LIVE: Rep. Jeffries Holds Post-Election Press Conference

Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah. Thank you. Susan DelBene, the chair of the DCCC, so excited to have you here today. All cycle, I have repeated over and over a very simple arithmetic problem. To take back the majority, we needed to net three seats. And we hit that mark, and then some. This historic victory was resounding and impressive in its depth and in its breadth. We saw Democrats sweep all the competitive seats in Pennsylvania, Iowa, Texas, California, Wisconsin, and New Jersey. I'm hopeful we can sweep the competitive seats in Arizona and Nevada as well as more results come in. We've had wins that many outside observers and experts thought were long shots, like in Kentucky, Ohio, and even one in Indiana. We got every single one of the Harris won seats that were held by Republicans, even one that some said was not beatable. Well, it turns out they were. And I know there is one New Yorker here who's especially happy with that one. In this election, we beat back every Republican scheme. To rig the midterms from their executive orders and legal maneuvers to attack vote by mail, change campaign finance laws, intimidate local election officials, and even throw legal voters off the voting rolls. And every single redistricted frontliner will return to Congress. Simply put, their gerrymandering scheme absolutely backfired, and it should send a strong message to any Republican thinking of pursuing any more gerrymanders next year. They do so at their own peril, because it's clear that the American people hate it when politicians try to pick their voters. Driving this backlash were black voters, particularly in the South, rejecting the cynical efforts by Republicans to dilute their political power and their voice. We warned Republicans their attacks on black voters would backfire, and we saw it last night in places like Alabama and North Carolina, where they overwhelmingly turned out to elect Democrats. Republicans also took Latino voters for granted. For this hubris, we witnessed a rejection of Republicans by Latinos at historic levels, erasing any imaginary gains they hoped they would get in their gerrymanders of Texas and Florida. And despite how large our victory was last night, we are not done. Over the next few days and weeks, we're going to make sure that every legal vote is counted until every race across the country is certified, ensuring the outcome is determined only by the will of the American people, as it should be. I'm confident by then we'll gain even more seats than we've called today. Each and every one will be an essential part of ensuring we have the largest possible governing majority. Our victory is not just impressive because of how many seats we gained although we did gain a lot. What was incredible about last night was how far we reached into deep red territory. As of this morning 254 races have been called in our favor. We will at least get to 255 with 35 races too close to call or outstanding. We won in at least 21 districts that Donald Trump won by double digits or more. This is unprecedented in the 21st century. Furthermore, the DCCC invested in 35 races that have flipped from red to blue so far, providing that our strategic investments and laser-focused decisions on where to expand the map from the start of the cycle paid off. These results illustrate across the board how ready the American people are for change. How tired they are of the broken promises from Republicans. Voters sent a message that they are eager for a Congress that will again be an independent and co-equal branch of government. Asserting our oversight authority and exercising the power of the purse to put a meaningful check on this administration. And while the rebuke against two years of Republican rule was clear across the entire country, make no mistake, we won the majority district by district because of our amazing candidates. Our candidates were the secret to our success, and as I have said over and over, they are our secret sauce. While they all share a passion to serve, they are all very unique. There were no cookie-cutter candidates. Each and every one of them is deeply connected to their districts in their own way. We had firefighters, ministers, mayors, veterans, teachers, farmers, prosecutors, union leaders, law enforcement, doctors, journalists, and even a Grammy Award-winning musician. They were all able to transcend partisan politics, in part because they are deeply rooted in their communities. But also because they are driven by a genuine desire to represent every person in their district, Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. They understand that the job title is representative, not rubber stamp. In the 120th Congress, under the leadership of Speaker Hakeem Jeffries, we're going to waste no time in getting to work in pursuing an affordability agenda, rooting out the culture of corruption that has festered in Washington, D.C. these past two years. I am so honored to be here with this incredible team of people who have led the way, but no one more so than our leader, the future Speaker of the House, Hakeem Jeffries. Good afternoon, everyone. What an honor and a privilege to be here with all of my distinguished colleagues in leadership right after this stunning rebuke of MAGA extremism and a great night for the American people. I'm so thankful for Susan DelBene, her extraordinary leadership and stewardship as our field general for the DCCC has brought us to this moment. One of the first decisions that I had to make as the newly elected House Democratic leader was to ask Susan DelBene to serve as the chair of the DCCC. I'm glad that I asked, and I'm even more thankful that she accepted. She's done an extraordinary job, and we're deeply appreciative. Mike Johnson was correct. The polls were wrong. It wasn't simply a blue wave. It was an American tsunami. House Democrats have decisively taken back control of the Congress. We will win at least 255 seats, if not more, once every vote has been tallied. It's a historic majority in the 21st century. Democrats have taken back control of the Senate. Democrats have won governorships all across the country. We've flipped. Legislative chambers in the north, in the south, in the east, in the west, and in the midwest. It was a great victory for the American people. The American people have chosen the economy over extremism. The American people have chosen hope over hatred. The American people have chosen common sense over corruption, chaos, and cruelty. The American people have chosen House Democrats. Because they want to see a dramatic change in direction, and that's exactly what House Democrats will deliver beginning on day one. We've promised to fight for an affordable America, and that's exactly what we will do. And we look forward to welcoming all of these extraordinary, patriotic candidates who flip seats all across the country, and we look forward to welcoming back. Our extraordinary battleground incumbents, every single one of whom prevailed unlike anything we've ever really seen in a midterm election in modern American history. We're humbled by the outcome and we know we have to undertake with the seriousness of purpose, a relentless effort to make life more affordable. For everyday Americans, for working-class Americans, for middle-class Americans, and for all those who aspire to be part of the middle class, we're going to fight hard for every single American, wherever you may reside. We're going to fight hard for small-town America. We're going to fight hard for rural America. We're going to fight hard for urban America. We're going to fight hard for the heartland of America. We're going to fight hard for black and brown communities all throughout America. This is a victory for the American people. And we should never doubt the resilience, the character, the courage, and the conviction of the American people to do the right thing. It's now my honor to yield to one of my really good friends and a classmate of mine. We came into Congress together. On this leadership journey together. She's one of the main reasons why, in the minority, Democrats have consistently governed as if we were in the majority and we're just getting started, and so I yield to the next majority leader of the House of Representatives and someone who will be the first woman to ever serve in that position in our 250-year journey, the Honorable Catherine Clark. Thank you so much. Oh, my goodness. Thank you so much. And in the words of the great Dolly Parton, it's been a long, hard fight, but I see a brand new day dawning. And I want to start by thanking our incredible leader, our next speaker, Hakeem Jeffries, for all that he has done. The leadership of Susan DelBene at the DCCC is nothing short of extraordinary and I am so proud to stand here and make history with our next majority whip Pete Aguilar and our next Democratic Caucus Chair, Ted Lieu. And to all of our candidates, members, staff and supporters who fought long and hard for For this brand new day. We saw so many images of hope yesterday. People of all ages coming to the polls, crowds celebrating. But there's one image that has stuck with me. It's the video of the memorial to Alex Petty and Renee Good. It is covered with I voted stickers. Hundreds and hundreds of people went to that memorial and put that sticker there. Each one placed by an American who turned out and cast their ballot in the ultimate act of hope, the ultimate act of faith in our democracy. People who are fighting to survive, not only fighting to survive under the brutality and terror of ICE, But fighting to survive under the crushing weight of a broken economy, fighting to survive cuts to their health care, or cuts to their SNAP benefits, or the hike they're seeing in their rent and mortgage and utility costs, fighting to survive the uncertainty of what will happen to their family tomorrow. That's who this majority is going to fight for. The American people didn't just reject the failures and broken promises of the last two years. They didn't just vote for damage control. They have entrusted a Democratic Congress to lead us forward to something better, to make their lives easier. They want a system that prioritizes the working class over the billionaire class, an economy that rewards hard work again, and a government where the people's voice is the one that counts. A country worthy of our children. And that is the work that we are going to start today. And I am so glad to have a partner in all of this in our outstanding next majority whip, Pete Aguilar. Thank you so much, future leader Clark. It sounds good. Catherine has been just a superstar within our caucus, and I look forward to her leadership as majority leader, governing and guiding the floor activities. Thank you to... Future Speaker Jeffries, for the work, the determination, the focus, the Democratic caucus, and the American people are looking forward to his leadership ahead, and January 3rd cannot come soon enough. To Susan DelBene, Julie Merz. The entire DCCC team here in this building, Will and Brooke and everybody who works in this building have just poured their heart and soul into everything that they've done. They believed this was possible when others didn't. They had a roadmap and a game plan and we're so thankful for their leadership and we're so thankful that Susan is in this position and that she has been our absolute rock and field general as Leader Jeffries says. Last night, the American people sent a very clear message. They've had enough, and they're ready for change. They've had enough of Trump's broken promises. They've had enough of rising gas prices. They've had enough of the endless wars. They've had enough of the rampant corruption. Democrats promised a new path forward, and last night, the voters delivered a mandate for it. While Republicans have spent the last two years driving up prices, Democrats have been fighting for an affordable America for everyone. With this majority, we're going to work immediately on lowering costs, protecting healthcare, and holding this administration accountable. And while Democrats won across this country, the real winners are the millions of Americans who showed up and made their voices heard. The victory belongs to those who want a fair economy, who want hard work. And know that hard work means an opportunity to buy a home, to raise a family, and to get ahead. Who shouldn't have to worry about going broke if they get sick, and who want to retire in dignity and build a better future for their kids. And this victory belongs to all of those who retired of the chaos, cruelty, and corruption coming out of Washington. This is what happens when Democrats build coalitions around issues that matter most. We listened to voters, we competed in every corner of the country, and we left it all on the field. And even as Republicans tried to rig elections in their favor, Democrats were given a clear mandate by the American people. From San Bernardino to the Rio Grande Valley to Alabama to western North Carolina to make life more affordable. Now it's our responsibility to earn the trust of these voters every single day. The American people gave us this majority. We're going to deliver the change that they voted for, and we look forward to getting to work. It's my honor to introduce my classmate, my friend, the vice chair of the Democratic Caucus, the future chair of the Democratic Caucus, Ted Lieu. It is an honor to be here with Speaker-Elect Hakeem Jeffries, Majority-Elect Catherine Clark, Thank you very much. Last night, the American people sent a clear and unmistakable repudiation of the MAGA agenda of Donald Trump and Republicans. The last two years, the American people saw gas prices skyrocketing, health care costs exploding, the risk of artificial intelligence getting out of control. And what was the response from Trump and Republicans? Putting his name on stuff. From passports to coins to buildings, what was Donald Trump doing the day before the election? He was standing in front of a Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, talking about how they should change the name of that reflecting pool, which he messed up, to the Trump reflecting pool. And the American people said, enough. Stop the insanity. Stop the corruption. And focus on lowering prices. And under the leadership of this amazing leadership team, Democrats listened. And that's why the American people flipped the House and flipped the Senate. And when Democrats are in control, we're going to focus on affordability. We will pass a bill to reverse the largest Medicaid cut in US history enacted by Republicans. We will pass a bill to restore the ACA tax credits. We will pass a bill to stop the stupid Trump tariffs jacking up prices on Americans. And we will pass a bill to stop the Iran war. And on the subject of national security, I just want to note that as a veteran myself, we are all super excited with an incredibly large number of Democrats who happen to be veterans who flipped seats last night on track to be well over 10. The American people sent a message. Democrats are listening. I urge Trump and Republicans to do the same. Thank you, Ted. Thank you. Susan, thank you. Catherine, thank you. Pete, questions? Good job. Good job. We have been focused relentlessly on dealing Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. with the affordability crisis and driving Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. down the high cost of living. Thank you. We made a promise to the country that we would fight Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. for an affordable America and we intend Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. to keep it. Thank you. We need to reverse the Medicaid cuts. Thank you. Thank you. We need to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. We need to end this reckless Thank you. Thank you. and costly war of choice that has skyrocketed gas prices all across the country. And we need to stop the Trump tariffs that have increased costs on everyday Americans by thousands of dollars per year. Sir, are you going to say that you've done some investigation on it? You both mentioned Pete Hexeth, but are there other people on that list? Is Pete Hegseth still around? When do you plan to have a conversation with President Trump and how do you envision actually working with someone that you yourself called the dumbest person ever to hold that office and you're facing calls within your own caucus to impeach him? I haven't had a single member of the House Democratic Caucus talk to me about impeachment. We've been relentlessly focused on affordability and on accountability. Because the House is a separate and co-equal branch of government. We recognize that we don't work for Donald Trump, we don't work for J.D. Vance, we don't work for the Supreme Court, we work for the American people. And the days of the House of Representatives functioning like a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trump administration are over. House Democrats are going to lead a Congress that does serve as a check and balance on an out-of-control executive branch. I have not heard from President Trump, it's my understanding that Leader Schumer has not heard from President Trump. I look forward to talking to the members of the House Democratic Caucus when we convene early next week. I look forward to talking to Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats when we convene next week and charting a path forward to bring about the type of dramatic change the American people are clearly demanding. What will you say to Trump? What will you say to Trump? Governor DeSantis is already defending the map, saying that they walked in with 20 Republicans and left with 20 Republicans. You said this morning on Twitter that the map had been signed and sealed and destroyed. I wondered if you could address the Governor's comments, and also if you could address the failure of Republican anti-transgender rhetoric to stave off their losses last year. I have more to say about the DeSantis dummy-mander in a moment, but let me yield to Susan DelBene. You know, we had resounding wins. Jared Moskowitz, Kathy Castor, Darren Soto, they tried to take those seats out, they didn't. Pia Dandia is coming in as a new member of Congress, so despite all of their attempts to rig the system in Florida... We had an incredible showing, and all due to incredible incumbents and incredible candidates who were running. We made clear last year when this corrupt effort to rig the midterm elections by gerrymandering congressional maps in red states all across the country began that Republicans might start this redistricting and gerrymandering battle. Democrats were going to finish it. And last night, that's exactly what happened. We're thankful to the American people, above all else. We're thankful to our incredible and courageous battleground incumbents who were put in a position where the Republicans, like DeSantis, wanted them to step back, but on behalf of the American people, they chose to fight back. Cathy Castor. To run. And she prevailed. Jared Moskowitz chose to run, and he prevailed. Darren Soto chose to run, and he prevailed. Henry Cuellar chose to run in a redrawn district, like all of the others, and he prevailed. Vincente Gonzalez chose to run in a redrawn district, and he prevailed. Don Davis chose to run in a redrawn district. And he prevailed. Shamari figures, and that was my last stop on the campaign trail with him in Montgomery, Alabama, the birthplace of the civil rights movement, and it was a moving experience to end this campaign there. He chose to run, and he prevailed by 10 points. Marcy Kaptur, the OG of the battleground members. I said that at the battleground meeting once. Marcy Kaptur looked at me. She said, what's an OG? I said, don't worry about it, Marcy. It's something good. Marcy Kaptur, the OG of the battleground members, she chose to run in a dramatically redrawn district, and she prevailed. Greg Landsman chose to run in a redrawn district designed to defeat him, and he won. It was decisive, complete, and total. I want to thank those frontline members. I want to thank our candidates, like Bobby Pulido, Johnny Garcia, and so many others. I want to thank Susan and the DCCC and Julie and every single member of the House Democratic Caucus who, notwithstanding that redrawn map, believed it when we all said they started this, but we're going to finish it. Yes we can, and yes we did. Are you going to wait for a Republican? The Press They messed around and now they're going to find out. The Press You mentioned four things you guys planned to vote on, reversing the Medicaid cuts, shortening the ADA subsidies, ending the tariffs, and ending the war. Are those all, like, day one votes, week one votes? What's the timeline? And then secondarily, you know, Trump is potentially going to meet you. All those things. Do you expect Republicans to help you out? And is there a chance that there will be a first majority on any of those? The Press Well, I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. Are you going to meet with all those things you expect Republicans to help you out? And is there a chance that that would be the first majority on any of those? We're going to have a conversation as a caucus upon our return about what the agenda looks like, but we're going to get out of the gate fast. Let me yield to our Majority Leader and our Majority Whip, who are going to play an incredibly important role in how it all looks in the 120th Congress. Thank you so much. We ran as affordability Democrats and every single campaign had that at its center. Lower costs, make sure every American has health care when and where they need it that they can afford. hold those who are enriching themselves through corruption at taxpayers expense accountable and that's exactly what we're going to do the the priority the agenda we cannot wait to get this big caucus together and help set that with the speaker's vision and guidance but I can tell you this that every week when When we come to the floor. It is going to be the people of this country who are going to be the focus of the work we do. And the campaign promises made are going to be promises kept. The North Star for the Democratic Caucus is going to be affordability. We've talked about it and we're going to deliver on it. Not putting billionaires above working-class people, not taking away health care, but expanding health care, expanding opportunity, lowering the cost of housing and utilities, lowering the costs that people face. That's going to be the agenda. But as the future speaker said, we're going to use the next couple weeks to have conversations with our caucus, refine that focus, work with the committees of jurisdiction, and we're going to come out. And we're going to come out aggressively. For the American people, but we're going to lead with this vision this inclusive vision to lower the cost that people face But we're going to do it together We're going to do it as a group and we're going to do it successfully under the leadership of Speaker Jeffries and Leader Clark Mr. Leader, if I could just return to President Trump. He told our outlet, I think we'll work with Democrats and we'll get along very well with them. Do you think just given the decisive nature of this victory that there's an opening perhaps to actually work with President Trump? And do you actually want to sit down with him in the Oval Office soon? I'm looking forward to sitting down with him. The returning members of the House Democratic Caucus and the incoming members of the House Democratic Caucus. At the same time, we've consistently made the point that we are ready, willing, and able to find bipartisan common ground with the other side of the aisle as long as we can bring about meaningful change on the issues that matter. And that begins with decisively addressing the affordability crisis. The cost of living Is way too high. It is out of control. There are far too many people in this country who are working hard and playing by the rules, but they can't thrive and they can barely survive. People in this country, hardworking American taxpayers, middle class taxpayers, working class taxpayers who are stressed the F out whenever they have to go to the grocery store. That's unacceptable. Stress the F out. Whenever they have to go to the gas station to try and fill their tank, that's unacceptable. And they're stressed the F out whenever they have to pay the rent or the mortgage. And so if the other side of the aisle wants to work with us to deliver the type of bold, dramatic, and decisive change the American people are demanding, we'll sit down and we'll have that conversation. In addition to being the next chair of the House Democratic Caucus and another history maker in this group behind me, the highest-ranking Asian American ever to serve, when we start The 120th Congress, Ted Lieu, he's also led our commission on artificial intelligence designed to make sure we protect the American people. And so let me yield to the next chair of the House Democratic Caucus, Ted Lieu. Thank you, Speaker-elect Jeffries. The Trump administration House Republicans last year, made a conscious decision to let the AI industry run wild. And that was a bad decision. Politically and a bad decision on policy. Two things will change next term. We will hold public hearings on AI. We will pass legislation, reasonable guardrails on AI. And specific to data centers, you see huge pushback from the American people for the out of control AI industry. We need to have to put in some reasonable, sensible guardrails. Hakeem Jeffries set up a Democratic AI Commission that I co-chaired with Josh Gottheimer and Valerie Fuchy, and we are working on putting out a document that we'll work with Leader Jeffries on that you'll see that will lay out some of the things that Democrats will focus on next term. Do Americans expect a slowdown in the expansion of data centers as even if it's a slowdown? We will have conversations with leadership and with our entire Congress. We also give a shout out to our heroic, legendary, and iconic Speaker Emerita. Nancy D'Alessandro Pelosi, we had a great conversation yesterday, thankful for her, thankful for the legendary Jim Clyburn, thankful for our incredible colleague, former Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. It's wonderful for all of us to have the opportunity to serve with them and now to stand on their shoulders. As we talked about what I think we all support, progressives, new Dems, and blue dogs, is to move forward aggressively to reverse the Medicaid cuts. And to move forward aggressively to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. Now, with respect to how we go forward beyond that, that's the reason why we've established five working groups on affordability. One on health care, and that's co-convened by Representative Ocasio-Cortez and Representative Terry Sewell. To work on a path forward for us to decisively bring to live our commitment that here in America we want to make healthcare affordable for every single American so they can afford to go see a doctor when they need one. We'll have a family conversation when we get back and certainly in the new Congress about what's the best way to do that beyond what we know we need to do immediately. which is fight to reverse the Medicaid cuts and extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. We also have established affordability working groups on housing, an affordability working group on gas and groceries, an affordability working group on goods and utilities, and an affordability working group on caregiving. These are the five areas where Where we'll be having conversations as a House Democratic Caucus family. United and committed to the goal of making life more affordable for the American people. Last question. Senate Democrat majority, is it time to do a reconciliation bill across both chambers, or should Senate Democrats kill the filibuster I look forward to having a conversation with Leader Schumer, and congratulations to Leader Schumer. Congratulations to the Senate Democrats, and congratulations to all of the incredible public servants. We're going to be serving in the House and in the Senate together. It looks like they're going to have a decisive majority in the Senate. We are certainly going to have a decisive majority in the House. We will pick up at least 40 seats without losing a single Democratic incumbent. And as Susan indicated, they're still counting in about 30 or 35 other seats. That's with us landing. At around 254, 255. That's a stunning repudiation of MAGA extremism and an incredible victory for the American people. So let me end by simply saying to everyday Americans who want us to bring about dramatic change and make their lives more affordable, we hear you, we see you, we feel you, and we are committed to making life better for you. Thank you, everyone. See you back on the hill, buddy.