LIVE: Mike Johnson and Hakeem Jeffries hold separate press conferences

Thank you all for waiting. It's been a long, long night, a long day, but we just had a very fruitful almost two-hour conference call with all the House Republicans, and we have a united group. Let me just be completely unequivocal and put this out here in the open and in the beginning here to make clear, the Republicans are not going to be any part of any effort to reopen our borders or to stop immigration enforcement. We are going to deport dangerous, criminal, illegal aliens because it is a basic function of the government. The Democrats fundamentally disagree. The Senate Democrats have hoisted upon this appropriations process their radical, crazy agenda. We call it crazy because that's what it is. They want to reopen the borders, and they want to stop the deportation of dangerous, criminal, illegal aliens. We have to do these basic functions of government. We have to fund them in order to do them. In the last several days, we have recent examples of dangerous criminals in this country killing innocent Americans. We had an 18-year-old college student in Chicago, a young lady, who was shot in the back by a dangerous criminal who had been released in that sanctuary city and first released at the border under Joe Biden. They opened the border wide for four years. Just yesterday, or in the last 36 hours or so, an 83-year-old man is pushed onto the subway tracks and run over by a dangerous, criminal, illegal alien. This has to stop. The Republicans are not going to be a party to this. They have taken hostage the funding processes of government so that they can impose their radical agenda on the American people, and we can't have any part of it. This gambit that was done last night is a joke. I'm quite convinced that it can't be that every Senate Republican read the language of this bill, and I'm going to just read you one excerpt of it because it's pretty alarming, and it says everything that you need to know in section four. This is on page two of the bill. This is an actual copy of the bill, that excerpt. It says, quote, the contents printed under the headings of this bill, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Security Operations, under the heading of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and Protection, shall have no force or effect for purposes of this act, and amounts specified in the final bill, under the subheading Border Security Operations, and under the heading U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and under the headings of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in the Department of Homeland Security, shall be zero. We're not doing that. And it is unconscionable to me that the Democrats would force some sort of negotiation at three o'clock in the morning and try to hoist this upon the American people and then get on their jets and go home for their holiday, and pretend and think that we're going to go along with that. So we're going to do something different. We're going to do the responsible thing. Republicans are going to continue to govern and do the right thing morally, legally, and politically. We are going to take care of those who take care of us. The employees in the Department of Homeland Security have gone without funding and without paychecks for 42 days. It's the second longest shutdown in U.S. history, bested only by the longest shutdown in U.S. history that these same radical Democrats hoisted upon the government in the fall of last year. Forty-two days they've gone without pay. We've had, by some estimates, close to 500 TSA agents who have resigned from their jobs, and who could blame them? They've gone half the fiscal year without a regular paycheck. We can't ask that of anyone. And the lines around the airlines and at the airports have been wrapped around the buildings because of all this turmoil. We are very grateful to have a strong commander-in-chief in the White House who has taken real leadership. President Trump has already ordered by executive order that TSA agents will be paid, and that machinery is in process right now. The Office of Management and Budget is working through that to make sure that that happens, and we will reduce the lines and the waits at the airlines, and we'll make sure that those who are protecting us are paid. But what we are going to present and what we're going to vote on this floor, our rules committee is working through this right now, we're going to put a clean, simple, continuing resolution that will go until May 22nd. It's just a number of weeks to allow for all those who sacrificially serve the country and protect other Americans. All these agencies, 10 agencies in the Department of Homeland Security, will continue at their current funding levels to make sure that they are protected. We're going to send that over to the Senate, and we hope that they'll accept that. They can do it in record time just like that with the unanimous consent. They could do that as early as Monday. In the meantime, TSA will be paid, we will have done our jobs, and we will protect the homeland because that is the most basic responsibility of the Congress, is to protect the American people. We're not playing political games on this. We encourage some of our Democrats, hopefully we'll have some of our Democrats in the House who go along with this, and stop the pain that's being forced upon these people. The reason that we can't accept this ridiculousness, okay, is because we're not going to risk not funding the agencies that keep the American people safe. The Department of Homeland Security is the third largest department in the federal government. It has 10 agencies beneath it. It's not just TSA, it's also FEMA, the Coast Guard, all these agencies that keep us safe. We must fund them. This is not a game. Republicans will do the responsible and honorable thing, and Democrats will continue to play politics. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. You and John Thune are not on the same page. You came out and criticized Democrats. He was the engineer behind this. Why are you guys not on the same page, and are you not extending the shutdown? If you were to accept what the Senate had passed, this could end tonight, and the TSA lines would shrink. I wouldn't call John Thune the engineer of this. Chuck Schumer and the Democrats in the Senate have forced this upon the Senate. I have to protect the House? Let me answer the question, Chad. I have to protect the House, and I have to protect the American people. That's our responsibility. Our colleagues on this side understand this is not a game. We are not playing their games. These people want open borders, and they want criminal, illegal aliens in the country. They do not want to enforce the law. They want to literally defund — you just read it in the bill here — they want to give zero dollars to enforcing federal immigration laws and keeping the borders secure. That was the biggest issue in the election of 2024, the wide-open border that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris hoisted upon the country. And 20 million — by some estimates, 20 million — dangerous, criminal, illegal aliens included in that number came over the border. We have terrorists in our country. We have, obviously, murderers. They're putting it on display. And then these big blue cities that have sanctuary city policies, they're releasing these people onto the streets. They released them over the border when they came over under the Biden years, and that is the turmoil that we're facing right now, the very serious threats to the homeland and everybody. It's not just long lines at the airport. It is the danger and safety of everyone. We'll talk more after this is passed. We'll get another. I spoke to the president a few moments ago. He understands exactly what we're doing and why, and he supports it. Yes. The American people are just sick and tired of every one of you, both Republicans and Democrats, come to this podium and blame the other side. People have been standing in lines three, four, five hours at a time. There's TSA workers that are selling their plasma. At what point is a leader on either side going to stand up and say, we have a path forward that everyone will agree to? This vote today will extend the shutdown under any circumstances. No, it won't. No, it won't. Thank you. Let me answer the question. I'm glad you brought it up. The House Republicans have now voted that today will be the fourth time to fund the homeland security. This is not party blame game. This is a record. You can hold up the record. Look at the Democrats. They're voting over and over. Last night, yesterday afternoon, we gave them a chance to fund homeland security. You know how many House Democrats voted yes? Four of them. They want to use people as pawns. People are not pawns. These are workers who are sacrificially serving the country, many of them without pay, to make sure that you and your families are safe. And we're done with it. This is not a political blame game. This is one party doing the job and getting the government funded, and another that's using people as pawns. We're not going to do that. Listen, we're going to send it over there, and you can see what they do. If this is not you seed, and they don't do it, the president has shown leadership. He's going to fund TSA agents. We'll get that covered, but we have the rest of the country to take care of. We're not asking them to do anything heroic. These aren't partisan games. We're not adding bells and whistles to this. It is a clean continuation of funding to make sure that the most basic responsibility of government is fulfilled, and we'll see how that goes. Good afternoon, everyone. This is day 42 of the Trump-Republican shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. Republicans have decided for weeks now to force TSA agents to work without pay, inconvenience millions of Americans, and create chaos at airports all across the country. This could end and should end today. There is a bipartisan bill that has been sent over from the Senate that would reopen the non-controversial parts of the Department of Homeland Security, make sure TSA agents are paid, and end the chaos at airports throughout the nation. The bipartisan bill sent over by the Senate has been supported by every single Democrat and every single Republican as it made its way over to the House of Representatives. House Democrats are prepared to support the bill to end the Trump-Republican shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, make sure TSA agents are paid, stand up for FEMA and for the Coast Guard and for our cybersecurity professionals, and stop inconveniencing Americans, which is being intentionally done by Donald Trump and House Republican extremists. Why is this happening, many Americans are asking? Because House Republicans have decided that they would rather inconvenience you, create chaos for you and for your families, so that they can continue to jam their extreme right-wing ideology down the throats of the American people, so they can continue to spend billions of dollars for ICE to brutalize and kill American citizens, as we've seen horrifically in the case of Renee Nicole Goode and Alex Pretty. Our views on immigration enforcement are the views of the American people. Immigration enforcement should focus on violent felons who are in this country illegally, not target law-abiding immigrant families or brutalize and in some cases kill American citizens. Your taxpayer dollars should be used to make life more affordable for you and for your family, and that's what Democrats are going to continue to fight to accomplish. The only thing standing right now between the chaos that is taking place at airports all across the country and the American people, and making sure you are no longer inconvenienced are House Republicans. That's the only thing standing right now as we approach Easter and Passover, with chaos breaking out all over the country, TSA agents being forced to work without pay week after week after week. And now we have this bipartisan bill sent over by the Senate that House Democrats are prepared to support. If that bill is brought to the floor today, it will pass, and the Trump Republican DHS shutdown will be over. But unfortunately, MAGA extremists in the House of Representatives continue to inflict pain on the American people. It's now my honor to yield to the House Democratic whip, my good friend and colleague from the great Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Catherine Clark. Thank you so much, Mr. Leader, and good afternoon, everyone. There's no reason for TSA to be shut down. There's no reason for FEMA and our Coast Guard to still be unfunded. There's no reason for travelers to be waiting in absurdly long lines. We could have voted today, yesterday, last week, last month, to open every part of Department of Homeland Security that actually keeps Americans secure. That's what we've been fighting for four weeks. That is what the Senate passed unanimously this morning. But House Republicans refuse to take yes for an answer. In fact, Mike Johnson said that this bill is a joke. That's another classic we can add to their lines about how they feel about the American people and what they are going through right now. We can add it to affordability is a hoax. Donald Trump on gas prices going up $1 a gallon. When they rise, they rise. I will declare no new wars if elected president. And the impact of all of this on consumers is the last of our concerns. None of this is a joke. All of this has real world consequences for American families. And the same day that they're refusing to fund our cybersecurity, they learned that Iran has hacked the director of the FBI. Republicans won't fund TSA or FEMA or the Coast Guard unless we green light more terror in our communities. That's what they care about. That's more important to them than anything else. Funding ice and the paramilitary force that they have turned into. So if you've ever doubted for a moment how craven the House Republicans really are today, you have your answer. And with that, I will turn it over to our amazing house chairman, our friend and colleague, Pete Aguilar. Thanks, Clark. Thank you, Leader Jeffries. House Democrats have been clear from the start. We must pay TSA, Coast Guard, and FEMA and other public safety agencies while we negotiate common sense reforms for ice. Weeks ago, we put forward legislation that would do just that and outlined a list of changes that we knew we wanted to see at ice to make our communities safer. Republicans, Democrats held firm in our position and we never gave in. And as a result, you saw early this morning, Senate Republicans agreed with our approach. But now Speaker Johnson is calling this bipartisan agreement a joke simply because it doesn't give more money to Trump's out of control ice agency. Think about it. After witnessing the chaos at the airports, after hearing about TSA agents quitting or picking up second jobs or sleeping in their cars, this is the response that Mike Johnson has. This isn't a joke, as the whip said. These are real people's lives. And there's only one reason, one real solution to end this shutdown, and that's passing this bipartisan DHS funding package today. Republicans cannot continue to hold funding for airport security, disaster assistance, and response for the Coast Guard hostage because they want an out of control ice that brutalizes our communities, detains children, and kills US citizens. Republicans know they need Democratic votes in order to pass this. They can't keep ignoring our calls to rein in ice. The American people elected us to make their lives better, not worse. We have the opportunity to do that now. And with this bipartisan bill, we urge our Republican colleagues to do the right thing and put this bill on the floor. Our message to Mike Johnson and House Republicans is clear. Paying TSA agents, reopening the Department of Homeland Security, ending the chaos, and stopping the inconvenience for millions of Americans all across the country is no joking matter. It is serious. You should take your responsibilities serious. Bring this bipartisan bill to the floor today so we can end the nonsense, end the chaos, and actually start doing the type of things that the American people want us to focus on, which is making their life more affordable in an environment where Donald Trump and Republicans have made life more expensive in the United States of America. Questions? What is your position on the Republican bill they're trying to pass as soon as tonight, which is a 60-day continued resolution for all of DHS? Our position remains the same. There is a bipartisan bill that every single senator, Democrats, and Republicans have supported that has the votes to pass today to reopen the Department of Homeland Security, to pay TSA agents, and to end the chaos at airports all across the country that Republicans have been inflicting on the American people for weeks. That's the legislation that should be brought to the floor. Peter Jeffries, in the past 41 days, have you had a conversation with Speaker Johnson at all about a bipartisan deal? Did you get broken on this side? And you said that the House Democrats would support this bipartisan bill that came out of the Senate, but Republicans already teed up a reconciliation bill that would fully fund ICE. Leader Thune said the ship has sailed for reforms talk. Why would you guys support that if it would be antithetical to your mission? The ship has not sailed as it relates to making sure that there are dramatic changes that are brought about to ICE that are bold, meaningful, comprehensive, and transformative. Why do we know that? Because we've heard the ship has sailed from Republicans throughout the last 15 months. We were told the ship has sailed on releasing the Epstein files. Donald Trump said last April or May, it's over. But House Democrats stayed on the case. It's not over. We passed legislation that has forced them to date to release three million documents, and we're going to continue to stay on the case. We were told throughout the 43-day Trump Republican government shutdown that our demand to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits under terms that made sense for working-class families was dead on arrival, and that it would never happen in the House of Representatives. Guess what? In January, it happened in the House of Representatives, and we were joined by 17 Republicans, and every single House Democrat passed a three-year straightforward extension to the Affordable Care Act tax credits as part of our effort to protect the health care of more than 20 million Americans. We can give you example after example after example where the ship had allegedly sailed with respect to our efforts to fight to make life better for the American people. And our position remains the same. We continue to be in every single fight on behalf of the American people until we win that fight. If Speaker Johnson does not play this legislation on the bipartisan legislation from the Senate on the floor tonight, how will you get it reconsidered in the House? There are a variety of different legislative vehicles available to us. I'll yield to Katherine. We, of course, have been successful in this Congress over the last few months in advancing three different discharge petitions forcing up or down votes on legislation demanded by the American people, including most recently on extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits. We have a discharge petition that is live right now. All we need are a handful of House Republicans to join us and we can force an up or down vote to end this Republican Trump shutdown of TSA, of the Coast Guard, of FEMA, and of our cyber security professionals. And we will pursue every available avenue to us to get something done bipartisan. But what's in front of us right now is a bipartisan bill sent over from the Senate, passed unanimously. All 100 senators supporting this bipartisan bill. And if it's brought to the floor today, it will pass. And we can end the nightmare that Donald Trump and Republicans are inflicting upon the American people at airports all across the country in advance of Easter and Passover. Katherine. As Leader Jeffrey said, we have a discharge petition that has been active and live. And what they are saying is not only rejecting the bipartisan bill, but they know this is a continuation of the shutdown because the Senate is gone. The Senate is gone. So they know fully well what they're doing. They're saying we want the status quo, that we are so eager to keep ICE going exactly as they're operating in their reckless and unlawful and violent way. That's our priority over that of the American people. And the other portions that this bipartisan bill would have funded are important to the security of our country. And it's beyond TSA workers who should never have had to go without a single paycheck. But what about our cybersecurity experts? What about the Coast Guard? What about those people who work in our ports and our customs? What about FEMA that this administration has been dismantling and now wants to continue to allow to be unfunded? I mean, it is hard to take in the level of how far House Republicans have come to be removed from the people who sent them here to govern on their behalf. It is such a betrayal of their own voters and of the American people in total. It's incredible to me that Republicans are considering trying to jam part two of the one big ugly bill down the throats of the American people. Let's review again what part one was all about. In part one of the Republican one big ugly bill, they ripped away Medicaid from 14 million Americans with the largest cut to Medicaid, almost a trillion dollars in American history. At the same period of time, in part one of the one big ugly bill, Republicans enacted a 186 billion dollar cut to nutritional assistance. These extremists literally have ripped food out of the mouths of hungry children, seniors, and veterans. And why did they do that? At least two reasons. To provide massive tax breaks to their billionaire Republican donors, and then to create a 75 billion dollar slush fund. That's right, America. Republicans in their one big ugly bill created a 75 billion dollar slush fund so that taxpayer dollars could be used to brutalize and kill American citizens. That's what Democrats object to, because we're fighting for working families, for everyday Americans, and for middle class America. The notion that these extremists would try to jam a second so-called budget reconciliation bill, part two of the one big ugly bill down the throats of the American people, why would they do it? To continue ICE brutality, and at the same time provide up to 200 billion dollars to support Donald Trump's reckless war of choice in the Middle East. Republicans would rather unleash ICE brutality and drop bombs by spending billions of dollars a day in the Middle East, than actually make life more affordable for the American people. In an environment where this country is far too expensive, the cost of living is far too high. As a result of failed Republican policies, and now they're doubling and tripling down on it, I can say without reservation that the one big ugly bill part two, spending billions of taxpayer dollars, perhaps to rip healthcare away some more from the American people, while funding this reckless war of choice, and continuing to unleash ICE brutality of the American people, will not get a single Democratic vote. We've been very clear that taxpayer dollars should be spent to make life more affordable for the American people. We want ICE to be compelled to conduct itself like every other cop, police officer, and law enforcement agency in the country. Immigration enforcement in America should be fair, just, and humane. That's not what's happening right now. And the American people know that ICE is out of control, and they're demanding changes that are bold, transformative, and meaningful, while at the same time anchored in common sense. Now, this bill that has been sent over from the Senate in a bipartisan way, that House Democrats are ready to embrace, separates out ICE funding, and separates out funding for the Trump Republican violent mass deportation machine. So we are prepared to support it, while continuing to fight on behalf of the American people to get ICE under control. That's why it's not that complicated. It's because Senate Republicans have at least recognized that it's time for them to stop holding TSA agents and the American people hostage. Pete? I agree with what the leader says. I think it's incredibly unfortunate, the position that Senate Republicans have waited this long to understand what House Democrats have said, which is we want a bipartisan solution. Now, the policies that the leader and Senator Schumer sent over are incredibly important, and we don't believe that ICE should get funding until we achieve those policy changes. Neither of that happens here. ICE doesn't get its funding, and the policy changes we will continue to discuss and debate. But the important thing for the American people is TSA will get funded, FEMA will get funded, Coast Guard will get funded. Individuals who work for the federal government will be held harmless, which has been our position for weeks. We've stood at this podium and we've said, this is what we want. We want to isolate and have a discussion about ICE and Border Patrol. We want to ensure that their bad actions do not receive more money so they can't brutalize our communities. And we want them above all else to have rules, just like our local police officers, just like our local police agencies do. That's what this has been about. And then we have a bipartisan agreement, not just bipartisan, a unanimous agreement where 100 senators were given an opportunity to object and not a single one objected. That's the type of solution that we believe we can gravitate around. And unfortunately, Mike Johnson doesn't believe that that's enough of a solution because he wants more brutality in our communities. Thank you. So John Boone, in his statement on the vote last night, one of the things he pointed out is he believes that Democrats have once again established themselves as the open borders and defund the police party heading into an election. Do you believe that Mike Johnson is not having his Republicans vote on this bill because he wants the election message to be against you guys as the defund police open borders party and use that as an attack in the election? You know, Mike Johnson is really struggling right now. They have a new message every week. But you know what also is happening? Republicans have been losing elections for the last 15 consecutive months over and over and over again, including in deep red places like Texas, Louisiana, and most recently in Florida. As a matter of fact, Donald Trump will now be represented at Mar-a-Lago by a Democrat in a district that he previously won by double digits. Make no mistake, Republicans are falling apart. When are they going to learn their lesson that the American people are rejecting their extremism and actually want Congress to focus on making life better for everyday Americans? That's what Democrats are continuing to do. We're fighting to lower the high cost of living, to fix our broken health care system, to clean up corruption, to get ICE under control, to end the chaos at airports, to stop this reckless war of choice, and to actually focus on the things that matter. The American people know Republican priorities have nothing to do with making their life better, and everything to do with jamming their extreme and radical right-wing ideology down the throats of the American people. And exhibit A today is the fact that House Republicans are rejecting a bipartisan bill supported by 53 Republican senators that would end the chaos at the airports, pay TSA, and stop inconveniencing millions of Americans. Thank you.