Transcripts
House Democrats News Briefing on 11/13/24

House Democrats News Briefing on 11/13/24

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Chairman Aguilar (00:00):

… Democrats Met our new members today, a diverse and passionate group of leaders who will be an integral part of our efforts over the next two years. House Democrats are ready to work with the incoming administration and will extend a hand of bipartisanship whenever possible to make life better for everyday Americans. We want to create jobs, lower the cost of groceries and everyday necessities like childcare, and protect against a national abortion ban, and we'll be ready to push against efforts to throw millions of Americans off their healthcare or to eliminate retirement benefits that they've spent a lifetime earning.

(00:41)
Recalibrating and re-energizing our Party in the coming weeks is the most important thing we can do as elected leaders because that's how we best serve the people that we fight for. We're going to need to articulate a positive vision for the future, where everyone has a shot at a better life, and where elected leaders keep their promises. I look forward to being a part of that solution as we move forward, alongside Leader Jeffries, Whip Clark and Vice Chair Lieu. We're clear-eyed about the challenge ahead of us, but I'm confident that we're going to be successful because of the talent that we have and the resourcefulness of the members in that Caucus. Vice Chair, Ted Lieu.

Vice Chair, Ted Lieu (01:27):

Thank you, Chair Aguilar. I want to welcome all the incoming freshmen to the Democratic Caucus. We had a great Caucus meeting where we were able to meet our freshmen, and just so excited with their energy and enthusiasm and insights they're going to bring to the Caucus. I also want to thank Matt Cartwright, Susan Wild and Yadira Caraveo for their amazing service to US Congress.

(01:51)
I think it's appropriate for the Democratic Caucus to reflect on what happened, to listen, to listen to our constituents, to listen to American people, to listen to our members, to gather data, and then to chart a path forward. And with that, I look forward to answering any questions you may have.

Chairman Aguilar (02:12):

Questions. [inaudible 00:02:14]

Speaker 3 (02:14):

Thank you. I wanted to ask you specifically about what you make of Trump's gains with Hispanic voters across the board? What do you think Democrats need to do to shore up your messaging strategy and get back some of those voters that moved to the right?

Chairman Aguilar (02:29):

Well, I think as Vice Chair Lieu said, this needs to be based on data, and we're going to get a lot more data from the voter file in the weeks ahead. So I don't want to have broad generalizations of any group, geographic or otherwise, without that data in front of me, but I think it's very clear to us that for people with two jobs, the economy is gas and groceries and rent. We need to speak to those issues. If we're going to be the Party that speaks to our community members and the people working, everyday Americans, then we need to speak to those issues.

(03:14)
And to the extent that they haven't felt that, we need to do better, and that's on us to communicate, but there will be time in the weeks ahead to have more conversations based on data on what we need to do or what the path forward and what we hear back from our members and our community. But talking about those kitchen table issues is going to be very high on the list. We can, and we'll continue to do that. Nick.

Nick (03:47):

Do both of you intend to stay on as Caucus Chair and Vice Chair in the elections next week?

Chairman Aguilar (03:54):

We're still counting ballots in California. I think the leadership team will make decisions on which spots we're running for once we have a little bit more clarity. We'll take our cues based on what Leader Jeffries runs for, but those of you who wanted me to move on from this role and didn't want to see me every week, you may be surprised by what the future holds, but we'll have more to say about that in the coming days.

Speaker 5 (04:27):

The President-elect has threatened federal disaster relief aid for California on the campaign trail, now he's weeks away from entering the Oval Office again. Is that something in your capacities as representatives from California that you're concerned about, and more broadly, in terms of your leadership of the Caucus? Is that a conversation that's happening in the Caucus that there are concerns that blue states could be targeted for federal aid or any sort of retaliation from the President-elect?

Chairman Aguilar (04:56):

There's plenty of conversations to be had within the Caucus in the weeks ahead on how we govern and how we chart a course forward on the governmental side. We should believe the former president, the incoming president, when he says. Retribution was one of the key pillars of his political platform. We're always concerned that he's going to take it out on members of our community, even those in the most fragile state of dealing with a natural disaster. That's I think why we need to pass disaster aid and assistance before we get to January 3rd. There are critical priorities that need to be funded, but we're always going to be very cautious, very concerned about how the incoming president treats some states better than others.

(05:51)
He does not seem to base this on what is an actual emergency or what is a disaster, but based on personalities and feelings. And so that will concern us, but we can have conversations with that as a Caucus, a family moving forward with our Ranking Members of jurisdiction when that time comes. I want to give Vice Chair Lieu an opportunity to answer your question and Nick's as well.

Vice Chair, Ted Lieu (06:17):

Thank you for your question. It is our expectation that any President of the United States will govern as a president for all Americans, and when it comes to disasters, mother nature strikes whatever she wants to, whenever she feels like it, and it's without regard to Party registration, victims of disasters or of all political parties or no political party at all. In California, specific to your question, there's also a number of Republican elected officials that I believe would oppose any such move to base disaster aid based on Party registration, and it's our expectation, again, that a president governs for all Americans.

Chairman Aguilar (06:56):

[inaudible 00:06:59].

Speaker 6 (07:00):

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good to see you.

Chairman Aguilar (07:01):

Good to see you.

Speaker 6 (07:03):

Following the election, there's been a lot of conversations about the media landscape, about misinformation, disinformation, how it may have helped the president in his election and hindered Democrats from breaking through to some of the voters who either decided not to vote in this election or drifted right. How are you all thinking about the media landscape going forward and not only formulating the message, but delivering it to the American people as it shows that it may not have broken through in the way that some of you wanted it to prior to the election?

Chairman Aguilar (07:37):

I think it's a good question. How Americans receive their information is something that has to be a consideration and concern for those of us who are in this policy space. We make policy and then we have to talk about it, and we have to convince people that the policies we're advocating for are good for them and good for the community members who we represent. We do this job for a twin purpose. It is one, to meet the needs of our constituents, and two, for the love of our country. Those are the two objectives.

(08:13)
Now, how we communicate that message is a key part of how we meet those two objectives. And so I think that that will be part of the conversation that we have. That is the deeper dive. Once we have the voter file data, I think that that's something that needs to be addressed and needs to be discussed. I'll say personally, my focus group of an 18-year-old and a 15-year-old in my household, often guides my feelings on this topic. They have encouraged me and us to communicate in different ways, and I think that that's incredibly fair and very thoughtful of them, of our two boys. And so to the extent that we need to make some changes and communicate in different ways to reach different audiences, we absolutely need to be more open to that. Ma'am. You, yeah.

Speaker 7 (09:12):

Is there any conversation in the Caucus to push away from maybe identity politics and perhaps pursuing a more general message or something that maybe won't silo voters in specific categories and make others feel alienated?

Chairman Aguilar (09:24):

Look, everybody is part… Well, one, within the Democratic Caucus presiding over what we had today, the Vice Chair and I see the broad mosaic of the new voices that also come to Congress. We're going to learn from them, the richness of what they bring in their biography, but also just who they are and their experiences that they bring to this 119th Congress. That's going to shape our message and our discussion. It's that family discussion that we have in the Caucus that will help shape it, but clearly, we are learning, we are listening to our members, and our responsibility as leaders is to chart a course forward, and that's what we plan to do in the weeks ahead, that communicates a message to the American public and advocates for our values and our principles.

Speaker 8 (10:21):

You mentioned retribution previously. The President-elect has called for the prosecution of members of the January 6 Committee, presumably off of their legislative activities. How seriously are you taking those threats and are you taking any actions to preemptive actions to address that dynamic?

Chairman Aguilar (10:43):

As I said previously to one of the other questions, we should take him at his word. We should believe the words that the incoming president says. My job and my responsibility is to represent my constituents. I did that and I have no concern about the job that we did, that the January 6 Committee members did in telling the truth about what happened that day. And we'll have conversations and we'll see what happens in the future, but I'm so proud of the work that I did, along with those committee members and we'll see what happens. [inaudible 00:11:25]

Speaker 9 (11:25):

Just an immigration question. It was the top of mind for many voters. Looking at that data coming in now where Trump was able to pick up a lot of voters, including Hispanic voters, poor security is a big concern, how will that inform Democrats going forward in terms of what your strategy might be because it's going to be a big, obviously agenda item in the next Congress?

Chairman Aguilar (11:49):

Yeah. The incoming president also made a lot of promises to the American public, and we'll see if he has an ability to live up to those. What I can tell you is one, we will make decisions based on the voter file and the data. I know that there's a lot of articles and a lot of information out there. A lot of it is based on exit data, which is generally fair as a data point, but it is not precinct-level data. And so I'm very interested myself in looking over these data sets. We have said, I've said at this podium a number of times that the Latino community is not a monolith. You cannot speak to South Texans the way you speak to South Floridians or southern Californians, and how people process information, Mexican-Americans like my family or Cuban-Americans, is very different. And so that is what we bring to the table.

(12:49)
Now, bringing that to the table, we can have a conversation about what this looks like once we have precinct-level data and information on where the public is, but it's very clear from the policies that the incoming president has advocated, many of them are harmful to members of our community. This is an individual who separated families and put a lot of people through a lot of pain. And so we stand ready to fight for our community members and to tell the truth about what the incoming administration, the threat that they pose to members of our community.

Speaker 10 (13:31):

Hi. There's been a suggestion that your Party has abandoned the working class voter. What's your response to that, and do you think that you'll have to shore up the economic message of your Party in order to win back the House in '26?

Chairman Aguilar (13:45):

Well, I think it's always about the economy, and as I said, for members of our coalition and specific to folks in my neighborhood, gas, groceries, rent, those are the things that they're concerned about. If we can't communicate a message that helps lower the costs that people pay, then they may not support us. And so we need to be mindful of that moving forward, but I do think that this poses an opportunity for us to communicate a message that works for everyday Americans, and that's what we plan to do moving forward. And Leader Jeffries will help guide that effort, as he does, and we'll continue to have the conversations that we need in order to get there.

Vice Chair, Ted Lieu (14:39):

Just at that point, the Biden-Harris administration did have a large number of pro-worker policies. It's also true that the Biden-Harris administration was an incumbent administration at a time of high inflation. I think certainly, if you look at the numbers worldwide, every incumbent Party since 2021 basically worldwide lost the election. That is not an excuse because I believe this election, Democrats could have won, but it does point to the effect that inflation has had on people and how hard it was for a lot of folks to make ends meet, and I think it's one that Democrats focus on that, and that we hope the new administration doesn't do policies that would increase inflation. Tariffs would in fact increase inflation. And so it's our hope that the new administration does not take actions to make the inflation problem worse.

Chairman Aguilar (15:37):

One other point I would note is our background, our Vice Chair and I, Leader Jeffries, Whip Clark, we come from working class families. We don't forget where we come from and the communities that send us here. Vice Chair Lieu's parents were small business owners and know the struggle that they had to endure every day in working to provide for their family. My dad was a utility worker, a union member. My mom stayed home with us. Neither went to college, and were able to have a comfortable middle class living. That's why we do these jobs. Leader Jeffries, as I mentioned when I nominated him two years ago, the son of two social workers. That's who the Democratic Party is and that's who we represent, and those voices will help shape our message moving forward.

Speaker 7 (16:37):

Could you speak more on the listening sessions that were discussed in Caucus this morning?

Chairman Aguilar (16:41):

Yeah. As Caucus Chair, I announced listening sessions yesterday to members. There will be one each week for the next three weeks. We heard virtually from some members last week, and then that continued into hearing members' thoughts and observations about the election today, and we wanted to have another opportunity for the membership to directly address the leadership.

(17:06)
Again, and this is different than charting a course forward that will be based on voter file information, but an opportunity for us to hear our members is absolutely what we should do. Our job as leaders is to put their thoughts and concerns into action, and that's what we plan to do over the next couple of weeks.

Speaker 12 (17:27):

Two quick lame duck questions. Number one, President Biden is still in the White House for the next two months. What can he, what should he, what do you think he could do to gird for the second Trump administration, especially since a lot of your colleagues seem to be worried about tearing down institutions, et cetera? Is there anything that Biden can do by executive order to prop up those institutions that you fear will dissolve? And then two, how do the election results affect what you're going to do with government spending?

Chairman Aguilar (17:55):

I'll handle the second part first. Look, we need to pass an omnibus. I think the easiest path is for Democrats and Republicans to pass an omnibus, so we start a new administration free from those concerns. We shouldn't put them in a position to flirt again with a government shutdown, but that has been their track record. We stand ready to work with them on top-line numbers and to fund government. That has been our consistent position, and I will note, in every scenario, it has taken Democrats and Republicans in order to fund government. Any scenario in the future will include Democrats as well, and so we stand ready to work to achieve the objectives of funding government.

(18:53)
The other question is probably best for folks 16 blocks away from here on steps they can take. We have been concerned and expressed our feelings that they need to move as much of the resources out as possible from the infrastructure bill and the flagship pieces of legislation that we have passed. The administration should focus on putting those resources out into the communities. We know that our colleagues on the other side of the aisle have very often voted no, and then they show up and cut the ribbon and take the dough. We anticipate that to continue, but we're going to continue to tell the story about what those pieces of legislation do to create jobs and help communities.

Speaker 13 (19:44):

Last question.

Chairman Aguilar (19:44):

Last question.

Speaker 12 (19:45):

Quick follow on the omni thing. Does that mean you would not support a CR?

Chairman Aguilar (19:50):

Look, we've supported, I've supported CRs in the past. Let's see what happens. We need to see what happens and how these discussions and negotiations happened. I know that there's a lot of politics going on with electing Senate leadership today. Mike Johnson has been very clear that he's going to take his cues from the incoming president. That is not new to this topic, by the way. It has been something that has been consistent, so we'll see what the incoming administration has to say about it and what the posture of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle is over the next few weeks.

Speaker 11 (20:30):

Thank you for your time, Mr. Chair, Mr. Vice Chair. My question is on the topic that you mentioned briefly in your opening, bipartisanship, and you just talked about it a little bit when you said Democrats and Republicans will be needed to fund the government. A lot of Democratic voters aren't feeling very hopeful that there will be bipartisanship in this next session. So are there any things that you can think of that Democrats and Republicans maybe have a shared interest in getting done for the American people, or examples of bipartisanship that we might be able to look forward to? Essentially, will bipartisanship be possible in this climate moving forward, do you think?

Chairman Aguilar (21:05):

Look, I'm always hopeful that bipartisanship will come through, whether it's funding aid to our allies in Ukraine, which we have done in a bipartisan way, to funding government as we've discussed, we've done this in a bipartisan way. I'm someone, and the Vice Chair is someone who has a track record in working with our colleagues on the other side of the aisle and having an ability to set aside those times when we disagree. 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% of the time. He is leading bipartisan efforts to discuss AI policy and what that looks like moving forward. I've led on immigration issues with Republicans in the past, so there are always opportunities to work together.

(21:51)
I was very hopeful, still remain hopeful, when JD Vance talks about the child tax credit. On the campaign trail, he talked about a child tax credit. That's something that is very near and dear to the heart of many folks within our Caucus. We hope that there is an opportunity to have discussions about that moving forward, so there's always optimism. With newness of any Congress, there is renewed optimism about how this place can work, but we are very clear-eyed as to who this new administration is. They do not have a track record of working well with others. In fact, they have a track record of being very divisive, but we remain hopeful and optimistic. Maybe because it's the holiday year, but we choose optimism. Thank you.

Speaker 11 (22:43):

Thank you. [inaudible 00:22:52]

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