Transcript of Pelosi Press Conference Today

Leader Pelosi.  This week the world witnessed a despicable chemical weapons attack on innocent men, women, and children in Syria.  The searing images of this war crime tear at our hearts and cry out for justice. Members of Congress expect a comprehensive intelligence briefing on this outrageous atrocity as soon as possible.

I don't know if you saw some of the reporting on it, where one man had his two twins, they were only several months old, these two twins, he had twins, and he was burying them along with their mother, all of whom he lost in the attack.  Another little boy, 11 years old, and his grandfather were receiving care.  And they asked the boy if any of his other relatives were hurt, and he said that 19 of them died in the attack.

The behavior on the part of Assad, once again, is outside the circle of civilized human behavior, and we want to get the briefing so that we can act upon it.

Today, here we are 77 days, the Republican House departs for a two week break now for the Easter and Passover holidays.  I'll begin posing the same questions that Republicans will face from their constituents.  What have the Republicans done with their control of the House, the Senate, and the White House to produce jobs?  Where are the jobs?  Show us the jobs.

Democrats believe that we should focus every day on job creation and growing paychecks for everyone, everywhere, in our country.  You've heard me say that over and over again.

We should be creating jobs, rebuilding America's infrastructure, investing in education that will drive the jobs of the future and unleash the full potential of our people and our economy and our country.

Where is the infrastructure bill?  The President talked about infrastructure during the campaign.  Every conversation or any interaction I have had with the President has been infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure.  Where's the bill?  Show us the bill.

The Republicans have not focused on jobs.  That's not what they've done.  They have not lifted a finger to create jobs or raise wages in our country.

Now, one of you asked last week, well, aren't these CRAs that the President's signing, isn't that something that they have done?  Well, what they have done is lifted protections.  That's what they have done when the President signed those laws, those Congressional Review Act laws.

In his first 100 days, now we are at day 77, President Trump has made it harder for women to get care, jeopardized the air our children breathe, polluted the water our kids drink, and let companies sell our kids' privacy.  Stunning.  Appalling.  And you ask, haven't they accomplished something in the first 100 days?  No, they've undermined, they've undermined the health of America's families.

Okay, so instead of creating jobs and instead of removing protections, they should have been working, again, on jobs.  And instead of that, the Republicans' first priority was a monstrous plan to raise America's health costs, deductibles, premiums, out of pocket costs, while handing a $600 billion at least $600 billion tax cut to big corporations and the rich in our country.  Their plan means, again, higher costs, less coverage, cutting key protections, a crushing age tax, and stealing from Medicare.

Adding reinsurance to TrumpCare, as they perhaps are doing with their rule, is a Band Aid on the deep damage that the GOP bill has done to Americans' premiums, deductibles, and health costs.

Republicans are desperate; they are desperate to keep TrumpCare alive, continuing their campaign to raise massive costs on seniors and hardworking families.

The American people are resisting repeal.  Republicans' attempts to raise health costs of American seniors and families, as well as reducing by 24 million the number of people who receive health insurance must end.

As we saw, TrumpCare has failed, but through their radical use of the Congressional Review Act, Republicans have been doing immense harm to America's families.  As I said, in the first 100 days, I will say it again, President Trump has made it harder for women to get care, jeopardized the air our kids breathe, polluted the water our kids drink, and let companies sell our children's, our kids' privacy.  Just appalling.

Republicans will sell your most private information, your most private information, but they refuse to reveal the President's tax returns, something every President since Gerald Ford has done, and indeed every nominee of the other party has done.

And there is a vital interest in the President's tax returns.  Republicans are desperate, again, to keep them secret.  What is it that they are afraid of?  Why don't they have that key that 74 percent of the American people want us to unlock that door to see where it leads?

If it's all okay, they have nothing to be afraid of.  But we think that it will show us some connection that will be useful in the investigation of what do the Russians have on Donald Trump politically, personally, and financially.

So Republicans spent, shall we say, the first 80 days of the Trump administration stacking the deck for the powerful and against hard-working Americans.  They will face tough questions of their constituents in the two weeks ahead, two weeks and four days I think it is, that we are out.

And as we are out, I will just close, we were on Syria, we are all so reminded of John Donne's "For Whom the Bell Tolls," about every person's death diminishes every one of us because we are all mankind, that when that bell tolls, it tolls for all of us.  Such a tragedy.

Any questions?

Q:  I have two questions.  One, I've heard GOP leaders won't rule out bringing you guys back next week to vote on a repeal.  Have you heard that?  And what do you think the likelihood of that is?  And two, what do you think of Trump's defense of Bill O'Reilly? 

Leader Pelosi.  Oh, two very separate questions.

Q:  Yes.

Leader Pelosi.  But all roads lead, connect to President Trump.

I have heard that rumor.  I don't know if that's just sort of a teaser to the folks out there, [implying that] ‘yeah, we're working on this and we're kind of close.'

But whatever they do, we'll be there to make the fight for the American people.  We will not allow them, without paying a price to the American people, to increase out of pocket costs, premiums and other out of pocket costs, have an age tax, a crippling age tax, undermine Medicare, and, again, have 24 million fewer people have access to health insurance.

And then the other point, which is really kind of a shining – I don't know what you would call it, it's what attracted so many of the Republicans to vote for the bill to undermine the essential benefit plan by just passing off to States and not having the Federal requirement, as the Affordable Care Act does, that really resonated so much with the public.

A bill before that was 56-17, 56 against, 17 for.  What they did to undermine the essential benefit plan made matters worse for them.  And now they want to put a Band Aid on that horrible, monstrous bill, and maybe call us back to vote on it.

But you can be sure that, as Lincoln has said, public sentiment is everything, and we will be sure that the public knows.

What was the exact question?

Q:  Trump defended Bill O'Reilly.

Leader Pelosi.  Oh, right, Trump defending him, yeah.

Well, I get often asked the question about the role of women in our political and governmental life, and whether it's corporate America, in the military, academic world, in the media and the rest, and what progress do I think women have made.  And I think women have made great progress.  One word that I would use is we have been able to increase respect for women.

In the campaign, I thought the President's comments were very disrespectful of women.  We saw that.  And now he is defending some disrespectful behavior on the part of O'Reilly, and it's sickening.

Any other questions?

Yes, sir?

Q:  Now that Chairman Nunes has stepped down from the Russia investigation, do you have faith in the other Republicans on that panel to take up the mantle and conduct a fair and nonpartisan investigation? 

Leader Pelosi.  Well, I hope so, because I think the House, in a bipartisan way, the House Intelligence Committee should play the role that it needs to play in all of this.  I don't have any reason to think that they wouldn't.  I did have plenty of reason to think that he should not be in that role, both because of his role in the Trump transition and because of his erratic, bizarre behavior as chairman of the committee.

Q:  There was a lot of criticism of Trey Gowdy during the Benghazi investigation.  It sounds like he is going to play a new, enhanced role in this. 

Leader Pelosi.  Well, he's on the Committee.  He's on the Committee.  Yeah, he's on the Committee.

Q:  But you were critical of him then and there were a lot of charges he was conducting a witch hunt. 

Leader Pelosi.  Well, we'll see how he proceeds.  We will see how he proceeds.  He is a Member of the Committee.  I think he understands his responsibilities there.  And we will see how it goes forward.

It's like a trio, isn't it, didn't they say three people?  One person would take the place of the chair, and then two others would be involved in it.  We'll see.

Yes, ma'am?

Q:  What do you think specifically about high risk pools?  Does it improve it, the bill? 

Leader Pelosi.  Well, this is about reinsurance, you know, what the Republicans have done.  So it reminds me of what [former Texas Governor] Ann Richards used to say, ‘you can put lipstick on a sow and call it Monique, but she's still a pig.'  That's what they've done with this.  This does nothing to address the rising costs, the lower number of people insured, the tax, the age tax, and the undermining of Medicare, as well as what it did to the essential benefits.

So as a reinsurance, it's something that we have in our bill.  So they're taking a page out of our book in that respect.  But we had it, it expired, they have some version of it now.  But that does nothing to diminish the horror of their bill.

Q:  Are you getting a sense that they would do that instead of guaranteeing coverage for pre-existing conditions? 

Leader Pelosi.  Well, they aren't guaranteeing coverage for pre-existing conditions.  That is part of the mythology that they've tried to put out there.  But the Tea Party folks are very clear they don't want the pre-existing condition coverage.

The debate on it takes a different form.  It's called community ratings and those kind of things.  But rather than getting down into that place, they always say the devil is in the details. In their bill it is.

The angel is in the details in our bill.  And any side by side on this will show a big contrast between meeting the needs of the American people, lowering costs, expanding access, improving benefits.  It's just a drastic contrast.

Yes, sir?

Q:  Back in December you told a group of us that you did not think the Republicans would be able to coalesce on a healthcare replacement plan because of fractures within their party.  I am curious as to what you think, having gone through health care now, the possibility is that there are problems either getting to the CR or the fiscal year 2018 budget or tax reform in terms of the similar issues. 

Leader Pelosi.  Well, I said it would be difficult.  You never know what they might do in their caucus.  And it has been difficult for them.

I would hope it will not be indicative of what would happen on a continuing resolution.  Being an appropriator myself, forged in that culture, we always try to get the job done in the most nonpartisan, bipartisan way, and I think left to their own devices, the Members of the committee in a bipartisan way can do that.  It's just a question of what, above that pay grade, how that weighs in, and we'll see.

But we're always optimistic because a healthcare bill, they can do it or they can't do it, but a continuing resolution is whether they keep government open or not.  So the fact of it and the timing of it are very important.  And so we'll see.  But I'm optimistic that we should be able to do that.

My read on it, because we just leave it to the committee people so they can they figure out what the differences are that have to be resolved and it comes to a different place, but my read on it is that Members of Congress know what they can pass.  Maybe the White House doesn't.  And that line of communication is where you might see some more difference of opinion than even between Democrats and Republicans in the Congress.

Q:  Do you have a feel for how many irresolvable or unresolved issues there are now outstanding in negotiating the omnibus, CR, or whatever…   

Leader Pelosi.  Do I have a feel?  The number I know –

Q:  So just give us a number. 

Leader Pelosi.  – is 115.  But that was last night, yesterday afternoon.  It went from 200 to 115, and now we'll see in the conversations they are having which, by all accounts from my appropriators, has been constructive, respectful, traditional in terms of the Appropriations Committee.

Yes?

Q:  Hi, Madam Leader.  We have a new AP poll out that says that the border wall is strongly opposed by the American public, 58 percent are against, 28 percent are for.  Do you think that there is going to be any funding for the wall in the new plan or what's your sense on that? 

Leader Pelosi.  Well, I certainly hope not, because I think the wall is ineffective, it's an immorality, really, an insult to our hemisphere, and I hope that we don't have that.

Do we have the responsibility to protect our border?  Yes, every country does.  Can we do that using technology and our Customs authorities and the rest of that?  Sure.  A wall?  No.  So I would hope that they wouldn't try that because, as you say, the American people don't even support it.

When you go there, and maybe they should go there, the area between – I am [from] a border State, California.  Texas, which I was [visiting] 2 weeks ago to McAllen and Brownsville, again and again I have been there over the years, it is like one community with a border going through it.  It's about commerce, it's about community, it's about family, it's about education, it's about the environment, it's about so many things.  So to put a wall there is really an insult and really an ineffective insult at that.

Yes, ma'am?

Q:  Madam Pelosi, do you think it was legal for Susan Rice to unmask the names of Trump campaign officials? 

Leader Pelosi.  Do I think it's what?

Q:  That Susan Rice was legal to unmask the names…

Leader Pelosi.  Was it legal?  Yes, of course.  [Former National Security Advisor] Susan Rice.  And I can speak with some authority on the subject. What is weird is the President of the United States, with no information, saying she committed a crime.

Mr. President, declassify the basis of your comment.  First he says the President of the United States, Barack Obama, committed a crime.  Now it's Susan Rice.

It's time for him to be President, to be the manager, to be the executive.  It's the executive branch.  He boasted of what a great executive he was.  Well, I don't know about that, and so far I still don't know about that.

But for him to resort to misrepresentations of that kind is, how many times can I say, beneath the dignity of the office of President.  He keeps doing a limbo dance:  How low can you go?  But that claim is totally unfounded.

Thank you all very much.  I hope you have a happy Easter and a happy Passover.  Who knows, according to what you say, we may see each other again before those holidays, those holy holidays descend upon us, but hopefully not.  Thank you.