JUST IN: Hakeem Jeffries Holds Press Briefing After Biden Announces Border Security Executive Order

sorry for the delay you know from the very beginning of this Congress as house Democrats we have repeatedly made clear that we are ready we are willing we are able to find bipartisan common ground with our Republican colleagues on any issue whenever and wherever possible in order to solve problems for hardworking American taxpayers and deliver Real Results for everyday Americans throughout this Congress we have repeatedly done just that same period of time we've made clear that we will push back against Maga extremism whenever necessary we will push back against Maga extremism with respect to their efforts to criminalize abortion Care House Democrats will always defend a woman's freedom to make her own reproductive Health Care decisions and that includes birth control and IVF house Democrats will push back against Republican extremism when it comes to their efforts to end Social Security and Medicare as we know it we believe in protecting and strengthening Social Security and Medicare house Democrats will continue to push back against the extreme Mega Republican effort to decimate the progress that we made in combating the climate crisis through the inflation reduction act but we are ready we are willing we are able at all times to find bip partisan common ground with our Republican colleagues we are prepared to do that with respect to reaching a spending agreement under the same terms that were agreed upon in connection with the bipartisan fiscal responsibility act that means a Topline spending number of 1681 not a penny less we are prepared to move forward with an enlightened farm bill but that of course requires extreme magga Republicans to walk away from their effort to cut nutritional assistance for children and Veterans by $30 billion the largest proposed cut in three decades we are prepared to find common ground in a bipartisan way with respect to the National Defense authorization act but that will require extreme Maga Republicans to walk away from any effort that they may try to inject into what is now a bipartisan agreement that came out of the armed services committee by a vote of 57 to one and should be kept bipartisan and if that in fact is the case we can move on this legislation in a bipartisan way and get it out of the house in the next week or two Our concern is that the extreme AG of Republicans may try to jam their Reckless right-wing ideology down the throats of the American people criminalize abortion care or restrict the ability of women in uniform to make their own reproductive Health Care decisions if they go down that road again that will be a futile exercise when it comes to actually a legislative result so there's some items that are in front of us that we are prepared to work through in partnership with our Republican colleagues but it requires traditional Republicans to walk away from the Margy Taylor greens of the world and get serious about doing the business of the American people questions we have a broken immigration system and clear challenges at the border President Biden has taken decisive action to try in a good faith manner to address the challenges at the Border in a manner consistent with our country's Heritage as a nation anchored in the rule of law at the same time there is Broad consensus within the caucus that it will be important for additional steps to be taken preferably through legislation that addresses issues connected to dreamers addresses issues connected to Farm Workers and addresses issues connected to protecting immigrant families second round I do not think that ranking member Meeks has indicated there was an actual bipartisan agreement there were certainly bipartisan conversations that were serious in nature to try to get to a place where with one voice Democrats and Republicans can confront what most of us believe was a wrongheaded decision by the IC with respect to the state of Israel and there's still an opportunity to try to find bipartisan common ground and actually legislate as opposed to moving a partisan Bill through the house that we all know is Dead on Arrival in the United States Sen Senator Cen who's a well-respected voice and champion of the special relationship between the United States and Israel has legislation with respect to the ICC that I think could draw bipartisan support that's one of several options that we can continue to pursue we are ready to engage in a continued bipartisan exploration of how to address what many of us believe is a runaway IC in a manner consistent with the views of the Biden Administration that also protect our efforts at diplomacy throughout the world particularly with our Western allies in Europe the version that will be before the House of Representatives is not a version that I can support johnon laid out his plan to go after the doj what he calls weaponization of the doj against President Trump speaker well the speaker has a role to play with respect to his extreme Mega Republican conference let me speak to the general issue as it relates to the effort to create a political Advantage for the extreme mag of Republicans by trying to raise this issue of so-called weaponization they have a select committee on weaponization it has been a complete and spectacular failure and so there's no reason for any of us on the Democratic side to believe that based on the fact that the former president who went through a judicial process just like any other American and at the end of that process which lasted for five weeks you had 12 jurors come to a unanimous conclusion that the former president was guilty of 34 felonies and that that somehow is indication of weaponization when that was a state prosecution that had nothing to do with President Biden or the Department of Justice the American people understand that we need more common sense and less chaos in Washington DC how's Democrats are the common sense caucus House Republicans are the chaos caucus President Joe Biden is a common sense leader Donald Trump is a Chaos Agent anything that Donald Trump touches turns into chaos four years of Chaos in Washington DC with Donald Trump as president a lifetime of Chaos in New York City with Donald Trump as a resident Atlantic City turned into chaos who can bankrupt a casino I thought The House Always Wins chaos in Atlantic City Chaos on the Supreme Court Donald Trump makes three appointments and Ro v Wade Falls after 49 years a woman's freedom to make her own reproductive Health Care decisions gone Donald Trump touches the Supreme Court nothing but chaos and of course when it comes to Trump University chaos hardworking Americans robbed of their hard earned money Joe Biden is a common sense leader Donald Trump is a Chaos Agent everything he touches results in chaos so as far as I can tell that's the big lesson that comes out of the jury's decision to find Donald Trump guilty on 34 felony counts side is pretty quiet here I usually try to alternate okay all right that's is well as you understand I'm sure that any invitation to a foreign leader emanates as a result of an agreement between the speaker of the house and the majority in the house and the Senate Majority Leader and the majority in the Senate and so that process took place in the context of the invitation to the head of state of the state of Israel a democratic Ally and that process was consistent with everything that took place throughout the 118th Congress in Prior instances related to the Head of State for India the head of state for Japan and the head of state for South Korea in all of those instances once there was agreement between the House Majority and the Senate majority the two minority leaders signed on to that Letter of Invitation and that's the process that unfolded in this particular instance Senator Schumer and I had nothing to do with the June 13th date it was news to us and we found out the same way that everyone in this room found out and by the way as someone who represents a broadc cross-section of the Jewish community in Brooklyn and I'm very proud of that fact I would have known better than to extend an invitation on a Jewish holiday to the prime minister of the state of Israel yeah SEC first row first row okay seems to me that President Biden uh wanted to give the legislative process every opportunity to succeed or fall and give the Republicans in the house and in the Senate the benefit of the doubt they have repeatedly claimed and in fact held up critical Aid to our Democratic Ally in Ukraine which was facing an existential threat as a result of Russ Russian aggression and held that Aid up for months because extreme mag Republicans claimed that there was an urgent challenge that we needed to address at the border and then they walked away from their own bipartisan legislative resolution that would have helped to address the challenges at the border President Biden has given them every opportunity to try to legislate with us on this issue Democrats recognize across the spectrum that we have a broken immigration system and that we have challenges at the border and we need a border that is strong it is safe that is secure and that is also Humane and so I think it seems to me that the Biden Administration finally got to a point where they recognized that the extreme magga Republicans have zero interest in addressing the challenges at the border and solving the issue legislatively because the extreme bang of Republicans want to try to weaponize the issue politically that's the weaponization Party by the way this is the group Extreme magga Republicans who have weaponize the Supreme Court against the women of America when it comes to taking away a woman's freedom to make her own reproductive Health Care decisions and have taken that decision weaponized it and are now throughout the country including in every single state in the Deep South criminalized abortion care as part of their March toward a nationwide ban back to the Prime Minister address several Democrats said they will boyc like every single joint address to Congress I plan to attend and participate that relates to every single joint address that has taken place during the 118th Congress and at every moment where I've been a member of House Democratic Leadership but at the same time all of us recognize that every individual member has to make that decision to participate on their own based on what they believe is consistent with the district that they represent well it hasn't changed the endorsement that has been made by the entirety of house Democratic Leadership and we're in ongoing conversations with the Bowman campaign as it relates to their strategy over the next few weeks right I think okay I'm sorry back to my views of the special relationship between the United States stes and Israel have been clear and My Views as it relates to what needs to happen moving forward to bring about a just and Lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinian people are clear which involves decisively defeating Hamas bringing all the hostages home surging humanitarian assistance into Gaza immediately and consistent L and having a comprehensive plan to reconstruct Gaza and surge Economic Development assistance into the West Bank as part of an effort to get to a better place for everyone in the region centered around the relationship between Israel and the Palestinian people last two questions I have not seen that specific memo but I've been very clear in my public observations that Tom swazi is a get stuff done kind of member who ran on a Clear Vision for fixing the problems that the American people are confronting including decisively addressing the challenges at the border Tom swazi won decisively in a district that had experienced a string of Republican successes and so that decisive Victory and the manner in which he chose to engage and lean into trying to find a bipartisan path forward with respect to fixing our broken immigration system and doing it in a manner consistent with our values as a nation of immigrants which was an important part of how Tom swazi addressed the issue having come from an immigrant family himself which he leaned into repeatedly that certainly provides um an enlightened playbook for how we should not simply conduct ourselves responsibly on the campaign Trail but more importantly try to actually solve the problem as policy makers here in the United States Congress last question thank you I haven't had a full opportunity to look at the particulars in that regard or hear from immigration experts with respect to how they think it could impact the Asylum process though of course the asylum application process is an important part of who we are as Americans as a nation anchored in both the rule of law and as a nation of immigrants and I think as we evaluate what the legislative opportunities will be moving forward those are two values that we should continue uh to hold close to as part of our effort to reach a bipartisan agreement at some point when our traditional rep Republicans decide to stop politicizing the issue and join with us to solve the issue for the American people thank you everyone

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Length: 22min 41sec (1361 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 04 2024