‘Today, We Will Give Republicans…’: Jeffries, Schumer Unite With Other Dems Amid Trump DOJ Deal

All right. Good morning, everybody. I want to thank all of my Senate and House colleagues for joining us this morning. So let me say it plain. The Republican agenda is one big broken promise. Americans across the country didn't vote for higher costs. They didn't ask for endless chaos, and they certainly didn't sign up for rampant corruption. Yet Republicans are doubling down on their failed agenda. Their rotten budget bill, which we still haven't seen because they're still fighting with each other, but it will give $72 billion to ICE and Border Patrol without any guardrails. The same agencies already sitting on $100 billion and sending masked agents to sow chaos in the streets of our cities. The Republican bill has zero dollars to lower Americans' costs. Zero dollars. Nothing to address health care, to cut gas prices, not a word on housing, utilities, groceries. And of course, the Republicans did try to sneak a billion dollars for Trump's corrupt ballroom, but the American people caught him red-handed and now they're trying to drop that hot potato. In the coming debate, the Congress between Democrats and Republicans will be on full display. All of America will see it. We will show Democrats are fighting for lower costs for health care, for energy, for groceries, for gasoline, for childcare. Trump and Republicans are making costs skyrocket. Democrats want to end the chaos threatening our communities at home and abroad. We want to put an end to this reckless Iran war. Trump and Republicans are fueling the unrest and keeping your gas prices high. Democrats are cracking down on corruption in government. Republicans are actively helping Trump steal from the American people to fund his ballroom and his multi-billion dollar MAGA slush fund. We must not allow any president to corrupt our democracy. Well, Republicans better wake up. Americans want their representatives to fight for them. They want Congress to lower costs, end chaos, stop corruption. Today, we will give Republicans countless chances to do the right thing, to join us, to help Americans in real concrete ways. But if Republicans don't, the American people will see it in black and white. The contrast will be glaringly clear. Ballroom Republicans are not working for you. They're busy fighting for Trump. Democrats are fighting for you. The American people are watching, and in November, they will be voting. Let me turn it over to soon-to-be Speaker Hakeem Jeffries. Good morning, everyone. Thank you, Leader Schumer, for your friendship, your partnership, and your leadership. It's a high honor and a distinct privilege to stand with our Senate colleagues, House and Senate Democrats united together in strong opposition to this reckless Republican budget that will not make life better for the American people. It will continue to make things worse. Here in America, our country is far too expensive. The cost of living is out of control. Housing costs are too high. Grocery bills are too high. Gas prices are too high. Utility bills are too high. And healthcare costs are way too high. America is too expensive, and it's a direct result of failed Trump Republican policies. We believe in this country that there are far too many people struggling to live paycheck to paycheck, hard-working American taxpayers who can't thrive and can barely survive. That is unacceptable in the United States of America, the wealthiest country in the history of the world, and things need to change. Democrats believe that in this great country of ours, when you work hard and play by the rules, you should be able to live an affordable life, a comfortable life, and a good life. We believe that in this country, every single American should be able to afford to go see a doctor when they need one. That in this great country of ours, access to high-quality and affordable healthcare can't simply be a privilege available only to the wealthy, the well-off, and the well-connected. Access to high-quality and affordable healthcare should be a right available to every single American. And that's what we're going to continue to fight hard to bring about. We believe that in this great country, we have a broken immigration system. We're committed to making sure we always have a strong, a safe, and a secure border. But this broken immigration system, it should be fixed in a comprehensive and in a bipartisan way. We believe that taxpayer dollars in this country should be used to make life more affordable for the American people, not subsidize corruption of Donald Trump and his cartel. That taxpayer dollars should be used to make the lives of everyday Americans more comfortable, more affordable, give them the ability to experience a middle-class life and beyond. And that taxpayer dollars under no circumstances, which is one of the major problems with this reckless Republican budget, taxpayer dollars under no circumstances should be used to brutalize or kill American citizens or violently target law-abiding immigrant families. That's unpatriotic, unacceptable, and it's un-American, which is why we are strongly opposing this bill. Immigration enforcement in this country should be fair, it should be just, and it should be humane. But that's not what's happening in America right now. ICE remains out of control, and we're committed to reining them in. And so, there's a clear choice that the American people are going to be asked to confront over the next several months. Do you want an affordable country that Democrats are fighting hard to bring about? Or do you want a country that solely is benefiting the wealthy, the well-off, and the well-connected? Do you want a country that brings people together, which is what we are committed to doing, or a country where Republicans are continuing to tear us apart? Do you want to move America forward, or do you want to turn back the clock? That's the choice that the American people are confronting. And Democrats remain committed to driving down the high cost of living, to fixing our broken healthcare system, to getting ICE under control, to ending this reckless and costly war of choice in the Middle East, and to cleaning up corruption wherever it's found, in the Congress, in the White House, and certainly across the street in the United States Supreme Court. Democrats are going to fight hard to make your life better. It's now my honor to yield to Senator Brian Schatz, who has the shortest commute of anyone in Washington, D.C., but so appreciative of his hard work, his passion, his strength, and his eloquence. I now yield to the distinguished gentleman from the great state of Hawaii, Senator Schatz. Thank you, Leader. Thank you, Leader. Americans are struggling to get by. Gas is at $4.55 nationally, $5.65 in Hawaii. Food prices are rising at the fastest rate in years. Electricity is through the roof. Millions of people are losing healthcare. Hospitals are closing. Housing is unaffordable for many people. And everything from clothing to electronics costs more because of the tariffs. And what the Republicans are telling the American people now is not that there's not enough money. There is enough money, apparently, for a ballroom. Apparently, there is enough money to quadruple the size of ICE. Apparently, there is enough money to spend a billion dollars a day on a regime change war of choice. There is enough money. What they are telling you is that there's no money for you as an American. And that's what we're fighting against. There is enough money in the richest country in human history. There is enough money if we allocate it properly. What they are telling you is that they want to enrich their friends and do escapades in Cuba and Venezuela and Iran and everywhere except your community, your kitchen table, your family. And that's why we're all so united in fighting this ridiculous proposition. I am now pleased to yield to my good friend, Representative Clark. Thank you so much. Thank you. I am so proud to stand with these Democrats because they're standing with the American people. And we're about to mark Memorial Day, where we will honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms. And what a disgrace to spend the days before this solemn commemoration debating this budget, this budget that puts over $70 billion into ICE, that is promoting and funding a gilded ballroom and is putting together a slush fund for allies of the president. Think about that, going into Memorial Day, funneling billions of dollars into a violent paramilitary force, handing taxpayer money to a militia that acts in our neighborhoods as judge, jury, and even executioner. Alex Pretty, Renee Good, killed in cold blood in broad daylight, not because they posed a threat to our security, but because they were exercising their fundamental freedom to protest. Republicans promised the American people their deportation would be about the worst of the worst. Instead, we've seen communities of law-abiding people be terrorized by their own government. They've witnessed the kidnapping and brutalization of their neighbors. And this week, we're seeing the GOP do everything in their power to fund ICE, while doing nothing for the mom that I met recently. She makes a good income, but between child care, her mortgage, and student loan payments, when her husband lost his job, they are simply not making it. He is now selling plasma to make sure that they can make their budget work. And we know that we have to do better by the people of this nation. And we know that what is being put before them is not only are we going to fund ICE to control and terrorize law-abiding citizens, but they are going to be asked to pay for it with their health care, with their kids' school lunches, with Medicare, with Medicaid, with cuts to medical research, and even the elimination of veterans' benefits. So this weekend, when we are hearing the nice tributes from our Republican colleagues, salutes to the service of our veterans, our fallen heroes, and our military families, I'd refer them to the oft-quoted President Kennedy. The highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. Honoring the fallen means rejecting this investment in terror. Let's vote to invest in the working people of this country and create a future that is worthy of our heroes' sacrifice. And now it is my pleasure to invite to the podium another champion in this fight for working Americans, Senator Ulster Brooks from Maryland. Well, the President has finally done it. We've always known that he did not care about the American people and our rising costs, but now he has finally said the quiet part out loud. When questioned about the financial well-being of Americans, he responded, and I quote, I don't think about Americans' financial situation. And the truth of the matter could not be any clearer. He could give a rat ass about the American people or about our rising costs. Over the last year, the President and this administration have engaged in a tremendous smash and grab, enriching themselves, enriching his family, enriching his allies. They have loot hanging all out of their pockets. They have enriched themselves so much. Yet yesterday, the average gas price in Maryland hit $4.46. The cost, we understand, of keeping a roof over your head and food on your table continues to rise. And this is as bad a time as any. Any one of us can ever remember the expense, the growing pile of bills on the kitchen table, the people who wake up each morning and go to work and come home each day, two and three jobs at a time to make ends meet. And they are seeing that things just don't add up for them. And this is the same story all across our nation. I'm hearing it every day from Maryland residents. You know, I've always loved to go to Wegmans. I go there, in fact, every week to do my grocery shopping. But over the past year, I have to tell you, it has taken me an hour to an hour and a half just to make it through the grocery store. As my neighbors are stopping me and saying how distressed they are about the clear, clear understanding they have that their government does not care about them, about whether they could afford the cost of groceries that continue to rise. The truth of the matter is that Americans across our nation are anxious. Families are forced to think about ways to cut back on expenses on the one hand, to afford bills on the other. And all of us in Congress here have a moral obligation to think about the people we represent. Unlike the president who does not understand that we must be a nation of neighbors. Neighbors not because of our proximity geographically, but because we are morally obligated to care one for each other about their concerns, about their future, about their current situations. This is what we as public servants have been called upon to do, to represent our states and the residents who are in them. Unfortunately, the Republicans here in Congress have decided to be more loyal to this administration than to the American people. They have claimed that they would lower cost if they had control of Congress. Well, you know what, they control it all and look at what they have done. Yet we're here with this bill that is again further proof of what they're thinking about. And trust me, it is not about working Americans. They're trying to give billions of taxpayer dollars to ICE and Border Patrol without holding them accountable for the reckless and frankly murderous way that they have caused chaos in communities across our nation. They want to give billions of your dollars, hard-earned taxpayer dollars, to this administration for the wasteful ballroom that if God is willing, and we know it's true, but when the next election comes he won't even be in office to dance in the ballroom. This is what we know is that we will not have, he won't even be able to dance in this ballroom. Nothing in this bill talks about relief on grocery prices. It doesn't talk one word about lowering gas prices. Not a single sentence dedicated to lowering health care expenses, cutting utility bills, or reducing the cost of housing. But Congressional Democrats haven't forgotten. While we're here, we have not forgotten who we work for. We have not forgotten who we work, who we fight for. And whether it's today, tomorrow, next month, or next year, we will not stop fighting to drive down costs and ease the burdens that are weighing on American families. At this point, it gives me a great honor to introduce the final speaker of the morning, Chair Aguilar, who will come and give his comments. Thank you, Senator Alsop Brooks. Good morning. Americans were promised lower costs on day one. They were promised lower inflation. They were promised lower utility bills. And what have Republicans delivered? The highest gas prices and inflation in years. Multiple new wars. Massive cuts to health care and food assistance. And now $70 billion in taxpayer dollars to an out-of-control ICE without any reforms in place to stop them from terrorizing people. In my own community in San Bernardino, the place that I grew up and I'm proud to represent, I've seen the lasting impact of the violent immigration agents can have on innocent families. In August, my constituent, Martin Rascone, a U.S. citizen, was lucky enough to survive a terrifying incident where masked federal agents fired multiple shots at his car. All of their windows were shattered, broken glass was everywhere, and Martin's family thought they were under attack. During this unlawful stop, agents refused to show their identification, and the police and the family was so scared for their lives, they called 911, their local police. They didn't know who these masked agents were, and they called the only people who they trusted, local law enforcement. Thankfully, no one was physically hurt, but this day could have ended very differently. And as our colleagues in Minnesota and across the country know, for many innocent individuals, it cost them their lives. Martin and his family and too many others have been traumatized for life and continue to experience the fallout. That's why Democrats are united in standing against this Republican bill, which wastes taxpayers' hard-earned dollars to fund an agency that is endangering American communities with no strings attached. Instead of investing even more in this brutal mass deportation machine, Republicans should be doing everything that they can to lower costs like they promised. If they don't, Democrats will when we take back the majority. Thank you so much. So now we hope you'll all join us upstairs and you'll see the contrast between the ballroom Republicans and Democrats fighting for the American people. Thank you.