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00:01The U.S. Embassy in Israel has authorized departure for non-essential personnel.
00:05That usually doesn't happen unless something is imminent.
00:08Do you expect the U.S. to strike Iran this weekend, and will Congress be informed in advance?
00:15Well, that remains unclear.
00:16We certainly have taken the position as House Democrats that prior to any military action,
00:22the Trump administration should seek authorization for the use of military force
00:28in connection with any strikes against Iran that would be the functional equivalent of an act of war.
00:35You spent the better part of this week with your fellow Democrats at a retreat just outside of Washington, D
00:40.C.
00:40I know that a big focus of your attention was on this affordability agenda.
00:44I wonder if you could enumerate just a few points, proposals that you would make,
00:49should you get the Speaker's gavel, Democrats regain control of the House, on that agenda going forward.
00:54What are items that you think you could reasonably pass without breaking the bank?
00:57Well, as House Democrats, we're committed to making life more affordable for the American people.
01:03Donald Trump promised to lower the high cost of living on day one.
01:06Costs having gone down, costs have gone up.
01:07In fact, the inflation numbers today show that life continues to get more expensive for the American people
01:13because of the Trump administration policies, including the Trump tariffs
01:18that have increased costs on everyday Americans by thousands of dollars per year.
01:23One of the first things I think that we need to do is to make sure that these tariffs that
01:28have been
01:28randomly and recklessly put into place by Donald Trump can no longer move forward.
01:34And Congress needs to regain its authority on trade and tariff issues.
01:40Second, of course, in connection with fixing our broken health care system,
01:44we have to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits.
01:47We're going to continue to fight to do that in the Senate this year.
01:51We've passed it, of course, out of the House.
01:53All 213 Democrats joined by 17 Republicans.
01:57This is a bipartisan issue.
01:58And in order to prevent tens of millions of Americans from experiencing dramatically increased health insurance premiums,
02:07we have to pass these tax credits so we can drive down the cost.
02:10That certainly is also a commitment of House Democrats.
02:14Leader Jeffries, on that to-do list, I reached out to a senior Democrat, former member of the Biden administration,
02:19and I said, what would you ask, Leader Jeffries?
02:22And they said, ask him what the plan is for border control.
02:26This is something that most Americans say they want.
02:28They want stronger borders.
02:29They may disagree with the way the president is going about it.
02:31But this is top of the agenda.
02:33And this individual said, I don't think Democrats have a plan.
02:35Do you?
02:36And what is that?
02:37Well, our plan is anchored in several values.
02:39We want order at the border, a safe, secure, and strong border.
02:44We recognize that we have a broken immigration system, and we need to fix it in a comprehensive and bipartisan
02:50way.
02:51At the same period of time, the American people are appropriately demanding that ICE enforcement is humane, it's fair, and
03:02it's just.
03:02And that's not what we're seeing right now.
03:04ICE is completely and totally out of control, which is why we're fighting for dramatic reforms to the way in
03:12which ICE conducts itself that's bold, that's meaningful, and that's transformational,
03:16including things like a mandatory requirement that judicial warrants be obtained before ICE agents break into the homes of the
03:26American people.
03:26We want to make sure that there are independent investigations that state and local elected officials, state and local officials,
03:33like, for instance, the attorney generals, can conduct in order to make sure that there's accountability when ICE agents violently
03:42break the law.
03:43We want to make sure that there's an excessive use of force prohibition policy that's put into place.
03:48We have to make sure that sensitive locations, like houses of worship, schools, hospitals, and polling sites, are protected from
03:58overreach by ICE agents or the DHS.
04:01Those are some of the policies that we'll continue to fight to achieve.
04:04Should ICE be defunded?
04:06I think we want dramatic reform as it relates to the manner in which ICE conducts itself.
04:13That's anchored in the principle that taxpayer dollars should be used to make life more affordable for the American people,
04:20not to brutalize or kill them, as was the case with Renee Nicole Good and Alex Preddy.
04:26ICE has to be brought under control.
04:29Of course.
04:29What I've said is that what we need to do, interior enforcement, should be fair, just, and humane.
04:36That's been the position that I've articulated from the very beginning of this extremism that's being unleashed on the American
04:45people.
04:45So that is why DHS, as a funding bill, has not moved forward at this point in time, and it
04:52will not move forward until there are changes that are bold, meaningful, and dramatic, the types of things that I've
05:00articulated.
05:01We've talked about border policy, talked about trade policy, child tax credit.
05:06I'm reminded of something that Alyssa Slotkin, the Democratic senator, said recently, which was the suggestion, maybe Democrats need a
05:13version of Project 2025, a Project 2029, if you will.
05:17And I think in saying that, what she's getting at is there needs to be a clear value proposition for
05:22the American people to understand what Democrats are offering.
05:25Do you agree with her? Is she on to something there? Does there need to be a clearer outline of
05:30what Democrats are proposing here going into the midterms of the next presidential election?
05:34Well, I think heading into the midterm elections, what we've made clear is that the American people deserve better.
05:39And we've said directly to them, you deserve better than the extremism that has been unleashed on everyday Americans, the
05:46assault on the economy, the failures as it relates to the high cost of living, the failures on health care,
05:51the failures as it relates to immigration enforcement,
05:54and the failures of Donald Trump and Republicans to make life better for the American people because they're so preoccupied
06:01with a whole host of other things, including massive tax breaks for their billionaire donors.
06:06That's what their one big ugly bill was all about, while at the same period of time, they gutted Medicaid,
06:12ripped away SNAP benefits from millions of Americans and gave ICE a $75 billion slush fund.
06:18As Democrats, our approach is going to be very different.
06:21We'll be laser focused on driving down the high cost of living, fixing our broken health care system, and cleaning
06:29up corruption, wherever it's found, in the Congress, at the Supreme Court, and certainly with this administration, the most corrupt
06:37in American history.
06:38We're coming into week two of that partial government shutdown.
06:41You just mentioned all the reforms that you want from DHS, and you're asking your party to hold the line
06:47on that.
06:48But realistically, as TSA agents start to miss paychecks, as airports slow down, as constituents start to feel the pain
06:55of this partial shutdown,
06:56do you think members of your caucus will stay strong on this, or will you see defections like you did
07:01during the last shutdown?
07:02Well, I think the outcome of the last shutdown was that House Democrats led the effort to pass a straightforward
07:10three-year extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits,
07:14and 17 House Republicans joined us, marking the first time in American history that any Republicans in this Congress have
07:24voted affirmatively for the Affordable Care Act tax credits or the Affordable Care Act.
07:30That was the outcome of our effort to draw a hard line in the sand on behalf of the American
07:36people.
07:37Now, this time around, we've basically made clear that it's unfortunate that Donald Trump and Republicans in the Congress have
07:45decided
07:45that they would rather shut down FEMA, shut down the Coast Guard, and shut down TSA,
07:51as opposed to enacting the type of bold, meaningful, and dramatic changes that will help transform DHS and its enforcement
08:00agencies
08:00in a manner that is consistent with our values.
08:04But do you think your party is united enough to hold that line?
08:08And who is the leader of the Democratic Party right now?
08:11I'm the House Democratic leader.
08:13We've got great members of the House Democratic Caucus as well that are leading in a wide variety of different
08:18ways.
08:19It's not my job to make determinations as to who's the Democratic Party leader.
08:24What I can tell you is that Democrats have won elections consistently for the last 14 months.
08:29And so whoever the leader may be, he or she is doing a great job.
08:33Because literally, we haven't lost a meaningful election in the entirety of the Trump administration,
08:41winning races up and down the ballot across the country in places like New Jersey, in New York, in Virginia,
08:49in California,
08:50certainly during the off-year elections last November, in Mississippi, in Georgia,
08:55three state Supreme Court races that we swept in Pennsylvania,
08:59and then went on to win races in Florida, the Miami mayor's race for the first time in 30 years.
09:05And of course, these special elections that we've seen dramatic overperformance,
09:09most recently in Texas by 31 points.
09:12And then in Louisiana, the home state of Mike Johnson and Steve Scalise,
09:17by 37 points in terms of an overperformance from the Trump number.
09:21So collectively, we're going to continue to message and communicate to the American people our values,
09:28juxtapose that with the extremism that the Republicans are unleashing on the American people,
09:33and let the chips fall where they may.
09:35A question about messaging, and I'm going to interrupt there just quickly.
09:38About messaging, and you're getting to this point.
09:40That is, I think there are a lot of people who are keen to run against
09:42and maybe support candidates who are running against the policies of this president.
09:46There are others who are looking for the Democrats to promote and campaign on policies of their own.
09:51What is your counsel to your caucus, those running, on how to find that balance between those two things?
09:56Being anti-Trump and being pro-whatever the Democratic Party is offering.
10:00Being for something.
10:00Yes.
10:01Well, I think what's been obvious over the last 14 months,
10:04and certainly this was the case no longer deniable by people who suggest that Democrats don't have a message,
10:10is that what has united us is the issue of affordability.
10:14And our commitment to actually drive down the high cost of living.
10:19That was the case in New Jersey, that was the case in Virginia, that was the case in New York.
10:24Three very different type of candidates all united around the affordability issue.
10:29Because we believe there are far too many people, we're talking about millions of folks in this country,
10:33who are working hard and who are playing by the rules, but who are unable to get by.
10:40They certainly aren't able to get ahead.
10:42They can't thrive, and they are barely surviving.
10:45And that's unacceptable in the wealthiest country in the history of the world.
10:49And we believe that when you do those things, when you work hard, and when you play by the rules,
10:54you should be able to live an affordable life, a comfortable life, live the good life.
10:59And we define that very clearly.
11:01Good paying jobs, good housing, good health care, a good education for your children,
11:05and when it's all said and done, a good retirement.
11:08That's what House Democrats are fighting hard to achieve for the American people.
11:14I want to ask you about one of your Republican colleagues.
11:17Texas Republican Tony Gonzalez is facing criticism over allegations of an affair he had with a former staffer
11:23who later died by suicide.
11:25He has so far resisted calls to step down, should he resign?
11:30So these are extremely disturbing and very serious allegations, and it requires a very serious investigation.
11:37And it's my understanding that the Office of Congressional Counsel is in the midst of that investigation
11:43and, in fact, may be prepared to issue a report to us as members of Congress as early as Wednesday
11:51of next week.
11:52And once that report has been issued to us, then all options should certainly be on the table
11:57based on what the conclusions are in terms of that investigation.
12:01I want to ask you about a piece in the Washington Post about an executive order the president's reportedly considering.
12:06I'm going to read a quote here from Peter Tickton, who is someone who's pushing for this executive order.
12:12He said,
12:12If the president were to declare a national emergency to grant him power over elections,
12:17that would empower the president to ban mail ballots and voting machines as the vectors of foreign interference.
12:22So effectively, the argument the administration would be making is,
12:26as they see it, there was foreign interference, although not proven in the last election.
12:29That's grounds for the president to take more control of future elections.
12:33What are you going to do as the Democratic leader in the House if the president goes down that path?
12:37Well, it's a crackpot conspiracy theory, and we will not allow it to be brought to life.
12:43Certainly, we won't allow it to be brought to life legislatively,
12:46where the president threatened to abandon the way in which elections have been conducted
12:51for the better part of almost 250 years here in this country and try to nationalize them.
12:58The so-called Save America Act is dead on arrival in the Senate.
13:01It's not going anywhere.
13:03And this effort to abuse the notion of an emergency authority has already been defeated multiple times
13:12by the Supreme Court, a very conservative Supreme Court.
13:15The president tried to use emergency authority to federalize the National Guard.
13:20We, of course, sued him, took it all the way up to the Supreme Court,
13:24and he was denied that ability, which is why the president was forced to pull out
13:28of places like Oregon, California, and Illinois.
13:32The president claimed the authority to unilaterally issue tariffs,
13:37tariffs that are hurting businesses, hurting entrepreneurs,
13:41and certainly hurting farmers and consumers.
13:43We took that up to the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court,
13:47including three very conservative justices,
13:50declared clearly that the president did not have that emergency authority
13:54with respect to tariffs, and declared them unlawful and unconstitutional.
13:59And in the same vein, we'll use every tool available,
14:04including suing the heck out of him if he tries to go down this road
14:09to prevent him from trying to rig the midterm elections,
14:13because he knows his presidency has been a failure,
14:17his policies have been a failure, and Republicans have failed America.
14:21Leader Jeffries, we've talked about the Democratic message.
14:24Let me ask you about what we've heard from the president on the campaign trail.
14:26This is a refrain he's used over and over again.
14:28Let me play it.
14:30You've got to win the midterms, because if we don't win the midterms,
14:34it's just going to be, I mean, they'll find a reason to impeach me.
14:40I'll get impeached.
14:41You call this the most corrupt administration in history.
14:44I wonder if you think impeachment is inevitable,
14:48and as you listen to Americans,
14:50maybe there are those who are worried about the fact
14:52that you have one administration impeaching the president,
14:54I'm sorry, one Congress impeaching the president,
14:55the administration switches, that could happen back and forth over and over again.
14:58Are you willing to rule out or commit to not impeaching the president
15:01if you were to get the speaker's gavel?
15:04Yeah, what I'm willing to commit to is that
15:06we are going to fight hard to drive down the high cost of living.
15:10We believe that affordability is the core issue
15:13that the American people want us to address.
15:15But about impeachment, is that something you're ruling out?
15:17What I'm saying our priority is
15:20we're not ruling anything in and we're not ruling anything out.
15:22It's all premature.
15:23What we're focused on is a commitment to making sure
15:27we make life more affordable for the American people
15:30and fix our broken health care system.
15:32Now, of course, there's got to be accountability.
15:34This is the most corrupt administration in American history.
15:38And right now, we are focused on delivering that accountability
15:42in terms of the administration directly to Christy Noem,
15:47who we've called to be fired.
15:50And if she's not fired, we are committed
15:53to commencing impeachment proceedings against her.
15:56And we've just got to convince a handful of our Republican colleagues
15:59to do the right thing.
16:01She's a disaster.
16:02She's a stone-cold liar.
16:04She called Renee Nicole Good and Alex Preddy
16:07domestic terrorists.
16:09She's unleashed these poorly trained agents
16:12to brutalize law-abiding immigrant families
16:16and American citizens, in some cases, killing them.
16:20And she clearly has to go.
16:22Leader Jeffries, before we let you go,
16:23next week, you're going to compel a vote of the full House
16:26on the bipartisan Kana Massey War Powers resolution.
16:30I want to ask you, I've covered Washington a long time.
16:32War Powers Act seems to come up constantly,
16:34regardless of whether it's a Democratic or Republican administration.
16:37Is this a performative act at this point?
16:40Because, frankly, if the president decides to bomb Iran
16:43or capture the president of Venezuela,
16:46what are you going to do about it?
16:47Yeah, well, what we have to do as the Article I branch of government
16:52is reclaim our authority as a separate and co-equal branch,
16:58which, unfortunately, our Republican colleagues have declined to do.
17:01In fact, many of our Republicans...
17:02So how can you do that?
17:03Well, we can do it by beginning to actually bring legislation to the floor
17:09that is consistent with the values of our framers.
17:12They gave the House of Representatives the authority
17:17as it relates to appropriations,
17:18because they knew taxation and spending were particularly important,
17:23and the House was the closest institution to the people.
17:26They also gave us the authority as it relates to trade and tariffs,
17:29and they gave us the authority as it relates to the power to declare war.
17:35And, unfortunately, over time, we've seen an erosion
17:38of Congress exercising that authority.
17:41And our commitment on behalf of the American people is to regain that.
17:45But can you do anything to stop a president
17:47who decides to take military action like this?
17:51We have to do everything that we can on behalf of the American people,
17:55because the American people clearly know that the last thing we need at this moment,
18:01when they literally are struggling, having to choose between paying rent,
18:04buying groceries, or getting to go see a doctor when they need one,
18:09this is unacceptable in this country.
18:10And the last thing we need is another failed, foreign, forever war,
18:16which certainly would be the outcome
18:18if Donald Trump decides to get us entangled in Iran and the Middle East.
18:23The Democratic leader in the House, my fellow Brooklynite,
18:26Hakeem Jeffries, joining us from Washington.
18:28Representative Jeffries, thank you very much.
18:30Thank you, sir.
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