LIVE: House Minority Leader Jeffries Holds Weekly Press Conference (Dec. 6)

Good morning, everyone. In the remaining a few weeks, House Democrats look forward to finishing up the National Defense Authorization Act and doing it in a strongly bipartisan way as should always be done in connection with our national security interests and protecting the safety and security of the American people. We, of course, need to resolve the issues connected to the year-end spending agreement and bipartisan conversations continue to be underway in that regard to make sure we are meeting the needs of the American people. We, of course, have to address the looming expiration of the Farm Bill and that issue must also be dealt with in a bipartisan way and in a manner consistent with protecting farmers, protecting the agricultural industry, and protecting nutritional assistance for vulnerable Americans. As Democrats have repeatedly made clear, as we prepare for the new Congress, we will seek to find common ground with the incoming administration whenever and wherever possible in order to solve problems for hard-working American taxpayers, but we will push back against far-right extremism whenever necessary. Questions? It's unclear to me what exactly the objective is related to this so-called DOJ initiative. From our perspective, we want a federal government that is effective and efficient and equitable and to the extent the other side of the aisle shares that objective, which is what is right for the American people, then we'll see if there's common ground as possible. Democrats will, of course, have to be directly involved to the extent that there is any legislative aspect of this and we will, by necessity, be engaged because it's clear that the incoming House Republican majority will not be able to do much without us. With respect to the National Defense Authorization Act, we're proceeding on a track where we hope to be able to bring it forward in a bipartisan way as a standalone. It remains to be seen what the process will be in connection with the Farm Bill. I have no reflection other than that the caucus is working as well and we're doing it in a cordial fashion, having internal discussions and deliberations about how to make sure we're in the strongest possible position moving forward to deal with the excesses of the incoming Trump administration whenever and wherever that manifests itself. Got it. We've had no communication with the White House as it relates to potential pardons with respect to any sitting members of Congress or former members of Congress. It has been the perspective that many of us have shared that there are working class Americans all across the country who've been caught up in an overly aggressive criminal justice system that at times has gone too far in terms of excessive sentencing as it relates to nonviolent offenders who do not present any risk to society and are prepared to contribute to the well-being of society to the extent that the Biden administration is considering additional pardons moving forward. It's my suggestion that that is where the focus should be at this point in time. Members are in a position to speak for themselves, but I don't think. We're prepared to do our jobs and we will not be intimidated. Well, we look forward to continuing to do the people's business in the new Congress and as we've repeatedly indicated, we're going to fight hard to make a difference in the lives of the American people. To the extent that there was any mandate that has emerged from this most recent election, it is that the American people want us to work hard to lower the high cost of living and to bring down grocery prices, gas prices, the cost of child care and housing costs, and that will be a focus of House Democrats as we move forward. Kevin? No additional thoughts on congestion pricing. With respect to Mayor Adams, I'm going to support the Democratic nominee who emerges in the primary in June as it relates to the next mayor of the city of New York and work as hard as I can partnering with the Congressional delegation to make sure that the next mayor of the city of New York is a Democrat. I have no idea that's in the hands of the people of the great city of New York. That's a decision that has to be made by the people of the city of New York. What we've seen repeatedly amongst my extreme agorapublican colleagues is that they say one thing to the American people before the election and then do something different after the election. The House Republicans said they were going to protect Social Security and Medicare, and so did their presidential nominee, and now we learn after the election that House Republicans are planning to try to cut Medicare and Social Security and end it as we know it. House Republicans said before the election that they were focused on improving the quality of life of working class Americans, but after the election they're focused on tax cuts for the wealthy, the well-off, and the well-connected. For years up until this election, the incoming president-elect has said that we're going to build a wall and Mexico will pay for it, but now after the election House Republicans are planning to use the budget reconciliation process to force everyday Americans and hardworking taxpayers to pay for their so-called water wall. We all support, on the Democratic side, a strong, a safe, and a secure border. We have a broken immigration system and we need to fix it. We need to enhance our border security, and we need to do it in a sensible bipartisan way, and Democrats are prepared to do just that. Well, the caucus will continue to work as well, and I'm not going to get out ahead of any ongoing deliberations that are taking place within the House Democratic Caucus as per the tradition for decades in terms of House Democratic leadership. We have enormous talent spread throughout the caucus, and that talent, of course, includes both more seasoned members who bring great experience to the congressional arena, as well as newer members who've got a lot of energy and capacity and ability, and we welcome their entry onto the playing field. I issued a statement with respect to the pardon issue, and that statement will speak for itself. With respect to the Gates report, it's an ongoing matter of public interest, as has been expressed by many. We'll see whether our former colleague is presented for any additional positions with the incoming Trump administration, and to the extent that occurs, it certainly is not a moot matter. It's a matter of interest to the American people, and any senators from the Democratic or Republican side who may be asked to vote on any confirmation or weigh in on their perspective with respect to who is best positioned to serve the American people in the new administration. We're in the midst of ongoing discussions that are classified in nature as it relates to that matter, and so I'm not at liberty to have any discussions, but it is a matter of significant congressional interest, and it's my expectation that those ongoing classified discussions will continue to occur. Everyone good? All right. Thank you, everyone. I'm sorry. Given all the nominations that we've seen up until this point, anything is possible. Thank you all.