery efforts, and so these are things that we're-
Michael (15:57):
That Californians will receive that disaster funding to rebuild their homes and community?
Pete Aguilar (16:03):
Look, I'm confident that they have enough money in the short term to meet their needs, that FEMA has enough money in the short term to meet their needs. I can't speak to what is beyond that and the recovery because Congress is going to have to act, and it's my hope that we do so in a bipartisan way just as we have in the past with disasters.
Ted Lieu (16:28):
So literally less than two months ago, Congress passed disaster aid to states such as Florida, South Carolina, Oklahoma. We have a very simple ask, just treat California disaster victims the same as any other American, do not treat California disaster victims any differently, and we expect that Congress will do that, and we look forward to having disaster aid pass as swiftly as possible.
Speaker 12 (16:52):
You mentioned mobilization as part of the strategy. What are you hearing from grassroots activists from your districts? Do you think there's fresh energy among Democrats here?
Pete Aguilar (17:02):
I think that there's energy around the country pushing back against some of these policies. We also need to channel that energy. We need to talk with our communities and folks in our communities about our efforts, our legislative efforts, and the litigation efforts that are underway, but we also need to encourage them, "Look, I understand that the anger help us get a couple more folks to support our efforts." Just like we said before, we're only three votes away. Let's work to deliver votes that can push back, that can protect vital funding, that can ensure Americans' personal information is secure at the Treasury Department, that can protect vital classroom funding from the Department of Education. That's what this is about, and so we're engaged in efforts to talk with members in our community about the importance of doing that. Alan?
Alan (17:56):
Was there any discussion in the caucus meeting about the President's remarks last night on Gaza, and does the leadership feel about spending any money for this sort of project he has in mind?
Pete Aguilar (18:09):
It shouldn't shock anybody that we don't run through everything that the President says in caucus to respond to. It did not come up, but it is very clear that what the President talked about would make our country less safe. An invasion of US troops into Gaza would not make Americans more safe, it would make Americans a target. But this is very clear. I mean, I'm going to just take a wild to guess that the President's plans include hotels and resorts and casinos. That's just who he is. But this is not a thoughtful strategy that would keep Americans safe or reduce our Defense Department costs. Back, last one.
Speaker 13 (19:02):
Is there any frustration with the Uncommitted [inaudible 00:19:05] with the Democratic Party in 2024?
Pete Aguilar (19:09):
No. Look, we're focused on the future here. Our job is to build a big coalition that meets the needs of the American public, keeps people safe, lowers costs that everyday Americans face. That's what House Democrats are focused on. We welcome anyone and everyone to be part of our coalition in order to do that, but what we will continue to talk about is House Republicans have no strategy. There's no bill on the floor that reduces the costs that Americans face. Nothing that they have outlined would lower grocery prices, make rents more affordable, housing more affordable. That's not what Republicans are doing. That's what the American public wants, and so we welcome everyone to be part of our coalition that talks about these issues that people care about.
Ted Lieu (19:58):
Sure. Let me just follow up to what Chairman Aguilar said. This weekend, I went to the grocery store with my wife and there were no eggs on the shelves. So the American people want solutions that help them in their lives, make their prices lower, make sure they have the items that they need at grocery stores. None of this chaos coming from the Trump administration is helping families across America. That's one reason the administration backed down on a number of these orders because the administration is not popular. A reminder that Donald Trump won less than half of the popular vote. Donald Trump starts out, according to a Gallup poll, at 47% approval. The lowest of any president since the 1950s, and that's one reason he voted on terrorists, he voted on a freeze memo, that his birthright issue was blocked by the courts because he does not have a mandate no matter how much he tries because he's just not that popular.
Pete Aguilar (20:56):
Thank you.
Ted Lieu (20:56):
Thank you.
Speaker 14 (20:56):
Cool. Sweet.