House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has slammed the so-called congressional stock trading ban, calling it “riddled with loopholes” and warning that it fails to include the President and Vice President. Speaking during a press briefing, Jeffries called out the legislation as “pretending to do something” while leaving the nation’s top leaders exempt. He emphasized that Americans deserve lawmakers who act solely in the public interest, not for personal gain, and insisted that any real stock trading ban must cover all positions of power in the federal government.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Good afternoon, everyone.
00:01Good afternoon.
00:02Approximately a year ago, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States of America.
00:11And he indicated that he was going to bring about a golden age in this great country.
00:18What Donald Trump and the Republicans have done as a result of their toxic, extreme policies
00:24is bring about a rotten age in the United States of America.
00:30The largest cut to Medicaid in American history, hospitals, nursing homes, and community-based
00:37health centers closing as a result of the Republican one big ugly bill.
00:44Republicans are refusing to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits.
00:49And that's going to create a situation where tens of millions of everyday Americans will
00:53be unable to go see a doctor when they need one because their premiums are skyrocketing.
01:00Out of control, in some instances, increasing by $1,000 or $2,000 per month.
01:08The Trump tariffs are making life more expensive for tens of millions of working-class Americans.
01:18And the Trump administration has unleashed these lawless, masked ICE agents to brutalize American citizens,
01:30even resulting in the unjustified killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good.
01:40One year later, the Trump administration has been a complete and total failure, and the American people know it.
01:48And Republicans haven't done a damn thing to make life better for working-class Americans, everyday Americans, and middle-class Americans.
01:57Despite promising that costs were going to go down on day one, costs having gone down in the United States of America,
02:06with Republican control of the House, the Senate, and the presidency, costs have gone up.
02:14Inflation skyrocketing out of control, housing costs out of control, grocery costs out of control, utility bills out of control, child care costs out of control, and health care costs out of control.
02:29So everyday Americans are suffering under the oppressive nature of the Trump-Republican economy.
02:42And it's time for some congressional action to actually keep your word as Republicans, based on what you said you would do,
02:54which is to focus on addressing the high cost of living in this country.
02:58Instead, Republicans have consistently focused on rewarding their billionaire donors with massive tax breaks,
03:08and then engaging out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the largest pay-to-play scheme in the history of the country.
03:19It's disgusting, and the American people know it.
03:24Questions?
03:25Thank you, Mr. Leader.
03:29Today, Congressman Thanedar said that he plans to introduce legislation to abolish ICE.
03:35How comfortable are you with members of your party pushing this?
03:40I haven't had a conversation with the congressman on that particular piece of legislation,
03:44but our position has been clear that taxpayer dollars are being used by the Department of Homeland Security
03:55and ICE to brutalize American citizens and law-abiding American taxpayers in ways that the American people reject.
04:07The American people didn't sign up for what we're seeing on the streets of Minneapolis,
04:16in Chicagoland, or in other parts of the country.
04:22The American people thought that the Trump administration was going to target violent felons who are here in the country illegally.
04:32But instead, we see American citizens like Renee Nicole Good being gunned down in cold blood without justification.
04:46Taxpayer dollars are being used by the Department of Homeland Security and ICE
04:50to unleash extremism on the streets of America by individuals who are showing depraved indifference to human life.
05:03That's what we're seeing.
05:04That's what the American people are seeing.
05:07And the American people don't want their taxpayer dollars used in that fashion.
05:12And so, as we approach the appropriations process related to Homeland Security funding,
05:21Democrats in the House and the Senate have demanded changes to the way in which ICE conducts itself,
05:29such that it falls into line with the standards, protocols, and behavior of every other law enforcement agency in the United States of America.
05:42ICE cannot conduct itself as if it's above the law.
05:47In America, no one is above the law.
05:51And these claims of absolute immunity are insane, absurd, and completely unfounded.
06:00In law or in fact.
06:03Thank you, Mr. Leader.
06:06So, the Supreme Court today effectively gave candidates the right to sue to challenge voting laws that they disagree with.
06:12Considering how Republicans have continuously called for election reform,
06:15do you have any concerns that there could be a flurry of lawsuits brought by Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterms
06:23challenging voting laws in different states?
06:25We're assuming that Republicans are going to do everything possible to prevent a free and fair election from taking place in November of 2026.
06:34Why?
06:34Because Republicans know that if a free and fair election takes place, they're losing.
06:41In fact, Republicans are going to get routed all across the country,
06:44as we've repeatedly seen, including most recently in the off-year election in November
06:50and in the mayoral election in Miami, where a Democrat was elected in early December for the first time in almost 30 years.
06:59The whole reason why Republicans launched this failed gerrymandering scheme is because they know what we know.
07:12The American people are rejecting their extremism and embracing the Democratic vision for making life more affordable for everyday Americans.
07:22And so it's clear to me that though their gerrymandering scheme is crashing and burning,
07:29despite all the skeptics out there who thought that Democrats in the House were cooked somehow,
07:36as if we were going to step back.
07:39No, we didn't step back.
07:40We fought back.
07:42And they started this gerrymandering war.
07:45We're going to end it.
07:45And we're not going to allow Republicans to artificially maintain their majority in the House of Representatives.
07:57We're going to show up and stand up and speak up continuously for free and fair elections.
08:01And that's what the American people are going to get on November 3rd, 2026.
08:07Thank you, Mr. Leader.
08:10Since the House passed the three-year ACA extension, you've called on Johnson to, quote,
08:15stop playing procedural games that are jeopardizing the health, the safety, and the well-being of the American people.
08:20You said that there is a majority of votes in the Senate if the bill got to the floor.
08:26Are you calling for the Senate to get rid of the filibuster to bring forward this bill,
08:31since you say that it has the votes to pass if it made it to the floor?
08:35The American people overwhelmingly support an extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits.
08:40The House has passed, in a bipartisan way, legislation to make sure that those tax credits are restored
08:47for tens of millions of Americans, working-class Americans, middle-class Americans, and everyday Americans,
08:52who otherwise will be unable to go see a doctor when they need one.
08:56And these are in states all across the country.
08:58And disproportionately, red states will be the ones impacted by the failure to restore the Affordable Care Act tax credits.
09:06That's the reality.
09:08We're talking about states like West Virginia, Wyoming, Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota, South Carolina, Texas, Alabama.
09:17These are the states that are adversely impacted, right at the top of the list.
09:24So this fight for us is not a partisan one.
09:27It's a patriotic one.
09:28We're standing up for everyday Americans.
09:32It's not red or blue.
09:33It's red, white, and blue, as far as we're concerned, in terms of the fight to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits.
09:40And the reality in the Senate is that a majority of senators, 47 Democrats and four Republicans, support a straightforward extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits,
09:55which means that the only thing standing in the way is that John Thune and Senate Republicans are hiding behind the filibuster
10:04to erect procedural hurdles to prevent the bill from being voted on in an up or down way.
10:17And I'll leave it to the Senate to decide and my Democratic colleagues in terms of how to best deal with that procedural hurdle at this point in time.
10:28But I've been on record for years now saying that things have to change in that institution if we are going to effectively deliver for the American people.
10:41Thanks.
10:44Got it.
10:46Where are you on the stock ban, Bill?
10:49And what would you say to some in your conference who have argued that it doesn't go far enough,
10:55it allows for loopholes for members to still continue to trade despite the intention behind the bill?
11:00There are several challenges with the bill as it's currently written,
11:03which is why Democrats strongly opposed it in the hearing and markup today.
11:08The so-called stock ban doesn't ban stocks.
11:12Let's start there.
11:12That's a problem as it relates to any meaningful prohibition on trading.
11:22The bill also doesn't apply to the president or vice president,
11:26which any reasonable American can conclude that if we're going to prohibit stock trading
11:36related to people who occupy positions of significance in their federal government,
11:44of course, the president and the vice president should be included.
11:53And third, this is not the only challenge,
11:58but the so-called stock ban bill is riddled with loopholes
12:04that you can drive a flying palace through.
12:09That's ridiculous.
12:12It's pretending to do something that is not taking place.
12:19And the American people are correctly demanding
12:22that Congress take decisive action
12:26as it relates to banning congressional stock trading.
12:31So there can be some confidence
12:36that their representatives in the people's house
12:40are conducting themselves solely with the public interest in mind,
12:46not their own personal interest.
12:49So if the legislation comes to the floor,
12:54we'll have a caucus meeting to discuss it
12:56and then stake out a position thereafter.
12:59But as of the moment,
13:01the words, actions and votes
13:05of the Democratic members of the House Administration Committee
13:09speak for themselves.
13:11Thanks.
13:13Thank you, Leader Jeffries.
13:14Since we last talked to you on Monday,
13:15there have been a growing number of House Democrats
13:17calling for ICE to be abolished.
13:19I'm curious, where do you stand on the issue personally?
13:22Do you believe ICE should be abolished?
13:24Same answer that I just gave to that question earlier
13:26in this press conference.
13:29Kevin?
13:30On the Epstein files front,
13:32we are about a month out from the deadline
13:34that was imposed as part of the law.
13:36Have you kind of decided on a best approach
13:38that Democrats can take here?
13:40Are you behind the inherent contempt push
13:42that Conor and Massey have kind of rolled out?
13:44Here's the thing with respect to the Epstein files.
13:49Congress decisively and overwhelmingly
13:52passed legislation signed into law
13:55by the current president
13:55requiring the Department of Justice
13:57to release the Epstein files
13:59so that there can be transparency and accountability,
14:01which has correctly been demanded
14:04by the courageous, brave survivors
14:08of Epstein's horrific abuse.
14:13That's the law of the land.
14:16But the Department of Justice,
14:18led by the current Attorney General,
14:21have failed to comply with the law.
14:24And it certainly is reasonable
14:26that contempt resolution
14:31should be considered,
14:32directed at the Department of Justice,
14:34if they refuse to comply
14:37with a law
14:40that on its face
14:41requires the disclosure
14:43and release of millions of documents
14:45that they are currently hiding
14:48from the American people.
14:50I think to date,
14:51they've released about 13,000,
14:55but they're hiding millions of documents.
15:00The American people deserve the truth,
15:01the whole truth,
15:02and nothing but the truth.
15:04And it's interesting to me
15:05that if contempt of Congress
15:09should be considered for anyone,
15:11let's start with the Department of Justice.
15:14If the Republicans
15:15on the Oversight Committee were serious,
15:18that's where they would start.
15:19You have an actual law
15:20signed by the president,
15:23overwhelmingly passed
15:25by the House and the Senate,
15:26Democrats and Republicans,
15:27that is being actively flouted
15:30by members of this administration.
15:33You want to consider it?
15:34Contempt for anyone?
15:35Start there.
15:37Otherwise,
15:38it's hard to take
15:38any efforts coming
15:40out of House
15:42Oversight Committee
15:43Republicans seriously.
15:46Thanks.
15:48Congressman Crowe said today
15:49that he and other Democrats
15:51were part of that
15:52Don't Give Up the Shit video
15:54in November,
15:55have been contacted
15:56by the DOJ since then.
15:58How are you counseling
15:59those folks
16:00about handling the outreach?
16:01Do you think
16:01they should cooperate
16:02with the OJ?
16:04Well, that's going to be
16:04a decision made
16:05between the members of Congress
16:07and their legal representation.
16:08We're going to make sure
16:09that they have
16:10the highest quality
16:10legal representation.
16:11We stand firmly behind them.
16:13They did nothing wrong.
16:14These members of Congress
16:15did not violate the law.
16:17And the Department of Justice
16:18continues to weaponize
16:20the criminal justice system
16:22to go after people
16:23who express dissent
16:25or stand up
16:26against the extremism
16:28and corruption
16:28of the Trump administration.
16:30Here's the thing.
16:31Let's be clear
16:32to the Department of Justice.
16:33You're not intimidating
16:34any of us.
16:37None of us
16:38are intimidated
16:38by your actions.
16:40The Department of Justice
16:41is filled
16:42with unqualified
16:43political hacks.
16:47You're not intimidating
16:48members of the House
16:49or the Senate
16:50on the Democratic side.
16:52Your efforts
16:53are futile
16:54and will be defeated
16:58as has been the case
17:00with the attempt
17:03to weaponize charges
17:04against my own
17:06Attorney General,
17:06Tish James,
17:07where Americans
17:10now are saying
17:11enough
17:12with these phony,
17:13fake,
17:14and fraudulent charges.
17:16So we'll handle
17:17each of these situations
17:18as they emerge.
17:20But clearly,
17:21the intention
17:22from the beginning
17:22of this administration
17:23last year
17:25was that they were
17:25going to try
17:25to steamroll
17:26Democrats in the House
17:28and the Senate,
17:28steamroll the American people.
17:30It has not happened.
17:33Republicans are the ones
17:34who are being
17:34steamrolled electorally.
17:37And here in the House
17:38of Representatives,
17:39they can't even legislate.
17:41This group of people,
17:42they don't know
17:43how to organize
17:43a two-car funeral.
17:44They're losing votes
17:46week after week
17:48after week.
17:50The whole thing
17:51is falling apart.
17:53And so the notion
17:53that we're going to be
17:54intimidated by these
17:55toxic people
17:56who the American
17:58people are rejecting,
18:01these toxic people
18:02in the administration,
18:03it's not going to happen.
18:04has not happened,
18:06will not happen,
18:07ever.
18:08Well, there are
18:21a variety of different
18:21things that clearly
18:22should be done.
18:25No other agency
18:26is running around
18:28communities in the
18:29United States of America
18:30being masked up.
18:32ICE agents
18:33should not be
18:33masked up.
18:35Every other
18:35law enforcement agency,
18:37when they execute,
18:38upon their mission,
18:41have warrant requirements.
18:44ICE should have
18:45warrant requirements.
18:47Back home in New York City,
18:50New York's
18:51finest,
18:53the NYPD,
18:54best law enforcement
18:55agency in the world,
18:57they all have to
18:59wear body cameras,
19:00as is the case
19:01with police departments
19:03and law enforcement
19:04agencies all over the country.
19:06ICE
19:06should be required
19:08to wear body cameras.
19:11Law enforcement agencies
19:12all across the country
19:14have policies that
19:16limit their ability
19:18to storm hospitals,
19:20schools,
19:21or houses of worship.
19:23ICE shouldn't be able
19:24to storm hospitals,
19:25schools,
19:25or houses
19:27of worship.
19:29There are a variety
19:30of different things
19:31that can be done
19:32that we have put
19:35on the table
19:35and will continue
19:36to put on the table
19:37to get ICE
19:39under control
19:40so that they are
19:42actually conducting
19:43themselves
19:43like every other
19:45law enforcement agency
19:46in the country,
19:49as opposed to
19:49operating as if
19:50they're above the law,
19:51somehow thinking
19:53they've got
19:53absolute immunity.
19:54They don't have
19:56absolute immunity.
19:58Supreme Court
19:59granted immunity,
20:00unfortunately,
20:01to one person,
20:02the President
20:03of the United States
20:04of America.
20:05It's one of the reasons
20:05why we've seen
20:07this extremism
20:09consistently unleashed
20:10on the American people,
20:11but it doesn't apply
20:12to anybody else.
20:13So every single
20:16one of these people
20:17who we see
20:18brutalizing the
20:19American people,
20:20they're going to be
20:21held accountable
20:21one way or the other
20:23accordance with
20:26the law.
20:27And the statute
20:28of limitations,
20:29this is for every
20:30single member
20:30of the Trump
20:31administration,
20:32is five years.
20:35Donald Trump
20:36will be long
20:37gone.
20:39Left
20:391600 Pennsylvania
20:41Avenue.
20:42statute of limitations
20:43will be alive
20:45and well.
20:46And there'll be
20:47a lot of people
20:48in this country,
20:48patriotic people,
20:50determined
20:50to make sure
20:53those who broke
20:53the law with
20:54impunity
20:55during the Trump
20:56administration
20:57are held
20:59accountable.
20:59Will you vote
21:00no if you don't
21:00get those things?
21:02The bill
21:03related to
21:05Homeland Security
21:05funding that was
21:06currently
21:07scheduled to be
21:08on the House
21:09floor
21:09this week
21:11is not
21:11on the House
21:12floor
21:12because it
21:13doesn't have
21:14Democratic support.
21:15So you're going
21:15to have to ask
21:16House Republicans
21:16what they
21:17plan to do
21:18relative to
21:20funding
21:21in this particular
21:23area
21:23if they continue
21:26to take a
21:26my way or the
21:27highway approach.
21:29Thank you,
21:30Mr.
21:30Leader.
21:31Representative
21:31Ilhan Omar
21:32has repeatedly
21:33dismissed the
21:34$9 billion
21:34Minnesota fraud
21:36figure,
21:36but numerous
21:38people,
21:38Treasury Secretary
21:39Scott Bessent,
21:40Minnesota
21:40representatives
21:41in the state,
21:43Chairman Comer
21:44amongst others
21:46have confirmed
21:46this number
21:46is indeed
21:47correct and
21:48see it as
21:48one of the
21:49largest frauds
21:49in U.S.
21:50history.
21:51Do you
21:51acknowledge
21:51that this
21:52$9 billion
21:52figure is
21:53accurate?
21:53And also
21:54what do you
21:54make of the
21:54Minnesota
21:55House
21:55introducing
21:56resolutions
21:56to impeach
21:57Governor Tim
21:58Walls?
22:00Well,
22:00I'm unfamiliar
22:01with resolutions
22:02having been
22:02introduced
22:03relative to
22:03the impeachment
22:04of Tim
22:04Walls.
22:04I assume
22:05that's
22:05some extreme
22:06MAGA
22:06Republican
22:06who has
22:07done it,
22:07so I don't
22:08take that
22:08effort seriously.
22:10And if you're
22:10citing James
22:12Comer as a
22:13source for me,
22:14you better
22:14start someplace
22:16else because
22:17he's not an
22:18individual that
22:19has any
22:19credibility,
22:20as far as
22:21I'm concerned,
22:23relative to the
22:23allegations that
22:24he's made.
22:25If James
22:25Comer wants
22:25to investigate
22:26waste,
22:28fraud,
22:28and abuse,
22:29start with
22:29the Trump
22:30administration.
22:32Go look
22:33into your
22:33organized crime
22:34boss.
22:34who's running
22:37pay-to-play
22:37schemes all
22:38across the
22:39country,
22:39shaking down
22:39corporations
22:40and individuals
22:42launching
22:43retribution
22:44efforts
22:45against
22:46American
22:48citizens
22:48who disagree
22:49with him.
22:50That's the
22:51behavior of
22:51an organized
22:52crime boss.
22:53And taxpayer
22:54dollars are
22:55being used
22:56to run
22:56this toxic
22:57scheme.
22:58If James
22:58Comer is
22:59serious about
22:59waste,
23:00fraud,
23:00and abuse,
23:01go investigate
23:02what's coming
23:04out of
23:041600
23:04Pennsylvania
23:05Avenue,
23:05the Trump
23:06White House.
23:07Now,
23:08as it relates
23:08to the
23:09allegations that
23:10have been
23:10raised in
23:11Minnesota,
23:13there are
23:13active
23:14investigations
23:15being run
23:16by state
23:17and local
23:18authorities who
23:19actually do
23:20have credibility
23:21to uncover
23:23the truth,
23:23the whole truth,
23:24and nothing but
23:24the truth.
23:24Follow the
23:25facts,
23:26apply the
23:26law,
23:27and let the
23:28chips fall
23:28where they
23:28may.
23:29Thanks.
23:31Thank you,
23:31Leader.
23:32As more and
23:33more members
23:33of your
23:34caucus call
23:36for ICE
23:36to be
23:36abolished,
23:37how do you
23:38feel that
23:38would impact
23:39Democrats
23:39who are in
23:40swing districts?
23:41Listen,
23:42House Democrats
23:42are going to
23:43take the
23:43majority back
23:44in November.
23:47Donald Trump
23:47knows it,
23:48Republicans know
23:48it,
23:49we know it,
23:49and the
23:51only question
23:51at this
23:52point in
23:52time is
23:53by how
23:53much.
23:54We're going
23:55to continue
23:55to fight
23:56hard to
23:56make life
23:57better for
23:57the American
23:58people.
23:58lower the
24:00high cost
24:01of living,
24:02fix our
24:02broken
24:03health care
24:03system,
24:04make life
24:05more affordable,
24:07clean up
24:07the corruption
24:08that is
24:11preventing us
24:12from delivering
24:14a government
24:15of the people,
24:16by the people,
24:17and for the
24:17people.
24:18And the
24:20difference
24:20between
24:20Democrats
24:21and Republicans
24:21at this
24:22point is
24:22very clear.
24:23The contrast
24:24is very
24:25clear,
24:26and voters
24:26are reacting
24:27to that
24:28all across
24:28the country,
24:29not just
24:29Democrats.
24:30Independent
24:31swing voters
24:32and traditional
24:33Republicans
24:34are recoiling
24:35at what they
24:36are seeing
24:36from the
24:37Republican
24:37Party.
24:39And what
24:40unifies
24:40Democrats
24:41is a focus
24:42on making
24:43life more
24:45affordable
24:45for the
24:46American people.
24:47Thanks,
24:48everyone.
24:57for the
25:17Mahatma,
25:18you
25:19have
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