House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) held a press briefing after House Republicans voted to adopt the GOP's reconciliation budget framework.
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Category
š
NewsTranscript
00:00Good morning. Here in the Capitol, the battle lines with respect to Democratic values and Republican values have once again been clearly drawn.
00:15House and Senate Democrats are standing on the side of the American people, and we continue to be committed to building an economy that's affordable and that works for everyday Americans and drives down the high cost of living.
00:31While protecting health care, nutritional assistance, and the social security of the American people.
00:38Donald Trump and extreme MAGA Republicans are doing everything they can to tank our economy, drive us toward a recession, and gut the health care of the American people by visiting upon them the largest Medicaid cut in history,
00:57along with the largest cut to nutritional assistance in American history, all in service of enacting massive tax breaks for their billionaire donors like Elon Musk.
01:14It's a toxic scheme that they cannot hide from because it continues to be on full display on the House floor and on the Senate floor for the American people.
01:26The budget resolution that passed the House today will set in motion some of the most extreme cuts
01:37to health care, nutritional assistance, and the things that matter to everyday Americans in our nation's nearly 250-year history.
01:53It's a disgrace.
01:54This is just the beginning.
01:57The House Democrats are going to aggressively push back every day, every week, every month until we bury this reckless Republican budget resolution in the ground.
02:10Never to rise again.
02:11Never to rise again.
02:13Questions?
02:15We came close today to defeating this.
02:16We came close at the end of February to defeating the first version.
02:17We came close to defeating the CR.
02:18We came close to most of the special elections.
02:19Is that just the plight of the minority?
02:20At what point will you pull an upset?
02:21In January, Donald Trump announced that the Office of Management and Budget was going to freeze spending all across the federal government, including freezing Medicaid spending.
02:46In less than 48 hours, Donald Trump and the White House reversed themselves.
02:53I've never seen that happen to an American president within his first 10 days in office, reversed himself.
03:00That's not coming close.
03:02That's losing.
03:03Donald Trump has now announced tariffs on multiple occasions, said to the country that he was not going to back down.
03:13And in each and every instance, he backed down.
03:18That's the administration and Donald Trump losing, not coming close, backing down.
03:26They've lost special election after special election after special election.
03:31You're citing two races in Florida that Donald Trump won by 30 and 37 points respectively.
03:38Did anyone reasonably expect that those races would be won by Democrats?
03:42Of course not.
03:43Why were they even close?
03:45Is the question.
03:47But we're not citing the Florida special elections.
03:50We're citing the special election in Iowa that they lost.
03:54In New York in February that they lost.
03:57In Pennsylvania in a district that Donald Trump won by 15 points.
04:01In a state Senate race that they lost.
04:03And a crushing defeat.
04:05A complete and total repudiation of Donald Trump, Elon Musk and right wing conservatives in Wisconsin in a battleground state.
04:14Is that close?
04:16As per your question.
04:18Or were those losses?
04:20Yes.
04:21The answer is plainly clear.
04:23On your Medicaid messaging, it's our understanding that the Democrats have taken out a number of billboards in battleground districts and saying that Republicans want to cut Medicaid and Republicans have sued and the advertising companies have taken those billboards down.
04:41Republicans can run from their proposal, which is the largest Medicaid cut in American history, but we will never allow them to hide.
05:08The budget resolution that Republicans passed in February calls for eight hundred and eighty billion dollars in cuts.
05:17Within the jurisdiction of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
05:21Which just so happens to have jurisdiction over Medicaid.
05:26Earlier today.
05:27Earlier today.
05:28The House Republican leader.
05:29The Speaker and the Senate Republican leader both confirmed.
05:33That their goal was to visit upon the American people at least one point five trillion dollars in spending cuts.
05:41The Congressional Budget Office.
05:48Nonpartisan.
05:50Has affirmed publicly.
05:53That the only way to achieve that level of spending cut one point five trillion dollars is to gut Medicaid.
06:02Along with supplemental nutritional assistance and a whole host of other things that will harm the American people.
06:10Republicans have been ordered in the House not to hold town hall meetings.
06:16Because they are afraid to face the wrath of their own voters.
06:24They can run, but they cannot hide.
06:27And now.
06:29That the committee process has been set in motion.
06:34In connection.
06:35With the budget resolution.
06:37They will have to spell out the very cuts.
06:41To Medicaid.
06:42And other programs.
06:45That we have been making clear.
06:49For weeks now.
06:51They are determined to visit on the American people.
06:56Thank you, Mr. Linder.
06:57Yesterday during the rules committee.
06:58The FD leaders started language that was prohibited at the House from putting forward any legislation to claw back some of the tariffs and trade policy authority that the President has been using to watch this treadmill.
07:13What's your response to that particular way in which the fact that the Republicans use the rule on the budget to do something?
07:22House Republicans are afraid of an up or down vote.
07:26The Republican onåé” into a three-legal methodology in terms of pushing back against the Trump Terrace.
07:29Which are a tax on the American people.
07:32The largest tax increase on the American people since 1968.
07:38And if fully implemented.
07:40The Trump Terrace will cost the average American family at least 3,800 dollars a year.
07:45Why are Republicans afraid of an up or down vote.
07:49To show the American people where they stand.
07:53where they stand. This is a consistent theme. They are unwilling to defend their policies
08:00before the American people. I politely requested that Speaker Johnson agree to a debate on the
08:08House floor, a colloquy, as it's formally known. We have yet to hear back from him.
08:14What are they afraid of in terms of communicating with the American people? They spent a lot of
08:21time over the last several months trying to lecture America that they have some big mandate.
08:26If you have a big mandate, put bills on the floor for an up or down vote and agree to debate us
08:32in an unrestrained fashion. Show up. Stand up and defend your positions
08:42before the American people. But they're running away from their position, running away from town
08:48hall meetings, running away from debates on the House floor, running away from putting bills
08:53on the floor for up or down votes. But as voters have consistently shown in state after state
09:01after state, in special election after special election after special election, they can try
09:07to run from their positions. They will never be able to hide from the American people and
09:12they will be held accountable. Yes. That's okay. You seem out of breath. You're all right. Okay.
09:25Yeah. Okay. I appreciate that. I appreciate that. Chad, you're in timeout corner right now.
09:34I know I need to go sit in the chat. Republicans are proposing new spending for border security funding
09:40in this forthcoming budget bill. Is that something that your conference will support, that sort
09:46of security investment? We have to look at the particulars. We believe that we need to secure
09:51the border, make sure that it is safe and strong, that the rule of law, consistent with America as a country
10:01of a nation of laws is fully and completely implemented at the border. We believe we have a broken
10:08immigration system and we need to fix it in a comprehensive and in a bipartisan way. And we also
10:15believe that we must always defend dreamers, farm workers, and law-abiding immigrant families and
10:22protect them from aggressive overreach by the Trump administration. Those are the principles
10:29that we have consistently articulated publicly and privately to our Republican colleagues as it
10:36relates to finding some common ground on the immigration issue. Thanks.
10:41Well, I'll be actively participating in the safe Social Security, a day of action that we are going to have
10:58on Tuesday on the Medicaid matters day of action that we're having on Thursday. And then, you know, in the week of action that we are going to
11:11have across the country and beyond with respect to the cost of living issue. Now, at some point, I'll more publicly disclose what my schedule is going to be during the second week. I expect to be mostly in the district and throughout New York State during Holy Week next week.
11:30But certainly over the next few weeks, I will be on the road in a variety of different districts in blue states and in red states and in purple states across the country.
11:37So there are some reports I am going to say Ben- Bonus is a poll
11:46And we answer your question.
12:00message of being the party for working class people and a kind of billionaire versus working
12:09class message that you guys are using. Speaker Johnson and House Republican leaders have
12:15made clear that there's no legitimacy to the notion that Republicans are going to raise
12:22rates on their billionaire donors.
12:23I think we're going to continue to be called upon every day, every week, every month to aggressively
12:52push back on the reckless Republican agenda and articulate our affirmative vision for building
13:00an affordable economy that makes life better for everyday Americans. And Donald Trump and
13:08House Republicans are going to continue to try to flood the zone with outrageous things.
13:14And it's going to be important on all of us, as we've seen repeatedly by members of the
13:21House Democratic Caucus to meet the moment, as Stephen Horsford did yesterday, as John
13:29Larson has previously done, as a variety of members are consistently doing over and over
13:39and over and over again. And I'm proud of the House Democratic Caucus. But we know that our
13:46work is just beginning in terms of the type of engagement that will be required to end this
13:55national nightmare being visited upon the American people by Donald Trump and compliant House Republicans
14:01and get to a place where we can bring the American dream to life for every single American in this
14:10country. Traditionally, there's been, as I directly communicated to the speaker, a colloquy that was
14:19held by the House Majority Leader, whoever that may be at the time, and the House Minority Whip. That was done
14:30every week. A colloquy. Eric Cantor did it. Steny Hoyer did it. Kevin McCarthy did it. For a time, Steve Scalise
14:42participated in it when he was the House Minority Whip. For some reason, last Congress and into this Congress,
14:53they've stopped the practice, which I pointed out to Speaker Johnson, who I regularly communicate with
15:03privately and then, of course, publicly. And it's part of a pattern of trying to hide their extreme
15:11policies from the American people. And so a logical next step, if if Leader Scalise refuses to do it
15:21because Whip Catherine Clark is ready, willing, and able every week to do it, then perhaps those are
15:30my Republican colleagues who are interested in tradition in the House that we actually step into
15:36the breach that has been created at a time of great uncertainty for the American people.
15:43Our approach certainly hasn't changed because as far as I can tell, were there any complaints about the
16:00approach that House Democrats took as it relates to the continuing resolution fight? It's a question I'm asking.
16:07I mean, I think there were complaints that party leaders were not necessarily aggressive enough
16:12overall? That House Democratic leaders were not aggressive and strongly opposing the reckless Republican
16:22spending bill, that we were very clear would hurt families, hurt children, hurt seniors, hurt everyday Americans.
16:31I think the chronology around your question is off and the substance is off because what we did here in the
16:40House was very clear and how the public responded to it was also very clear. In fact, what's been
16:48interesting is I think Donald Trump himself made the observation a few days ago, the one thing House Democrats
16:55apparently do better than Republicans is stick together on votes. That's the opposition making that
17:02observation. So I think the facts speak for themselves. Thanks. Sorry, right there. It's a bunch of you together.
17:15That's all right. That's right. A question on the on the equity market. The president says it's a good time to buy and he goes out and
17:22announced the surprise. The tariff change. Do you think there's anything illegal or possibly violating ethics laws that's going on in the
17:30administration? We need to get to the bottom of the possible stock manipulation that is unfolding before the American people, including what if any
17:44advanced knowledge did members of the House Republican conference have of Trump's decision to pause the reckless
17:55tariffs that he put into place? There are several members of Congress who will be aggressively demanding answers and
18:07transparency, particularly as it relates to stock purchase decisions that may have occurred over the last few days.
18:17Thanks.
18:18As a follow up to that question, are there any avenues that Democrats can afford to afford for the investigation of the House or are you all essentially bankrupt by being removed?
18:30There will be several avenues that we will be able to pursue and we'll do so aggressively and in fact,
18:36because of current congressional rules, we know that members of the House of Representatives will have to disclose any stock trades that they've made 30 days from the date of those trades or
18:57potentially no later than 45 days.
19:02And so the reality is people are going to have to pay the piper in terms of disclosure.
19:10And so our point is you might as well get it out into the public domain now
19:15because it's coming later and there's nothing that you can do about it.
19:19We're going to raise the resources necessary, as we did in the last Congress, D triple C has consistently out raised the Republican national campaign and we're going to raise the resources necessary as we did in the last Congress.
19:42D triple C has consistently out raised the Republican national campaign committee, notwithstanding the fact that House Republicans are in the majority.
19:52That was the case in the last Congress that will be the case in this Congress as already demonstrated by the January and February numbers.
19:59We will continue to make clear that in terms of spending priorities that our frontline members are first amongst equals because you cannot achieve addition and we only need to flip three seats.
20:16in order to take back the majority, but you cannot achieve addition if you allow subtraction to take place.
20:24So we're committed to making sure that every single frontline member returns to the House of Representatives after the November 2026 election.
20:34We're taking a hard look at it to determine what is the rationale for delaying the special election by approximately eight months, given that the honorable Sylvester Turner passed away on March 5th.
20:55Last question. Thanks.
20:57We'll continue to make clear that we are not going to provide a blank check to Donald Trump and extreme mega Republicans.
21:19to enact massive tax breaks for billionaire donors like Elon Musk while at the same time using that blank check to try to slash healthcare programs like Medicaid and literally take food out of the mouths of children.
21:38By enacting the largest cut to nutritional assistance in American history, those are the top lines we've been very clear, public and transparent about it.
21:48And the ball is now in the court of the Republicans who claim some big mandate when we know that it does not exist.