Nancy Pelosi, House Democrats Press Conference Transcript March 2

Hakeem Jeffries: (03:03)
Good afternoon. It’s an honor to stand here with House Democratic leadership as we approach the House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference at 3:00 PM. Although it will be virtual as we continue to navigate our way through the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re excited, we’re enthusiastic, we’re ready to get to work and continue the process of delivering for the American people. These are certainly challenging times, but in America we’ve encountered many challenging times, year after year, decade after decade, century after century. America is a resilient country. America is a great country. We’ve come a long way, but of course, we still have a long way to go. There are issues that we need to resolve on behalf of every day Americans.

The Framers of the constitution did not promise a perfect country. In fact, we know that they were imperfect individuals themselves, but they did set us on a course, an aspirational course for a more perfect union. And that is what the Issues Conference in 2021 will be all about. How do we build back better for the people and create justice, opportunity, and prosperity in every single zip code? We look forward to a very robust conversation and dialogue with practitioners, activists, academics, community leaders, and high-ranking governmental officials, including the President of the United States, the Vice President, the Secretary of State, the former Secretary of State, who was the Climate Envoy, as well as the current governor of the state of New Mexico, our former colleague in the House of Representatives.

We’re going to be focused on continuing the work that we have already been delivering on, but doing it in the context of the crisisies that we confront: building a better economy that is centered around everyday Americans, addressing systemic racism in a manner that brings to life the principle of liberty and justice for all, making sure that all Americans have access to safe, high quality, affordable healthcare, fixing our broken immigration system in a manner that is consistent with our status as a nation of immigrants and of course, the rule of law, and finally confronting the climate crisis in a manner that recognizes the existential threat that is posed to our country, our continent, and to the entire world. So we’re looking forward to proceeding together over the next few days and the continuing to work toward building back better for the people. The House Democratic Caucus is a wonderful orchestra. We’ve got incredibly talented legislative musicians, but it wouldn’t work in the absence of a fabulous conductor, Nancy D’Alesandro Pelosi.

Nancy Pelosi: (06:56)
Thank you so much. I didn’t know where you were going there. I don’t know if we were going to have to sing or play some music. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, thanks to you and Vice Chair Aguilar for bringing us together for this important Issues Conference: a time of reflection, a time for us to listen and to learn about some of the challenges that we face and some of the solutions that go with them, to listen to our colleagues, their various enthusiasms that they have and how we can channel them into building back better for the people, advancing justice opportunity and prosperity in every zip code, prosperity for all Americans.

Now, when we begin our conference will usually begin with a prayer and I’m sure that we will, but I will just talk about I had the chance to go to church this weekend for the first time in a very long time. I got on the list for a Holy Trinity Church and the gospel this weekend was about the transfiguration of Christ. Christ takes Peter, James, and John to the top of the mountain, Elijah appears Moses appeared and God appears and said, “This is my beloved son.” I won’t go into the whole gospel, but when it’s over and they go down the mountain, God says, Jesus says to James, John, and Peter, “Don’t tell any of the others what you saw,” Elijah, et cetera there, “Until I have risen from the dead.” And they’re like, what? I mean, we just saw Elijah, now you’re talking about dying and rising. But the whole point of the gospel was that in order to learn, we have to unlearn certain things. And that’s how I was thinking of this. How do we open our minds to the new, to the entrepreneurial thinking that is out there to help us to find a common ground, to understand other points of view in a way that saves time, but also makes progress.

So we really had been looking forward to, even before Sunday gospel, to this time of listening, learning, reflection, unlearning, so that we can learn more. It’s very, very important to us. And it happens at a time as the distinguished chair has indicated a time when we have a new President of the United States, Joseph Biden, a new Vice President, Kamala Harris, and we’ll be honored with the Secretary of State and other leaders from this administration. But we’re listening at that level and at the grassroots level and at the member level so that we can be transfixed, transformed when we leave in a couple of days and have fresh eyes on the subject that we’re out to see, but always true to our values, build back better for the people, advancing justice, opportunity, and prosperity for every zip code. In that spirit, I yield to the distinguished gentlemen from Maryland, our distinguished House Democratic leader, Mr. Hoyer.

Mr. Hoyer: (10:43)
Let me say, it’s always a privilege to follow the right reverend conductor of the Democratic House I have a sort of a mundane role that I’ve been assigned and that is to tell you what we’re doing and what we’re going to do. And we will do it in short one minute, five minutes. Now, Nancy and I have the ability to talk a little longer than that, but what these issue conferences are about are talking longer, more thoughtfully, more interface, more discussion, as opposed to one minute statements. And it is to, as Nancy points out, the speaker points out, to look more in depth at the issues we confront. Now, the 117th Congress is facing one of the most daunting scenarios that we’ve seen. We faced daunting scenarios the last time we were in the majority in 2009, 2007, but 2008, we had the Great Recession and we needed to respond and we did so in a very, very decisive way and it made a difference, which is why we have one of the great growth patterns starting in 2010 because of that Bill-

Mr. Hoyer: (12:03)
… the growth patterns starting in 2010, because of that bill that we passed. And much of that had been discussed in previous issue conferences, Mr. Chairman. I had the privilege for five and a half years of being chairman of the caucus, so I know how important these conferences are, and I know the work that goes into it. And Pete, thank you very much for your leadership. And Kathryn, of course, you were involved in these until you became the assistant speaker. So thank you as well. And Jim Clyburn and I have been around for a long time so we’ve been to a lot of these.

Speaker 7: (12:31)
Well, he held one too, as short as possible.

Mr. Hoyer: (12:34)
The House is off to a very good start. We’re following a very productive Congress in the 116th for the House of Representatives. I continue to remind people, the fact that it met a slammed door in the United States Senate did not mean that what we did wasn’t a very productive and, very frankly, we passed five bills, which kept us out of depression and assisted in confronting COVID-19. This week, we’re taking action on HR1, which is on the floor today. We’re going to pass the Justice In Policing Act. The chairman talked about systemic racism. That is a very key part of our response.

Mr. Hoyer: (13:18)
Over the next two weeks, we’ll pass the Pro Act to make sure that working men and women have the right to organize and bargain collectively so that they can get a fair shake. We’re going to look at gun violence, background checks and Charleston loophole, which is led by Jim Clyburn. 90% of America supports that bill. 90% of that or about 86% support it when we sent it to the Senate in the last Congress and it met a no way response. Important women’s issues as well. This month is Women’s History Month. We’re going to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization. We’re also going to deal with immigration, the Dream Act. About 85% of the Americans support that. So we are doing the people’s agenda and we’ll pass that over to the Senate. As we look ahead to the remainder of 2021, we’ll have a lot of work to do on behalf of the American people, much of which we will discuss over these next two days.

Mr. Hoyer: (14:19)
As the theme of our issue conference says, we will be focused on building back better. That has a lot of applications, but essentially it means we want to come back from the crisis that we have confronted and come back better. And we will do that. That means over the course of this year, we will be looking at, and the chairman mentioned a number of these issues, rebuilding infrastructure, tackling climate change, strengthening access to affordable healthcare, expanding economic opportunity, addressing systemic racism.

Mr. Hoyer: (14:52)
This issues conference will feature important conversations of some of the most pressing issues we face. We’ll be hearing from experts in many fields as we have in the past. So I want to thank Chairman Jeffreys, Vice Chairman Pete Aguilar, and all of the leadership that has worked so hard to get us to today and get us to tomorrow, get us through the 116th Congress in such a productive way. And I predict the 117th Congress is going to be one of the most productive congresses in which I have participated. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman and Mr. Vice Chairman. I will now yield to my dear friend, who apparently is going to give a brief talk, Jim Clyburn.

Jim Clyburn: (15:36)
Thank you very much, Mr. [inaudible 00:15:37]. I promise it will be a little more brief than yours.

Mr. Hoyer: (15:40)
That’s not a big [inaudible 00:15:45].

Mr. Chairman, Mr. Vice Chair, Speaker Pelosi, Assistant Speaker, my job is going to be rather easy this evening and throughout this conference. For some reason, and that fact I know that the reason why, I have decided to add a B word to this build back better. Bold. Boldly. I think it’s come to the surprise of a lot of people that President Biden has put forth such a bold plan. Well, we should not have be surprised because when he received the nomination, he did something to demonstrate his ability to go bold. He named the first woman to be Vice President of these United States. Many have been proposed before, but in this instance he picked not just a woman, but he picked a woman of color. I know our history well enough to know that a woman of color has been proposed before, but not by a major party.

And when he did so, he went beyond what a lot of people would expect. He picked a woman from a historical black college and university, and it demonstrated something about him that I think helps define this administration and define what this caucus is going to be like for the rest of this Congress and on throughout his administration. And that is to see what needs to be done. And irrespective of what may have been the past, irrespective of what may be tradition, to strike out and do it and do it in such a way that you create a climate that is positive for the American people.

So tonight, my job is going to be to introduce I suspect a hope at this point to present Kamala Harris to bring an address to this caucus, an address that I think will say exactly what we are all about as a caucus. I’m very fond of this effort because I think it defines diversity in a way that we would like to see it defined, not just African American, but Asian American. Not just a woman, but also the daughter of immigrants. And not just a one who has been credentialed, but one who carries that credential and credit, the historical nature of what a lot of us have been all about in this great country.

As many of you know, I have been talking for the last two years about the challenge we have as Americans, and I have been invoking the writings of Alexis de Tocqueville in doing so. De Tocqueville came to this country to study our penal system. But when he got here, he found a certain magic about the country and he set out to find out what the magic was. He came to the conclusion that America is great, not because it’s more enlightened than any other nation, but rather because it has always been able to repair its faults. This administration and this Congress will take some bold steps to repair some significant faults that have erupted in our society. And I think we’re going to do it in such a way that American people will be pleased and will look forward to the future with great aspirations.

With that, I’ll yield to distinguish Assistant Speaker, Katherine Clark.

Katherine Clark: (20:35)
Thank you so much. It is so good to be with you. And I want to thank Chairman Jeffreys, Vice Chair Aguilar for putting together this issues conference and for all your leadership in keeping our caucus informed and moving forward to meet this moment, and to our outstanding Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Hoyer and Whip Clyburn for their commitment to making sure that those issues that families at home talk about around their kitchen table are the priorities on the table here in Congress.

So justice, opportunity and prosperity in every zip code. It is a long title for a big piece of work that we are undertaking to meet this moment of racial, economic and climate justice. This is the theme of our conference and it is the driving force behind our work in Congress. This pandemic has exposed so many of the inequities that we knew existed and brought them in to stark relief. Women are being pushed out of the workforce. One out of four women have lost their jobs. Families on the poverty line are slipping further into despair. Black and brown Americans are getting sick and dying at disproportionate rates. This time of great challenge calls for great progress. And this is what we’re going to be discussing at the issues conference this year.

This is our moment, not to return to the status quo, but to boldly build back better. When workers are treated with dignity, when women are treated equitably, and Americans, no matter their background, skin color or geography, have equal access to opportunity. This is how we center our work in Congress. This is the exciting plans that we have in place to see and help the American people meet this challenge. And we are so grateful to be able to do it with the Biden Harris Administration. So we’re looking forward to the next few days and to the session ahead to deliver on our promise to help meet this moment in American history. And I am now very proud to introduce Vice Chairman of the caucus, Pete Aguilar.

Pete Aguilar: (23:21)
Thank you, Assistant Speaker Clark. As the chairman mentioned, and he gave you a rundown of our issues conference, building back better boldly for the people, justice, opportunity, prosperity in every zip code. Mr. Clyburn doesn’t know that we had the banner made already, so now it will be delayed because of the printing.

Our conference is built on the diversity of our caucus. Not only are we a diverse caucus, but we’re a united caucus. We showed that with the American Rescue Plan. We’re going to build off of that.

… rescue plan. We’re going to build off of that to address and to discuss issues of the economy, and healthcare and opportunity, and making sure that Americans have a chance in our communities. But we will do that, and the conference was built off of the diversity of the members of our caucus, who were given time to give us ideas and suggestions on programs that will help them. So that’s the mindset that we’ll take into this issues conference, is building off of our relationships with our colleagues, learning from the diversity of that caucus, and that’s what will continue to be our guide throughout the issues conference, Mr. Chairman.

We have to prepare for a timely three o’clock start, but we do have an opportunity to take a few questions.

Speaker 8: (24:58)
If you could talk about this Chairman, and also madam Speaker if you would address it as well. Just wondering how concerned you are with the White House in their role in the passage of the $15 minimum wage. Do you feel that President Biden has offered a true strategy to making that happen, especially given the ruling by the parliamentarian and how it’s unlikely to be a part of the COVID relief effort.

Well, I’ll just briefly say that the administration put forth a transformative American rescue plan. It contained the $ 15 minimum wage. We believe that that is the right approach, as evidenced by the fact that it was in the legislation that we passed. But the House is the House and the Senate is the Senate. They have a process, they have a parliamentarian, and I’m not going to speak on what their process will yield. Other than to say, as I think the speaker has made clear, we’re committed to making sure that we raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour. It’s the wealthiest country in the history of the world. The notion that anyone is working full time, trying to raise a family and making $7.25 should not be acceptable to anyone in the United States of America.

The fight for 15 is one that many of us have been involved in for a few years. And just because this may not survive the Senate right now doesn’t mean that that fight is anywhere near over. So we will continue to use whatever legislative options are available to us. It is wildly popular among the American people. In a bi-partisan, non-partisan way, Democrats, Republicans, Independents and the rest support raising the minimum wage. I come to this with experience, one standing, Mr. Clyburn And I raised the minimum wage in 2006. Well, we won 2006, we passed it in 2007. In the 100 hours, not days, hours of that new majority that we had. We passed it, $7.25 an hour. It hadn’t been raised in 11 years, and now it’s been a long time since it has been raised and we are determined to get the job done for the American people.

This pathetic minimum wage, seven and a quarter all these years later is really a gift to underwrite those who are exploiting their workers in many respects. Some people just can’t afford, businesses just can’t afford to pay the full $15 and we want to help them. By and large, people are getting food stamps, they’re getting Medicaid, they’re getting housing assistance and the rest because their employers are not paying a decent wage. So again, for the taxpayer to save money from all of those expenditures for the worker so that they can put food on the table when they work full time, and for the businesses, especially the small businesses that need help in meeting that goal, we will be passing the minimum wage. And the White House was right out there with it very early, we have no complaint about what they have done.

Speaker 8: (28:20)
But there’s clearly members of your conference that are very concerned that this particular opportunity is your best opportunity, including many of your progressive members.

That this is our best opportunity?

Speaker 8: (28:30)
Right, passing it through reconciliation. That there are [crosstalk 00:28:35].

We’ll have other reconciliation. But let me just say this, because I think this is really important. This bill, this, as Mr. [inaudible 00:28:45], this bill, this American rescue plan is spectacular. It has so much in it to put vaccinations in the arms of the American people, money in the pockets of our families. Children in school, workers in jobs. This is excellent. So let’s not be diverted into thinking, “Well, what’s not in,” but let’s respect it for what is in, and it is spectacular.

Now, we were also present in 2009. The house had a bill that was one point one trillion dollars. The Senate cut it back $300 billion, so the people said, “What lesson did you learn by not going big enough?” No, we did go big enough. But it was cut back by about a third, a little more than a third when it went over to the Senate side in order to get bipartisan support. We value that, but if we had stayed big? We would have had a bigger recovery then. This is a big bill for a bigger recovery. In fact, in light of a pandemic, just what this country needs. It meets the needs of the American people.

Yeah, I think we got the [crosstalk 00:29:59]

Do we have some other questions? We’re not going to have a conversation.

Speaker 9: (30:03)
Thank you, sir. Another question for you, and the speaker Pelosi as well. Last night, and member of your caucus called on Governor Cuomo of New York to resign amidst allegations of sexual harassment. I’m wondering what do you think should happen as to the Governor and these allegations?

I issued a statement on this issue, and made clear that these allegations are very serious against Governor Cuomo, made by serious individuals and deserve a serious and independent investigation. Now that the attorney general has taken over the investigation, it will be fully independent and thorough, and I await the results of that investigation.

I associate myself with the gentlemen [Trevon 00:30:41].

Speaker 10: (30:47)
You guys are going into this conference that you’re… again, the legislative tempo with adding another work week. How much of that, and this is both for Speaker and for yourself, is basically in response to the ghost of 1994 and 2010 when you lost the chambers in the midsection?

Well, I’m just going to yield to the Speaker and Steny on the schedule. But obviously I think as Jim indicated, these are challenging times and so we’re going to act in a bold fashion. And in order to be able to do that, we have to get to work. Not fly off to Florida, but actually get to work for the people. Because the level of pain and suffering and death that they are experiencing is extraordinary, and that’s the only thing that’s driving us.

Mr. Hoyer: (31:36)
Let me say, it has nothing to do with ’94, it has nothing to do with 2006. It has to do with 2020 and 2021, and the challenges we face from COVID-19 which demand action. Systemic racism demands action. Infrastructure investment demands action. I can go into a lot of the other issues that I mentioned earlier, but Jim Clyburn would speak too long. So it has nothing to do with that, it has to do with what’s in front of us, and dealing with it so that the people know that we’re there fighting for them and their families, their children and their future.

Speaker 11: (32:20)
Thank you. FBI Director Christopher Wray this morning testified about a number of ongoing investigations still related to January 6th. What are you specifically… Do you refer to anything, or if you could give us any insight into the investigation into current members of Congress giving alleged tours? Is that still happening, are you being kept abreast of that investigation?

Well, as you may be aware, some of our members saw some people here the day before January 6th. It was at a time when we were told not to even bring family members to the Capitol because there would be no tours or taking our families around. But yet these people were there, and they had to be there as the guest of a member or staff of a member’s office. So those members who saw those people have conveyed what they saw to law enforcement, and they’re looking into that. They feel comfortable that what they conveyed is being addressed. That’s all I can say about that.

Speaker 12: (33:38)
Thank you, for both of yourselves. I wanted to focus on H.R.1 and then the George Floyd Policing Act being brought up again. So how is it different from last Congress to this Congress? Because when you go to the Senate, you still need 60 votes. 60 votes still aren’t apparently there. And so have Democrats maybe oversold what they could accomplish with control of both chambers?

Now I’ll let everybody jump in on this, but I think… We have a House Democratic majority, we have a change in occupancy at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The king of obstruction is no longer in charge in the Senate. It’s a very different landscape, handed to us by the American people. Because they want things done, like defending our democracy, H. R.1, or transforming policing in a way that brings the police and the community together and lifts up the principle of equal protection under the law.

Mr. Hoyer: (34:39)
Let me make a comment. Because this seems to be a theme of the press, and some others that we said we were going to do X, Y and Z. But we didn’t say we’re going to be magicians, we didn’t say we could magically make the Senate change or the House change. We have a very close majority, you see that we’re doing exactly what we say we’re going to do successfully. I am one who believes that the filibuster is an undemocratic… Utilized in my early generation, when I started an interest in public affairs, to undermine the rights of citizens of color in America. I think the filibuster ought to be modified. The founders wanted the Senate to be able to talk and be more thoughtful, and as they said, cool the hot broth into the saucer. But we can’t magically make the Republicans be for what the people are for. That was my point, that people overwhelmingly for the agenda were passing.

Mr. Hoyer: (35:49)
And democracy works. And so if the people want those bills to pass, they will either demand that we do away with the filibuster or demand that some Republican senators who refuse to vote for what the people want-

Mr. Hoyer: (36:02)
… and senators who refuse to vote for what the people want, leave office. But we’re going to do everything in our power. I think Chuck Schumer’s going to do everything in his power to make sure that the agenda that we are working on and promised the people will in fact be the agenda that we put forward and hopefully pass. None of you here would have predicted seven Republican votes for conviction, none of us in this room, yet we got there. So we’ll keep talking to our Republican colleagues and keep working with them, both in the House and in the Senate, to get our agenda done because we believe that is what the people want us to do.

I can’t help… Oh, excuse me, Mr. Clyburn. You go. I’ll let you finish.

Well, I think that all of you know I hail from South Carolina. I’ve studied history all of my life. My dad made me start studying history when I was eight years old. I remember Harry Truman and Tom Dewey, and I’ve stayed in close touch with history. I remember in 1957, I was a high school graduate. I graduated high school in 1957. A lot of people think when Strom Thurmond filibustered the Civil Rights Act, they think about 1964. It was the 1957 Civil Rights Act which was nothing but a principle and the filibuster was used to kill that, and we’ve seen it used throughout time.

Now I’m calling on the American people, but I’m also calling on my friends in the Senate. I think all of you that’s been watching things over the last several days, you see that our Republican colleagues are now adhering to political philosophies that are a throwback to the 1940s and ’50s, and they are using the filibuster to deny progress, basically to low income people, and if they’re going to use the filibuster to the deny the minimum wage increase it would be tantamount to using it to deny civil rights. And that to me is what we are going to be talking about going forward.

We’re not going to just give in, do these arcane methods of denying progress. This party is not going to do it, and if they want to be categorized that way, we will oblige them. I can tell you, I will not be quiet on this issue. People of color will not be quiet on this issue. We are not going to allow the filibuster that was used to deny me and people who look like me, the opportunity to come to this Congress and that’s what they did. And they’re not going to deny the opportunity for people to make a decent living above the poverty wage. If that’s what they’re going to do, they’re going to have to live with it because we’re going to make sure that we serve it up.

I couldn’t resist coming to the podium when you asked about H.R.1 because as we gather here on the floor of the House, that legislation is being debated as we speak. And that legislation is called the For The People Bill, H.R.1. In the Senate it’s S.1 so we’re very pleased that they have embraced the spirit of that. This is something that is enormously popular among the American people. The American people want to reduce the role of big, dark, special interest money in politics which is preventing so many good things from happening.

The people want to see an end to voter suppression. The first 300 pages of the bill were written by John Lewis to end voter suppression. The people want to see redistricting done by commission so that voters are choosing their elected officials, not their elected officials choosing their voters. The people want to see a stronger voice for people at the grassroots level, small donors and grassroots people in every way, mobilizing money, messaging in every way. The list goes on and on.

The people want to see an end to the foreign influence in our elections. That’s one of the most popular features of H.R.1. So as you’ve heard me say, perhaps you haven’t but others have here, Lincoln said, “Public sentiment is everything. With it you can accomplish almost anything, without it practically nothing.” Public sentiment is there. Democrats, Republicans, Independents, just declines to state, people not particularly even engaged in the political arena. When the people say they want this, this and this, this bill is for the people. So it’s pretty exciting. You asked this question right when that bill was being debated on the floor of the House.

Last night, we had a call with Eric Holder and John Sarbanes and Zoe Lofgren and Mondaire Jones, our new freshman member, with our grassroots organization around the country. And as we were on that call, the rule on the bill was being debated. People were very excited. They could almost see history in motion.

This is essential for us to return the people’s House, as Steny began, for… Well, it was your floor speech, I think, you began, government of people, by the people and for the people. It’s pretty exciting. We’re going to make it happen and we’re going to make it happen because the public will insist upon it and it’s going to make all the difference in the world for the people.

[inaudible 00:42:45] Chairman.

[crosstalk 00:42:46] Thank you.

Just before we leave, I’m going to say one thing, Madam Speaker. It occurred to me when I went back to my seat. At noon today, I watched the live streaming of the unveiling of a monument across the street from the Capitol in Columbia, South Carolina, from the State House. On this day, March 2nd, 60 years ago, I was arrested on that corner along with 191 others. 189 of us were found guilty of wanting to sit down at a lunch counter.

All I’m saying to you is nobody thought that day that one of those little 20-year-olds arrested on that day would be standing here today. We are not going to give up on this. We are going to fight to give people a decent salary, get people decent housing, get people justice, and if the other side want to spend their time wallowing in the past, we’re going to do what’s necessary to highlight it. Thank you.

Nancy Pelosi, House Democrats Press Conference Transcript March 2

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