LIVE: House Democratic Leader Jeffries Holds Press Conference

Good morning, everyone. The American people clearly and decisively rejected MAGA extremism on Tuesday and voted for dramatic change. And that's exactly what House Democrats are going to work hard to deliver for the American people. Life is way too expensive. There are far too many people in this great country working hard, playing by the rules. They can't thrive and they can barely survive. That's an unacceptable situation. Millions of Americans are drowning in this failed Republican economy and have voted for a Congress to focus on driving down the high cost of living in all of the areas, including groceries, gas, housing, and, of course, fighting to make health care affordable for every single American. House Democrats are going to focus on affordability, accountability, and a return to American values. We're going to fight for an affordable America. We're going to fight to make sure that we root out corruption wherever it may be found and hold the crooks accountable who have visited it upon the American people. And we're going to fight hard so that our country can return to American values like liberty and justice for all, equal protection under the law, The unencumbered right to vote. And the elevation. of our heritage as a nation of immigrants. We have a vote next Wednesday. I'm going to work hard to talk to every single member about what we've been able to do together over the last two years and what the opportunities are for us to do together in the next two years to deliver upon the dramatic change that the American people so decisively voted for this past Tuesday. I think I don't have the vote nailed down. I guess we'll find out next Wednesday. There's also a lot of confirmation on the other side of the Capitol for Chuck Schumer. Do you personally think it makes sense that Democrats put Chuck Schumer in the Senate? Yes. Chuck Schumer was the quarterback of a team effort led by Senate Democrats, an incredible candidate who ran all across the country, Texans in Maine, in Michigan. in Iowa, in Kansas, in South Carolina, as we'll soon see, in Alaska, and in Mississippi, an as well as North Carolina, and of course, you. John Ossoff running a great campaign in Georgia. I think the results of that election, the outcome, the decisive victory, speaks for itself. But the people say they want a fresh face. I'm waiting on my screen. Let's take one step at a time. Right in front of us right now. The Hegseth impeachment resolution, I'm a hard yes, as I've made clear on the impeachment resolution, Pete Hegseth has abused his power, undermined America's national security, and he's the architect of the reckless and costly failed war of choice in Iran, which has skyrocketed gas prices on everyday Americans, made the country less safe, and Iran is stronger now than they were before Operation Epic Failure, led by Pete Hegseth, began. No preference, that's the decision the House Republican Conference can make. And I have more to say about the time that Mike Johnson and I have spent in leadership together at some point once we get free and clear of all of these leaders. Still on the review. When it comes to actual... And then on the accountability. Investigation or, uh, We'll have that conversation in the House of Democrats beginning tomorrow as a caucus, first time since the election. What I have said clearly and consistently and publicly is that there are several areas where we'll focus on delivering right out the gate early in the new Congress. We have to reverse the Medicaid cuts. We have to do everything that we can. We need to end this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran, which has skyrocketed gas prices, food prices, diesel prices, and the cost of everyday goods. We need to end the tariffs that have increased costs on everyday Americans by thousands of dollars per year. And we certainly need to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credit because the Republicans' failure and unwillingness to do so. It has resulted in tens of millions of Americans experiencing dramatically increased premiums, co-pays, and deductibles, in some cases, in excess of $1,000 per month. That's unacceptable. So these are clear steps that the Congress can take, Democrats in the majority, to try to drive down the high cost of living. It's a conversation I look forward to having. Not simply the members of the House Democratic Caucus, but with the Senate as well, to see what's possible. It certainly needs to be increased. It's a disgrace that the minimum wage hasn't been raised in 20 years, and it's currently $7.25 per hour. So we have to raise the wage for every single American. And one significant step that can be taken in that direction is to raise the minimum wage. We have a broken immigration system. It needs to be fixed in a comprehensive way, and in divided government, it needs to be fixed in a bipartisan way. House Democrats have taken the position that we're not going to give a dime to the administration's violent mass deportation machine, because taxpayer dollars should be used to make life more affordable for the American people, not brutalize or kill American citizens and violently target law-abiding immigrant communities and families, which is what has happened. Over the last two years, that's unacceptable, unconscionable, and un-American, and it needs to come to an end. We believe that immigration enforcement in this country, it should be fair, it should be just, and it should be humane. And we need to move the situation in a much better direction. And hopefully, some of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle will be willing to do that work. Perhaps beginning. With one additional signature that we need. To force a vote on the Dream and Promise Act from a Republican. Mr. Governor, three House committees, they called for a closed-door briefing with NVIDIA's gentleman. If his answers aren't sufficient, would you call for a full public review? It's a closed-door briefing that I think will need to take place with members of the intelligence community and certainly folks connected to the NVIDIA situation. I haven't had a conversation to talk to any of the soon-to-be chairs. We'll have a conversation about that when we have a conversation about it subsequent to me speaking to the chair. You're really safe, John. How are you going to deal with it next year? Follow the facts. We're going to apply the law. We're going to be guided by the Constitution. We're going to let the chips fall where they may, and I'm very confident that that is the process that will be undertaken By Jamie Raskin and House Committee. Democrats on the Judiciary Committee, as well as Robert Garcia and House Democrats on the Oversight Committee. With respect to the situation with Pete Hegseth, the so-called Secretary of Defense, it's clear as day. He's been a failure and a disaster for the American people. He shredded the law and the Constitution with impunity. And there was no circumstance that justifies Pete Hegseth continuing to hold this position. This resolution is brought by a Republican member of Congress. And it's my expectation that there will be Republican members of Congress who will join in the effort to try to pass the resolution. I have made clear since the spring of 2025 that Pete Hegseth, the most unqualified secretary of defense in American history, has got to go, in my view, As I communicated directly to President Trump last spring, 2025, he should fire Pete Hegseth. The fact that Pete Hegseth is still around makes zero sense to a whole lot of people in this country. And hopefully this can come to an end. The national nightmare that has been Pete Hegseth can end this week if the president doesn't make the decision on his own. There's a Four Corners conversation that is underway between Democrats and Republicans in the House and the Senate on the Appropriations Committee, led by Rosa DeLauro, and we'll see what that yields. Our principles will remain consistent. At all times, we want to reach a spending agreement that meets the needs of the American people, particularly in the face of this affordability crisis that we're confronting. And if there's an opportunity to enter into a spending agreement, that lifts up. The health, the safety, and the economic well-being of the American people, then that's something that I think Democrats will embrace in good faith. But what we will not do is continue down the path that Republicans have undertaken since the beginning of this presidency, which is my way or the highway. That has gotten the Republicans nowhere. In fact, it has the Republicans in a deep deficit and political hole with the American people. And hopefully over the next few weeks, they can change direction so we can get something meaningfully done for the American people in advance of December 11th. Sorry, that was you. We're going to end the war on Iran one way or the other, but respect to the appropriations process right now, that's in the hands of Rosa DeLauro on the House side and Patty Murray. When every single vote is counted across the country, House Democrats are going to have The largest majority of any party. This century, and there's a clear mandate, House Democrats, to get things done, to make life more affordable for the American people, to hold the crooks accountable, and to make sure that this country can return to being the best version of herself. With respect to the 120th Congress, we have a mandate to work on these issues that are designed to make life better for the American people. We're committed to doing that and bringing about change that's bold, that's dramatic, and that's transformative. There are real concerns that need to be addressed. The briefing was primarily about Iran, the situation as it currently exists. It was undertaken by the Director of National Intelligence, Jake Sullivan, and the CIA Director, John Ratcliffe. What is clear, and the NVIDIA issue did come up, but that we're going to need a full briefing specifically as it relates to the NVIDIA issue so we can all get to the bottom of what has happened. And what the implications are in terms of America's national security. There are provisions currently in the Senate version of the NDAA that will restrict CHIP access to China that I strongly support. And I think we're going to work hard to make sure that those provisions make it into the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act. We're going to have to take the one big ugly bill, which was a disaster for the American people. The largest cut. To Medicaid in American history, a $186 billion cut to nutritional assistance, literally ripping food away from the mouths of hungry children, veterans, and seniors. ICE was given a $75 billion slush fund so that mass agents could brutalize and kill American citizens and violently target law-abiding immigrant communities. That's unacceptable. And all of this was done in order to provide massive tax breaks. To billionaire MAGA donors, it certainly is the case that we need to do everything we can to reverse all of those harmful provisions, including the assault on the clean energy economy and the clean energy tax credit that was also a part of their one big ugly bill. We need to reverse all of those provisions and reallocate funding in a way that actually is designed to make life more affordable. But working-class families, middle-class families, and everyday Americans. It's not a conversation that Speaker Johnson has brought up directly to me yet. We'll see what they have to say about it in the days to come. We're going to work hard to secure 218 votes that are necessary. It's in the hands of the caucus right now. We'll have a conversation at the caucus Wednesday when the leadership elections begin. And then we're going to continue. We're going to work as hard as we can to improve the high quality of life that the American people deserve, but do not have right now in this failed economy, and execute on all of the things that we've talked about over the last two years, such as the affordability agenda, the accountability agenda, and bringing American values to life. Is there anyone in the administration who you think can be a good legislator? Stephen Miller is a stone-cold... Racist. His track record speaks for itself. And I've got zero interest in working with that kind of individual. Directionally, we're a little bit off right now. So, yeah, we can go here and then I'll go to you. Can you tell me where the key is? With some of the current top Democrats on all of the relevant committees on Wednesday morning. And we'll have a conversation about their thoughts in terms of what the work ahead of us can look like. Both as it relates to foreign affairs. And certainly as it relates to A.I. safety, where we have to act quickly and decisively and, in my view, not wait until the new Congress. We should act as quickly as we can in this Congress. I'm starting We're going to work on the tariff issue in the new Congress quickly and aggressively. It appears as though our majority, to achieve 260 members, that is the historic majority. now. And what unites everyone in that majority. Whether they are progressive, New Dems, or Blue Dogs, it's a shared commitment to making life more affordable for the American people. And that would include on dealing with the tariff issue, which has clearly increased costs on everyday Americans, particularly as it relates to groceries and goods by thousands of dollars per year. The Trump tariffs are deeply unpopular. The American people know. The tariffs have been one of the reasons. Why toxic Republican policies have made their life more expensive. There's zero evidence that Representative Omar committed immigration fraud. This remains a right wing conspiracy and I'm going to continue to stand behind Representative Omar as she works to actually fight on the issues that Democrats have talked about addressing decisively, particularly as it relates to our affordability agenda and our accountability. I was waiting for that to come up. What number did you get? It remains my hope that we can take decisive action in this Congress, led by Teresa Leger Fernandez, who chairs the Democratic Women's Caucus, working with her colleagues on the other side of the aisle. I think there's an opportunity to act decisively in this Congress. We should seize it. It's our view as House Democrats that we have to clean up the mess, wherever it may be found, in the Congress, in the Supreme Court, And with respect to the Trump administration and in cleaning up the mess here in Congress, one of the most decisive things that we can do is to ban members of the House and Senate from trading stock. It is our intention. Thank you, everyone.