Press Releases
Leader Pelosi. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Congratulations to you. And congratulations to Congresswoman, now Vice Chair Linda Sánchez, as you mentioned. With great pride, we receive her as the first woman of color to serve as an elected leader of the House Democratic Caucus – well, any House caucus.
Leader Pelosi. Good afternoon, everyone. In a short period of time we will have election of our full leadership and we'll all come out. But it's taking a little longer, so I thought I'd just come by and tell you how exhilarated I am by the strong vote that I have from my colleagues as we go forward. They have honored me with this leadership role and as Speaker in the past and that's exciting.
"President-elect Donald Trump is giving Republicans and their special interest friends an early Christmas gift by tapping a former Wall Street executive to lead the U.S. Treasury Department. The Treasury Secretary is responsible for assessing risk in our financial system and protecting consumers against some of the worst excesses of the largest Wall Street Banks as chair of the interagency body established by the Dodd-Frank Act.
"As Chairman and as Ranking Member of Ways and Means, Sandy Levin has been a tireless champion for working families. The strength of his values and the power of his expertise are a great asset to Democrats on everything from health care to tax reform to trade. Congressman Levin was invaluable in preventing the privatization of Social Security and in helping to enact the landmark Affordable Care Act. Of course, Ranking Member Levin has been an especially respected and powerful voice for American workers and American manufacturing on trade issues.
"In Chairman Tom Price, President-elect Trump has a Secretary of Health and Human Services who has long dedicated himself to weakening the health care and human services of hard-working families. The budget is a statement of values, and in years of extreme House GOP budget proposals, Chairman Price has made his radical, destructive values perfectly clear.
"The death of Fidel Castro marks the end of an era for Cuba and the Cuban people. After decades under Fidel's doctrine of oppression and antagonism, there is hope that a new path for Cuba is opening.
"In recent years, we have seen both the opportunity and the responsibility to break free of the past and build new bonds of friendship. With the bold leadership of President Obama, the U.S. and Cuba have already taken historic steps toward a new, forward-looking relationship between our peoples. We are hopeful this progress will continue under the new Administration.