Pelosi Remarks at House Democratic Leadership Press Availability Today
Leader Pelosi's Opening Remarks:
"Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. As you indicated, I was going to acknowledge our House Democratic Leadership, newly elected, some presented to all of you yesterday. It's an honor to be here with Steny Hoyer, our Democratic Whip; Jim Clyburn, Assistant Democratic Leader; Xavier Becerra, our Caucus Chair; Joe Crowley, Caucus Vice Chair; and – I feel his tall presence looming there – Steve Israel, Chair of Policy and Communications; Ben Ray Luján, who has been acknowledged – we are so proud of the response of the announcement of his chairmanship has received as Chair of the DCCC; Rosa DeLauro, our Chair of Steering and Policy Committee; Donna Edwards, co-Chair with Rosa of the Steering and Policy Committee, where we will be going into session momentarily; Chris Van Hollen is not with us, but he is going to be the Ranking Member of the Committee on Budget.
"I associate, in the interest of time – because we came in a little later and have a meeting shortly – I associate myself with the remarks of our distinguished Chairman, Mr. Becerra, in terms of the priorities and the recognition of a job that needs to be done for the American people. I would just say this: that in the campaigns, which did not – we didn't like the outcome, let's say it that way. But, it's really important to continue the conversation about where we were when President Obama took office. We were at the place where the Chairman of the Fed said: "If we don't act by tonight, we will not have an economy by Monday." That's what he said on September 2008. That was the state of our economy before President Obama took office.
"When he took office, the deficit was $1.4 trillion; it's now under $500 billion. The unemployment rate was approaching ten percent; it's under six percent. The market was around 7,000; now it's over 17,000. We've experienced 56 straight months of job creation. Millions of people have health insurance. But, the American people, with many more positive economic data, still the American people feel that uncertainty. They were scared and they were scarred by what happened in September 18, 2008.
"And, while the economy is improving, it has not reached the people that it needs to reach: the middle class. The increase in wages and salaries has not been commensurate with the progress that our economy is making. It's really tilted to the high-end. We don't begrudge anyone for his or her success. We recognize achievement, but we cannot have that achievement be at the exploitation of America's workers. So, much more needs to be done, and, perhaps, with all the big money pulling in from special interests to counter our argument and drown it out, suffocating the airways, perhaps in the normal course of Congressional debate we can make clear the distinction between where were then, the path we are on now, and the attempts by some to take us right back where we were.
"With that, my voice demands that I yield to the distinguished House Democratic Whip, Mr. Hoyer."
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Q: The other day, the Congressional Black Caucus sent a letter reiterating their support for seniority as the primary determinant in Ranking Member decisions. And that's something you've talked about with regards to the Eshoo-Pallone race. I was just wondering if you'd give a response to that letter.
Leader Pelosi. I respect the view of the Black Caucus in terms of what their view of it is. The rules simply state that the Steering & Policy Committee shall recommend a Member from the Committee – without regard to seniority – to the Caucus as the Ranking Member, or Chairman hopefully one day soon. I do believe that many of our Members we have now – Congresswoman, Ranking Member Nita Lowey, Elliot Engel, Adam Smith, Elijah Cummings – there are others who were not the senior Members on their Committee when they were recommended to the Committee. And then we can go back in history: you all know Dave Obey and Ron Dellums. These are people who, if we were strictly seniority, would not be there. So it's a difference of opinion in the Caucus. And I myself believe that we must have the most talented people, and that seniority makes you a contender, but it does not make you a Chairman. It's a consideration; it's not a determination. My other colleagues may wish to address that, but maybe they won't.
Q: Madam Leader, what do you make of this potential proposal – very early – that Hal Rodgers has floated of a rescission bill, maybe to allow the government to be funded, and in turn many on the right would like to then go back in time and rescind some of that funding for a potential executive order? Is that – obviously you wouldn't be for rescinding the money, but is that a way to get around a potential showdown in the Senate?
Leader Pelosi. What we have heard from our Ranking Member on the Committee is that we just really don't know what the Committee is going to do – whether it's going to be an omnibus, whether it's going to be a short term omnibus, or CRs, or whatever. And we're waiting to see what that is. Of course, I would object to rescissions, and they would most likely be vetoed by the President. Mr. Hoyer?
Whip Hoyer. Chad, I don't know fully what the proposal contemplates. But I do know this: both Speaker Boehner and the incoming Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate have said that we need to put our country on a stable path. You do not put it on a stable path by appropriating with a thought that you may rescind at some time in the near term. That is not how we're going to grow our economy and create jobs and make our economy better. I would hope that the Republican leadership would come to an agreement. I know Ms. Lowey, our Ranking Member on the Appropriations Committee, wants that. I know that Hal Rogers, the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee wants to do that. And that is the best policy for this institution. But much more importantly, it is the best policy for stabilizing and growing our economy and creating more jobs.
Congresswoman DeLauro. I'm Rosa DeLauro. I am the Ranking Member on the Labor-Health, and Human Services Subcommittee of Education Appropriations. Quite honestly, we are the only subcommittee for the last two years that has not had even a subcommittee mark-up for the committee. And after defense, we are the largest portfolio of programming that affects people in this country, and also the largest amount of resources. We ought to move forward on appropriations bills on a subcommittee level, full committee and to the floor of the House. One of the latest rumors is that some of the subcommittees may move forward and others may not be part of a CR.
So really, as Mr. Hoyer has pointed out, there is a lack of direction for the people of this country, and especially in the areas which Labor, Health and Human Services takes up – which has to do with Pell Grants; it has to do with worker training; it has to do with biomedical research – and with biomedical research, we have seen our public health infrastructure between 2010 and 2014 absolutely decimated, with the NIH and the CDC. There are critically important matters, and my hope would be that we could come to a decision, and an allocation for those programs that our families in our country are relying on for their future. But this lack of direction or this – as Mr. Hoyer pointed out, there may be the will, but we haven't seen that really demonstrated in the Committee for us to move forward on all twelve appropriations and meet the needs that the country is facing.
Whip Hoyer. And as the whip, let me just add one additional component to this. I believe that the Democratic Party the 199 or 200 of us in the 113th Congress who are Democrats will vote overwhelmingly for an omnibus consistent with the Ryan-Murray agreement – but I didn't vote for it, as you recall. But it was an agreement made by Mr. Ryan and Ms. Murray, adopted by the Congress of the United States, and that meets the views of our Ranking Member and that Mr. Rogers and Ms. Lowey have an agreement on. In my view, I think we will have overwhelming support. So if the Republicans support an implementation of the Ryan-Murray [bill] that is consistent with Ms. Lowey's and Mr. Roger's agreement so that we fund the priorities that are important for our country, I think that they will find very significant, strong support on our side of the aisle. The problem is, unfortunately, they apparently cannot find that support on their side of the aisle.
Leader Pelosi. Yes, ma'am?
Q: Ma'am, there have been a number of reports over the last couple of days that have questioned the amount of confidence that your fellow Democrats have in you as well as questioned some of the leadership positions. I was wondering if you could respond to those.
Leader Pelosi. I'm very proud of the support that I have received from my Members of the caucus. I had my name put forth after they encouraged me to do so. So I go into this role very confident, and I go into it, frankly, liberated because I think the House Democrats know that when we go out there to make the fight for working families in our country, we know of what we speak. We're close to our constituents, we know their challenges, their aspirations, their anxiety, and we know the legislative process. So while there may be a few people who are talking to the press and maybe there are some others who don't, overwhelmingly, I feel very strengthened and encouraged by the support my colleagues have placed in me.
And I'm very excited about as we go forward – as Mr. Clyburn said, this being the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, he will be taking the lead for voter engagement – a reason to register, a reason to vote, the inspiration, the education. I'm very pleased that Mr. Israel will be chairing our Communications and Policy initiative because it's very important for us to generate by listening to Members in the Caucus, by listening to the actions of the Steering and Policy Committee, the priorities and the positive initiatives to end and reduce – hopefully end but certainly reduce – income inequality in our country. We have shared values in our Caucus; we have great respect for each other's legislative ability and I've never felt more confident going in than I do now.
Yes, sir?
Q: When you opened up, you said it was important that Democrats continue the conversation that started with President Obama in 2009. I just wondering, given the realities of being in the minority now, if you'll look to the Republican example of how they were able to flip the game on you guys in 2010, if that's at all a model that you can look to, or how you will approach the next two years…
Leader Pelosi. Well, I believe the Republican model is not based on fact and so I would not want to copy that model. We believe that to the extent that we can engage the public to understand what's happening, the difference. And quite frankly, I would hope that it would help change the minds of the Republicans because this isn't about Democrats and Republicans; this is about the American people. And what we want are initiatives that help the American people, that reduce the anxiety because it reduces the income disparity and the rest. And the people because of 2008 were so concerned about their jobs, their wages, their home ownership, the education of their children, their pensions – a lot of that is still existing and they still do not feel confident.
And our model is really just to make sure people understand what the choices are here. At the same time, when we have that conversation coming out of Policy and Communications, have that engagement with the voters. So our model is about following Abraham Lincoln, another Republican – I'll follow his motto: "Public sentiment is everything." And so it's one thing to believe in all the good things; it's another thing also to have legislative proposals to go forward. But it's another also to make sure the public understands what is going on. And I feel very confident about where we started about building ladders of opportunity for people who want to work hard, play by the rules. They can help reignite the American dream – ‘A'. ‘B': Middle Class Jumpstart with creating good-paying jobs here in America, building the infrastructure of our country, making higher education affordable, and having equal pay for equal work. These are initiatives that are very supported by the American people, we just have to make sure they understand how strongly we are fighting for that and what the obstacles are.