🔰Chuck Schumer And Newly Elected Senate Democrats Preview Democratic Priorities For 119th Congress

Great, so thank you for coming here braving the cold new snow. Neither wind, nor sleet, nor snow, nor freezing cold will stop the Democrats from helping working families. Today we're here to talk about the Senate Democrat priorities for the 119th Congress to lower costs for working people and fight every single day for American families in every corner of this country. Democrats stand united, not because of who we fight against, but because of who we're fighting for. The working class, the middle class, hardworking Americans who want nothing more than an opportunity to succeed and build better lives for their families. In the months and years to come, Democrats will show where our values lie through what we do and how we fight for all Americans. We will fight to bring down inflation, to help people save money when they go to the grocery store, when they go to the pharmacy, when they pay their cable or internet bill. We'll fight to make housing more affordable. We'll fight to see that Americans aren't ripped off by giant corporations with hidden fees and predatory behavior. We'll fight to defend women's health care, to defend our fundamental liberties. If Republicans want to join us and not just help those at the very top, we stand ready to work with them. But our promise to Republicans comes with a warning. Democrats will not hesitate to fight back. If Republicans use their new majorities to make life more expensive for the working families of this country, if Donald Trump and Republicans use their new majorities to push the same old GOP policies of tax cuts for the very rich, cuts to health care, trickle-down economics, Democrats will fight back. If the Republicans go after Social Security and Medicare, as many of them say they want to do, they're going to have to go through us. The time to get to work is now. They have been talking about this reconciliation bill, should it be two bills or one bill. It doesn't make a difference, that's inside Washington. They're trying to find the quickest, best way to hurt average Americans by giving the very wealthy the huge tax breaks they don't need. Now you're going to hear from our newest voices. Folks, we're proud to welcome, we have a great freshman class, and they're here to speak because they are a great addition. First is Andy Kim from New Jersey. Thank you, Leader. And to stay on the good side of my new colleagues, I'm going to keep this brief. But what I wanted to say is, you know, six months ago, I got a phone call. My father had gotten into an accident, he got rushed to the hospital. He will never have the chance to be able to walk again. His life turned upside down. Now trying to figure out how he can get the care that he needs, and he's someone that worked hard over his life, but struggled to be able to save, never was able to have and afford to buy a home. And now he's faced with this situation of paying upwards of $10,000 a month, or basically bankrupting himself until he's eligible for Medicaid. We need more options for the American people. I'm a father of a seven-year-old and a nine-year-old, to be honest with you, I worry about what kind of America my kids are going to grow up in. So many families that I talk to in New Jersey face with these challenges of care, whether a sandwich generation like myself, or others trying to figure out how they're going to be able to build the kind of lives that they want. They're not asking for the moon, they're just asking for to be able to have a life of dignity and decency, trying to be able to be able to live their best lives, be able to afford the kind of living that they want for their loved ones, which is all I want for my dad, all I want for my family, and for my kids. But I hear from people in New Jersey saying they feel the weight of this anxiety. They say it's often hard to breathe because they feel so anxious about what's happening right now. They say it feels like death from a thousand cuts that they're struggling for right now. So that's what I'm here for, and I'm grateful for my colleagues to fight alongside, making sure we can deliver for the people and their daily lives and their daily needs. Thank you so much. Thank you. Blood Rochester, from the great state of Delaware. Wow. Thank you, Leader Schumer, for hosting this press conference. I am excited to be here with my colleagues, including this incredible freshman class. And I have a message to the American people. I can tell you one thing. We, the Senate Democratic Caucus, are ready. What'd I say? We're ready. We're ready to fight for working families. We're ready to fight for our communities. And we're ready to fight for Americans. Now, as some of you may know, my colleague Chris Coons and I represent a small but mighty state, Delaware. But what you might not know is that Delaware is only three counties. And we are blue, purple, and red. So we work with everybody. We are urban, suburban, rural, and coastal. We are America. And so America, again, want to tell you that the Senate Democrats are ready. We are here fighting for you. And as the former Secretary of Labor of the state of Delaware, jobs and the economy are job number one. As a matter of fact, if I were to have a second middle name, it would be Lisa Blunt Jobs Rochester. Because we know that when working people thrive, we all thrive. That means you have a home that you can afford to live in. That means you have access to quality health care. That means you have the ability to both pay for your prescription drugs and for your groceries. And it means we have a tax code that does not give breaks to the ultra rich while you are just breaking even. That's what we're fighting for. It's a new day, America. Let's get to work. Great Slotkin from Michigan. Hey, everybody. Hi, everyone. I'm Melissa Slotkin, the newest senator from the great state of Michigan. I'm thrilled to be here with my colleagues, my freshman class. It's amazing with Gary Peters. To all of you shivering out there, I'm seeing you behind the camera. This is Michigan weather. Suck it up, buttercup. This is what some of us live with every day. I just want to say very quickly as one of the freshmen who won in a state that was also won by Donald Trump, regardless of our differences, I believe to my core that a strong middle class is a national security issue. It is literally one of the most unifying things we have between us. And my job as someone who represents a state that voted for Donald Trump is to look for common cause anywhere I can. Leadership is about picking between the things you have to compromise on and the things you should never compromise on. So wherever I can, I'm going to work across the aisle. But when it comes to our democracy, our rights, our values, I am going to stand up and stand in the breach. So I'm thrilled to be here. Thank you for having us. Suck it up, everybody. It's a little cold. Buttercup is here. And last, Angela also Brooks from the great state of Maryland. Right. Good afternoon, everyone. Angela also Brooks, senator from the great state of Maryland. I'm really proud to stand here with my colleagues today. But I have to say that I'm even more proud to be here on behalf of the people. You heard my colleague talk about the brisk weather. I think we're all feeling it. And I am reminded in a moment like this one that in just a few minutes, I'm going to have an opportunity to go back inside of this building. And we have we cannot forget for a single moment that there are Americans all across this country who have no place to go on a day like this one in a cold day. And so that is what our work is about. It's about the people. And nobody represented better than President Jimmy Carter, who we today recognized his life of work, what President Carter represented for all of us is the truth that it doesn't matter what we say. We believe it's more important what we do. And so I stand with all of my colleagues saying that we're here to do something on behalf of the American people, the people who believe like President Carter did, that every person deserves to have a place to live, who believe like President Carter, that economic opportunity should belong to all of us who believe like President Carter did, that we have a role to play in providing peace. And so I'm prepared to work not only with my colleagues here in the Democratic Caucus, but to work with Republicans and good people all across this Senate who intend to get things done for the American people. And I'll say this as I close. President Carter's work was remarkable. And one of the things that I noticed is his work with Habitat for Humanity, which we all recognize he did almost until his final days. And I'm sure it is the case that when he went to build those houses, he never stopped to ask the question, will a Democrat or Republican live in this house? He believed that every person, every human deserved to have a place to live. That is what our work is based on. We're ready to get to work, and we will not be deterred. We're going to continue pushing to ensure that every single family and every single person across our country can experience the American dream. All right. We have a great freshman class. Great unity. Thank you, everybody. Thank you!