BREAKING: Hakeem Jeffries Briefs Press After U.S. Seizes Iranian Ship In

Good afternoon everyone. Earlier today, Donald Trump's top economic advisor said that costs are going down in America and the golden age that Donald Trump promised the country during his inauguration is upon us. These mega-extremists are completely clueless. Costs aren't going down in the United States of America, costs are going up. And a big part of the problem right now, particularly as it relates to skyrocketing gas prices, is Donald Trump's reckless and costly war of choice that is making life more expensive for the American people. And several of Donald Trump's top cabinet officials, including the Secretary of Energy, have acknowledged that gas prices are going to remain high for the foreseeable future. This is a direct result of Donald Trump plunging our country into this reckless and costly war of choice with no evidence that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States. No plan, no strategy, no clear objectives, and no way out in a way that benefits our troops and the American people. Donald Trump and Republican control of Congress has been a complete and total disaster on all the things and in all the ways. It certainly failed on the economy, failed on health care, failed as it relates to immigration enforcement, and Donald Trump has failed to keep his basic promises to the American people, which include his promise on election night that if Donald Trump wasn't going to start wars, he was going to stop them. Donald Trump and Republicans have started a reckless and costly war of choice in the Middle East, and they are spending billions of dollars a day to drop bombs overseas, but are unwilling to spend a dime to make life more affordable for the American people. And House Democrats remain committed to ending this reckless war of choice and to focusing on the things that matter, starting with driving down the high cost of living for the American people as opposed to what Republicans have done, which is to continue to jam their extreme policies down the throats of everyday Americans and making life more expensive. Questions? Mr. Leader, good afternoon. Is this a vote of conscience for Democrats to determine what should be done with Sheila Shurpless McCormick? Are we going to convene as a caucus in the aftermath of the recommendations that we anticipate at some point this week from the Ethics Committee, and then we will proceed in a manner consistent with our approach to these types of ethics matters, which is to always and at all times follow the facts and apply the relevant law without fear of it. Will you recommend a vote as a block? We'll have a conversation as a caucus in the aftermath of the recommendation, which we anticipate will be bipartisan from the Ethics Committee. Second row. Thank you, Mr. Leader. Presidents Biden and Trump have both worked to reschedule marijuana. Until that lengthy process is complete, are there any realistic bipartisan measures that Congress can take in relation to marijuana? I've consistently supported the rescheduling of marijuana. It should not be classified as a Schedule I drug. It has been done so in a manner that stems from the failed war on drugs, which has resulted in the over-incarceration of millions of Americans since that failed war on drugs was first launched by Richard Nixon in the summer of 1971. And I've been part of bipartisan efforts, including the passage of the First Step Act, to deal with over-criminalization in America and to ensure that taxpayer dollars aren't being spent on a prison industrial complex that has not made the country safer. It's devastated individuals, families, and communities and hurt our economic growth and development. And so I'm hopeful that we can find a legislative path forward. This does seem to exist as a bipartisan issue, particularly amongst younger generations of Republicans and the entirety of the House Democratic Caucus. And we know that the votes do exist to act legislatively, and we've got to find a way to do so. Hopefully in this Congress, and we certainly will be in a position to do something about it in the next Congress. Thank you, Mr. Leader. I want to get your final thoughts ahead of tomorrow's referendum vote in Virginia. I also want to ask, do you anticipate Florida will move after the referendum? And if so, if the referendum is successful, do you think that the extra seats that Virginia will pick up would be enough to offset whatever Florida decides to do? And lastly, the president will be holding a tele-rally tonight with Speaker Johnson ahead of the referendum in opposition. What are your thoughts about that? It's important for the voters of Virginia to know that Donald Trump is holding a rally tonight to urge the people of Virginia to vote no. That's Donald Trump's position. Vote no. Republicans have spent tens of millions of dollars trying to convince the people of Virginia that Barack Obama, President Obama, and that Governor Abigail Spanberger are urging a no vote. That's a stone cold lie. The no vote position is Donald Trump's position. As is being evidenced tonight. I hope that this rally is broadcast all across the Commonwealth of Virginia. Because Donald Trump up until this point has been trying to hide his position. He's been in the Presidential Witness Protection Program as it relates to the referendum in Virginia. But he can't hide anymore. And we're urging everyone to vote yes to stop the MAGA power grab. And the voters of Virginia have an opportunity to ensure that there's a fair national congressional map. Because we believe that it's the voters of Virginia and the people of this country who should decide which party is in the majority in the aftermath of the midterm elections. Not Donald Trump and his extreme MAGA sick offense and state legislative bodies across the country who were ordered by Donald Trump to gerrymander the national congressional map as part of their effort to rig the midterm elections. This effort has failed. Because Democrats haven't stepped back. We've fought back. And we'll continue to fight back. All the way through the finish line tomorrow in Virginia. And then we'll take the fight to Florida. It's going to be close. Because Virginia is a purple state. And Republicans have spent tens of millions of dollars to lie to the people in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Because they can't defend their position. But it should now be obvious to everyone based on Donald Trump's rally tonight that if you think that things are going well in Virginia if you think things are going well in this country then Donald Trump is urging you to vote no. If you believe we need change in America if you believe we need a Congress that will serve as a check and balance on this out-of-control Trump administration if you believe we should have free and fair elections in this country if you believe that we should stop the MAGA power grab and level the playing field across the nation then vote yes on the referendum in Virginia on April 21st. Thank you, Leader Jeffries. The clock is ticking towards the ceasefire deadline with Iran. Trump said it's highly unlikely he would extend it if the deal is not reached by then. What is your message to the President as the deadline approaches and do you believe the administration has a clear endgame or not? There was no intelligence to suggest that Iran presented an imminent threat to the national security interests of the United States of America. There was no plan of action as it relates to Donald Trump plunging us into this reckless war of choice. No clear objectives, certainly no exit strategy and that's why there's no public support. The American people have seen an administration that plunged us into this war that's spending billions and billions of dollars to drop bombs in the Middle East in this reckless war of choice. And apparently this administration didn't even anticipate that one of the things Iran would do right out of the gate was to close the Strait of Hormuz. Sending oil prices and gasoline prices in this country and across the world skyrocketing and the administration was clueless about it. And so the American people have no faith in the ability of the Trump administration to successfully prosecute this war. Why is Pete Hexeff still around? He should have never even been elevated to this position. He's the most unqualified Secretary of Defense in American history and we're seeing it all play out right now in real time. And so we're going to continue to push for Congress, the House and the Senate to successfully move a war powers resolution to end this reckless and costly war of choice before more money is wasted and more lives, most importantly, are lost in the Middle East. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Earlier today the House Ethics Committee put out a statement reiterating a zero tolerance policy for sexual misconduct. Are you aware of any members besides those who resigned last week or those who may be under investigation who may be in potential violation of that? No. And members who are under investigation, that information is not shared with us as individual leaders or people who are not part of the Ethics Committee. Now, the Ethics Committee, as well as thought leaders in this Congress, certainly on the Democratic side, led by the leadership within the Democratic Women's Caucus, are going to work on ensuring that we have the type of accountability and system in place that treats victims and staffers with the dignity and respect that they deserve. And I look forward to the thought leadership that will be coming forward from the members of the Democratic Women's Caucus, the leadership, the membership, working with the Ethics Committee, hopefully in a bipartisan way, to do everything that we can to improve upon the flaws that currently exist in the system. Is that something you're looking to expedite in light of what transpired last week? Thank you, Mr. Leader. Tomorrow, the Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing on the Arts Across investigation. Jack Smith, one of the witnesses that they're bringing in is Jeffrey Clark, who was out front, as we all remember, on Trump's claims regarding the 2020 election. What's your reaction to, independent of any concerns that members' toll records may have been gotten improperly during that investigation, of Republicans bringing in Jeffrey Clark as a witness for a hearing like this? Well, Jeffrey Clark is not a credible individual. He's an obstructionist, he's a stone-cold liar, and he's a conspiracy theorist. The Republicans, again, have demonstrated week after week, month after month, year over year during this Congress, that they are uninterested in actually solving problems for the American people. They are uninterested in making life better for the American people. And so, once again, theater is being brought to the House of Representatives, to the Capitol, to the Congress, as opposed to actually doing things designed to improve the quality of life for the American people. This is the same group of folks, these MAGA extremists, who last week brought a resolution to the floor to celebrate themselves. Never before seen in the history of the United States Congress, as far as I can tell. They passed a resolution to celebrate themselves in their one big ugly bill, which devastated the health care of the American people, so they could reward their billionaire donors with massive tax breaks, and continue to subsidize the lifestyles of the rich and shameless. This is incredible stuff. And, the American people, increasingly, in state after state after state, recognize that Republicans are failing. And despite that fact, we continue to see members of the Trump administration, as was done earlier today, by one of Donald Trump's top economic advisors, continue to operate as if they are totally divorced from reality. But here's the thing we know about Republicans. Facts don't matter. They absolutely don't matter. They told us facts don't matter. This is the party of alternate facts. Hypocrisy is not a constraint to their behavior. They will consistently say one thing, and do another. Donald Trump said he was going to lower costs on day one. Costs haven't gone down. They've gone up as a direct result of Donald Trump and Republican policies, including, but not limited to, the Trump tariffs, the refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, and the failed, costly, reckless war of choice in the Middle East. Hypocrisy is not a constraint to their behavior. They say one thing, and then they'll do the exact opposite. And these people actually believe that shamelessness is a superpower. That's the only way that you can explain Donald Trump's top economic advisor saying to the American people with a straight face earlier this morning that the golden age of the economy in America is upon us. No, it's not. And nobody believes that who's paying attention to the bills that they have to pay each and every day all across America throughout this great country. So, just to be sure, as far as how Democrats view leverage as far as Iran is concerned, do Democrats believe that the Iranians have more leverage than the United States do in these talks one year from now, despite the Iranians' military being completely decimated and having no ballistic capability whatsoever? How do you guys see it right now, one year from now, one year right now as opposed to one year ago? Do you think that the Iranians have more leverage now as opposed to one year ago in these talks? I gotta be honest, I don't really understand the question that you're asking. Are we in a quagmire right now? I'll try to figure it out. One, there's a risk that Donald Trump, Pete Hecsef, and Republicans have plunged the country into a possible quagmire in the Middle East. Now, last year, Donald Trump claimed that Iran's nuclear program had been completely and totally obliterated. That was Donald Trump's representation to America. That Iran's nuclear program last year was completely and totally obliterated. And then, it turns out, that apparently that was not the case. So Donald Trump launches this reckless and costly war of choice for a variety of reasons including regime change. The regime is still in place. They still clearly have the ability to strike out at our interests throughout the region, which is why more than a dozen countries in the Middle East have been dragged into Donald Trump's reckless war of choice. Iran, prior to the conflict, didn't have control of the Strait of Hormuz. Now they do. And as a result of it, gas prices in this country have skyrocketed beyond $4 per gallon. And we're still not clear as to whether the ballistic missile capacity of Iran has been degraded to the point at which the administration may claim to be the case. And why would we believe this administration when last year they said that Iran's nuclear program had been completely and totally obliterated, and then this year dragged us into a reckless and costly war of choice because apparently Iran's nuclear program had not been completely and totally obliterated. The facts speak for themselves. And that's why the American people oppose this war all across this land. Thank you, Mr. Leader. A follow-up to Nicole's earlier question. It currently is not against House rules for a lawmaker to have a relationship with a staffer who works for another member of Congress. Do you think that should change? Because we've spoken to a number of female lawmakers who say that there exists in that situation a power imbalance. Do you think that rule should change? So we're meeting with the Ethics Committee Democrats at some point this week. And also we'll be meeting with the leaders of the Democratic Women's Caucus, led by Congresswoman Teresa Legend Fernandez, who's a powerful voice on this issue. And I'm not going to get out ahead of any recommendations that they may put forth, other than to say everything needs to be looked at to ensure that people are kept safe here in the Congress and that women staffers and members are treated at all times with the dignity and respect that they deserve. Mr. Leader, is Kashmir Tal's sobriety or lack thereof a national security threat? Kashmir Tal is deeply unqualified, deeply unserious, and his behavior is deeply un-American. And he should no longer be the FBI director. That shouldn't surprise anyone that I hold that view, because he never should have been confirmed to begin with. And we have to stop putting all the blame on the people who nominated this incompetent, toxic, malignant individual. What about the people who confirmed him? And it's extraordinary to me that Senate Republicans confirmed people like Christy Noem, Pam Bondi, Pete Hegseth, RFK Jr., and Kash Patel. All of them deeply unserious and deeply unqualified. And now the country is paying the price because of the individuals that Donald Trump chose to nominate as part of the Trump cartel that's now doing great damage to the nation and the fact that Senate Republicans like helpless sheep went along with it all. Thank you, Mr. Leader. On Trump's reform act, I just want to make sure. Will you support the disciplinary recommendations that the ethics committee makes if it's in a bipartisan outcome? I look forward to the disciplinary recommendations that I expect will be made in a bipartisan fashion and then we will respond accordingly. We're coming up on the 60-day mark under the War Powers Act. If your Republican colleagues are not willing to go along with the War Powers resolution with extending it for 30 days if the President doesn't request, if there's no AUMF movement, I mean, what levers do you all have to try to put a check on this if the President just blows through those? We are going to continue to advance War Powers resolutions in the weeks to come until we are able to successfully bring this reckless and costly war of choice in the Middle East to a close. And it is our expectation that we are not going to let our Republican colleagues off the hook. We are going to continue to force them to go on record and either stand on the side of the American people or stand on the side of this reckless war of choice and the fact that billions of taxpayer dollars are being wasted in the Middle East in a war that has now resulted in more than a dozen service members losing their lives and over 400 men and women in uniform being seriously injured. Many of whom are suffering from traumatic brain injuries that's going to adversely alter their lives forever. This was the consequence of Donald Trump's reckless, costly, and continuing war of choice in the Middle East and we're committed this is not partisan, it's patriotic for us. We're committed to doing everything we can to stop it. Thank you all.