00:00I'm Pete Aguilar. I'm chairman of the House Democratic Caucus and I'm proud to be here on
00:04behalf of my House Democratic colleagues in California. We're here today because the Republican
00:10controlled Texas state legislature wants to rig their congressional map at the request of Donald
00:18Trump to make it harder for Democrats to flip the U.S. House and to hold Donald Trump accountable.
00:25And Texas isn't alone. Other Republican-led states are making deals with the president to try to do
00:33the same thing. Donald Trump knows that without a Republican Congress to give him a free pass,
00:41his deeply unpopular policies will face real oversight and accountability. Accountability
00:48for cutting health care for millions of Californians. Accountability for disappearing
00:54people off the streets. Let me be clear. Californians believe in fair maps. Maps drawn by our
01:02independent citizen-led commission that respects the voice of every voter. But if Texas and other
01:09red states want to move forward with their partisan power grab to rig the elections, we cannot sit on the
01:18sidelines. The 2022 elections gave us a clear warning. When North Carolina Republicans and the state
01:25legislature pushed through their partisan redistricting plan, they gained three seats in the House of
01:32Representatives. That was the exact same margin that they control the majority with today. Under current
01:39maps, we need to net just three seats for a chance to hold Donald Trump accountable. California has the
01:47largest congressional delegation in the country. And with that comes the responsibility to lead
01:55the fight against attempts to steal power from the American people. We have to fight to protect our
02:03democracy. Because if we don't, the harm of this Trump administration inflicting on our country is
02:11guaranteed to go unchecked as long as he is in office. Unlike Texas, where they are blatantly
02:19disregarding the Voting Rights Act in an attempt to disenfranchise voters, California will hold firm to our
02:26values. We will honor the Voting Rights Act and respect the civil rights of our voters. The California
02:33Democratic Congressional Delegation and the House Democratic Caucus stand united with Governor
02:40Governor Newsom and thank him for his leadership to lead our state legislature at a time to defend the
02:48voices of the American people and to stop this Trump-led power grab. We will take this fight to the ballot and we
02:56will let the voters decide. Because I know California is ready to lead this fight and we will not back down.
03:04We will let the voters decide. Now, let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go. Let's go.
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