Transcript of Pelosi, House Democratic Leaders' Press Availability Today at Democratic Issues Conference

Washington, D.C. - Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn, Caucus Vice Chairman Xavier Becerra and Assistant to the Speaker Chris Van Hollen held a press availability today in the Capitol Visitor Center following former President Clinton's address at the Democratic Issues Conference.  Below is a transcript:

Vice Chairman Xavier Becerra.  Xavier Becerra, Vice Chairman of the Democratic Caucus. Once again, on behalf of our Chairman and our Leader John Larson, who was called back home for family reasons, we just want to say that this has been an exciting issues conference, our focus was on what it should be: Jobs, securing America.  We also spent time with leaders like Bill Clinton, talking about the tragedy in Haiti.

But I must tell you, we just had a powerful, sensible, wind beneath our wings speech by Bill Clinton, the former President of the United States.  To start this conference off with another president -- Eric Schmidt from Google.  To hear from the President of the United States -- Barack Obama.  And to have in between, more than a dozen presidents and CEOs of business and labor come before us and tell us of their optimism and their belief that we can get this done.

I believe that our Members are ready to go back to work next week.  We are prepared to take the words of Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Eric Schmidt -- and do what the people of America have been waiting for, and that is for us to pass health care legislation to put Americans back to work and to have sensible policy on energy and to bring us forward in foreign policy as well.  And we heard from our leaders -- principally from the Speaker of the House of Representatives.  And she reported to us as well and I would like to now turn over the microphone to her.

Madam Speaker.

Speaker Pelosi.  Thank you very much, Xavier Becerra, Vice Chair of the Caucus.  Thanks to you and to John Larson -- who is Chair of the Caucus -- for a very invigorating couple of days.  It was exciting, but it also gave us time to think, to reflect, to pause, as we go forward.

One year, almost, since the day that the President was sworn in -- nearly a year --  we can take stock about the agenda that he put forth, the budget that we passed to grow our economy, to stabilize the U.S. economy, create jobs, to lower taxes for the middle-class, as we reduce the deficit.  Centered around three pillars: investments in education, investments in energy/climate change, investments in health care -- first among equals.

In these three days, we've had leaders from every field.  When Eric Schmidt spoke to us, little did he know when he was invited that it would be the day that Google would be making its statement on China about freedom of expression, which is so important to all of us, and in fact, it is your profession.  And we thank you for that.  That we would hear from the President about these three investments yesterday and from President Clinton today about important our focus on jobs -- securing jobs, securing America -- they are related.

And so I thank Vice Chair Becerra and I thank Chairman Larson, again, for providing this venue for us to have an exchange of ideas with leaders.  As he mentioned -- panels, our friends in labor, and others about how we go forward with the creation of jobs through innovation.  New jobs, which each -- not only about getting jobs for those who had them, but reaching whole other populations and giving them hope for better jobs in the very near future.

Again, first among equals is the issue of investment in health care.  And I thank you all for your interest in that subject.  It's a personal issue with the American people.  Tip O'Neill said, 'all politics is local.'  When it comes to health care, all politics is personal.  Everyone is an expert on his or her own health care, insurance, and the rest.  And so this is personal with the American people, it's about small business -- it's about people, families, small businesses, our economy in general, and to move forward in a way that reduces the deficit as it grows our economy.

The health issue is a jobs issue in addition to being a personal issue in terms of the health of the American people.  And so I reported briefly to our colleagues that we are moving forward.  We're making progress.  We're establishing common ground on some of the few issues that were different in our bills -- to as the term goes: ‘reconcile them.'  And I'm very pleased that we're going forth to honor the three A's: affordability for the middle-class, accountability for the insurance companies, and accessibility for many more Americans to quality, affordable health care.  We're doing this in a way that is fiscally sound.  As you know, it must be paid for.  But not only that, it must also bring down the cost of health care now and continue to do so over time.

So I'm proud of the work of our Chairmen -- Mr. Rangel, Mr. Miller, Mr. Waxman, and Congresswoman Slaughter, who is Chair of our Rules Committee.  And all of the Members, especially Mr. Dingell, who is the inspiration to us all.

But in any event, it has been a lot of hard work -- many people over a long period of time.  No one has worked harder and more smartly than our staff and I want to commend them as well.  But again, we will move forward with more conversations this afternoon and hopefully when we get together next week, we will have a lot more information to share with you.

But hopefully suffice to say -- suffice to say for me anyway.  Again, we're finding our common ground, we're making progress, we're bringing this Congress closer to taking the historic step that has eluded other Congresses in the past.  It was first introduced as an idea in our country by a Republican President -- Teddy Roosevelt.  To honor his idea and the commitment of so many others here, we honor that responsibility, but most of all, the responsibility we have to the American people.

President Obama has said it over and over again: 'We will measure our success by the progress that is made by America's working families.'  And this is great progress for America's working families.

And I'm pleased now to yield to the distinguished Majority Leader, Mr. Hoyer.

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.  Thank you very much, Madam Speaker.

This has been a wonderful conference and I want to congratulate John Larson, our Chairman of the Caucus, and Xavier Becerra, who has done such an extraordinary job in leading this conference in Mr. Larson's absence.

We just heard from Bill Clinton.  I've been here for some years, and in the 1980s -- particularly in the middle of 1980 -- we were talking about whether America could continue to compete in the world -- whether the Germans, the Japanese and others were moving ahead of us at a very rapid rate.  In the 1990s, we adopted an economic program and I would remind all of you that we passed that in a partisan fashion -- with no Republican votes.  It's not the way we wanted to pass it, but that's the way we passed it. And we saw the greatest economic resurgence that I've seen in my lifetime in this country.  Jobs were created, surpluses were created, problems were addressed.  Just a few months ago, in the beginning of last year, we confronted the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

We heard from President Obama yesterday.  And we heard from President Clinton today.  Pundits -- many of you have observed that we have just gone through one of the most productive sessions in the history of the House.  We confronted the issues that the President said he was going to confront.  We said that we were going to confront and the American people knew what needed to be confronted.  We needed to confront the economic crisis.  We did so.  The economy has been stabilized.  We have brought, as President Obama noted, since the Recovery Act was adopted, a very substantial reduction in the loss of jobs.  That's progress, but not success.

Once we pass this health care bill, as we're going to do in the near future, we're going to concentrate like a laser on creating jobs.  Because we need to have America back to work.  We're going to make sure, as we have done, that we're going to be having energy security -- that's our national security and our economic security interest.  And we hope to work with the Senate to pass legislation to affect that end.  And we're going to ensure fiscal responsibility, as we done in the Clinton Administration -- contrary to the observation of those who opposed his economic program.  We need to return to fiscal responsibility.

So I say to you that the major objectives are that in this second session of the Congress -- what we will be pursuing is the completion of the agenda that was so wholesome in addressing the problems that America confronted in the last session and now create those jobs, bring fiscal responsibility and ensure our national security.

I want to also say that the unity of our Caucus, which was reflected last year, continues to exist.  And in closing, let me say that one of the themes Eric Schmidt started with, President Obama talked about, and President Clinton talked about is optimism.  America is going to be the continuing great economic engine of the world.  We need the unity of purpose and we need to stop scaring and making angry and negative and press the American people as too many people in this country are doing.  And we need to call and summon them to a greater effort.  And we need to say to them: "We will be with you and we're going to create those jobs, build the economy, make our energy system secure, and see a better America.  Optimism and commitment were the themes of this conference."

I now yield….

Speaker Pelosi.  Before you yield to, I wanted to introduce him. But it is because I want to say something very special.  Thank you, Mr. Leader.  I associate myself with all of your remarks.

As I mentioned at the beginning of my remarks, when Eric Schmidt came -- it happened to be the day that Google was making its announcement about freedom of expression in China.  It so happens that little did we know when we invited President Clinton to come talk about health care and green jobs, etc. -- that it would be at this very sad time.  He -- being the U.N. special envoy to Haiti - is a person with personal connection to Haiti -- he and Secretary Clinton.  They loved the place, they loved the people, and the Haitian people know that.  So we were very blessed to have a report by the President on how he saw the situation in Haiti.

From my own experience with earthquakes, being from San Francisco -- I think that this can be an opportunity for a real boom economy in Haiti.  It can leapfrog all over its past challenges -- economically, politically, and demographically in terms of the rich and poor and the rest there and have a new -- just a new fresh start.  And with all of the concern and compassion and enthusiasm to help the people of Haiti, nobody is better suited than President Clinton to channel that energy.  But here in the Congress, Mr. Clyburn has taken the initiative -- working for a long time with the Congressional Black Caucus about interest in Haiti and in general.  And now, specifically, to address the concern that is in the Congress -- channel that in a positive way.  Under the leadership of Barack Obama, President Obama -- I think was spectacular.  We saw firsthand his personal concern, his leadership on this issue.  But I am very pleased that our distinguished whip, Mr. Clyburn, who worked so hard to change attitudes toward Katrina and get resources there that were not immediately available, but through his actions became available. He has agreed to be the head of our efforts for Haiti in the Congress.  I wanted to thank him for his long-term interest and for what he is going to do in that regard as he comes to the microphone.

Majority Whip James E. Clyburn.  Thank you, Madam Speaker.  Let me just say a word about Haiti.  I think all of us have really been overjoyed at the response that President Obama has made toward Haiti on behalf of the American people.  We saw him announce a $100 million initiative in Haiti.  We will follow here in the Congress with our response.  And people all over America are responding in very unique sort of ways to the people of Haiti.  And to help facilitate, I am joining with Minority Whip Eric Cantor, the Chair of the Ways and Means Committee Charlie Rangel, and the Ranking Member of Ways and Means Committee, Congressman Camp, filing legislation either later today or first thing Monday to allow all the American people who contribute to this Haitian cause to be able to use their 2009 tax deductions to assist them with this so that if they were to join in this effort -- because everyone is asking us: don't sent food, send money.  So that people can organize, coordinate and respond in a way that will be effective so that food won't be left out on pallets to spoil.  And that's the other thing, let this thing be coordinated so and in order to facilitate that we want to pass legislation, hopefully very soon.  Congress will do other things to respond to this.  We want this to be a package, that will be a part of that package so that people that do respond can deduct their contributions on their 2009 taxes.

Let me just close my comments first by thanking Xavier Becerra, my classmate Chairman Larson, who is one of my very close friends - we spend a lot of time together almost every evening.

Speaker Pelosi.  Where would that be? [Laughter]

Majority Whip Clyburn.  We're working on the Whip count.  It gets a little bit liquid sometimes.  I want to thank the Speaker for just a tremendous effort she is putting forth, not just here but with health care issue that we are looking to resolve very soon.  My longtime friend, Steny Hoyer - we have been working very closely together on this.  And of course, Chairman Van Hollen with whom I am consulting later this afternoon before I take off for the weekend to help him with his efforts at the DCCC.

I want to close with something the Speaker said about how personal this health care reform issue is.  In the town hall meetings I have held over the phone, in person, throughout my congressional district, people come to the mike to talk about health care reform in a very personal way.  As President Clinton said today, if you just forget about all these other things that could help you make up your mind about it.  Just think about, as I said when I introduced the President, President Obama when he came to our Caucus the day we were taking up the health care bill.  I talked about my grandson, who came here three months before anybody expected it -- three and a half pounds, having three operations before he was 20 pounds.  And to watch him today, and because of this tremendous  health care system we have in the country, but knowing full well that he is able to take advantage of that only because of who his parents and grandparents are, only because they had the kind of health insurance that would allow him.  To watch my son-in-law and my daughter repay this tremendous co-payment, that took them over three years to pay for and you can get a good feel personally for why we have got to do this.

And so I know that we got a good health care system in this country, but there is something wrong with saying that it's only available to you if you are fortunate enough to be born into a family with health care.  It is only available to you if you are fortunate enough to be employed by a corporation that will provide you health care.  And we have got to do something about that, and I am tremendously pleased that this Democratic Caucus is going to get this done in the not too distant future.   And I believe as former Senator, now deceased, Kennedy once said:  I believe that we are going to make this a fundamental right for every American.  And that is how it should be.

And with that, I yield to our distinguished Chair of the DCCC, Chris Van Hollen.

Assistant to the Speaker Chris Van Hollen.  Thank you.  Thank you, Mr. Clyburn.  Thank you for your passionate commitment to these issues and all my colleagues.

It was a great Caucus gathering.  It was an opportunity to take stock in where we have been and discuss how we are going to move forward and accelerate job creation in the days and weeks and months ahead.  Clearly, if you look back one year from this month, the economy was in total free fall.  750,000 Americans lost their job this time last year.  The stock market was in the dumps and economic growth was going downward at a rate of six and a half percent.  Working with our new President, passing the economic recovery bill, and with the entrepreneurial and optimism, spirit and the optimism of the American people we have now begun to stabilize the economy and very focus now on turning the corner.

It would be a huge mistake at this point in time to turn back the clock to the policies that got us into this economic mess in the first place.  And it would be a huge mistake to allow the status quo to prevail in the area of health care where the insurance industry holds the American people and our health care system hostage.  And so this is a time to continue the momentum of the last year, understanding as the Majority Leader said, that we made progress but we still haven't met our goals but confident in the optimism and the entrepreneurial spirit of the American people that we will be able to do it.  So let's not turn back the clock to the economic policies that got us in the mess to begin with.  Let's recapture the same energy and policies that, under the Clinton Administration, brought this nation eight years of prosperity.

Vice Chairman Becerra.  We have time for a couple of questions.  We know that President Clinton will be coming out soon.

Q:  Madam Speaker, could you update us on where the Caucus stands on the excise tax that was announced, the deal that was announced yesterday? And what are the sticking points so far as it doesn't appear to have been a deal on health care in general?

Speaker Pelosi.  There are absolutely no sticking points.  I would say two words, three words would be: finding common ground.  That's what we are in the process of doing so it just making some decisions in that regard.

In regard to the excise tax that was, we just overwhelmingly rejected in the House of Representatives, we received the good news that there had been some accommodation arrived at by the White House because this was something the President wants to have in the bill in principle and he will.  I think the principle is preserved but working families and middle class in our country will not feel the negative impact that we feared.  We all owe a debt of gratitude to our friends in the labor movement for making this, having this interaction with the White House because really all America's working families benefited from the accommodation that has been made. That was very well received by our Members, so that was one of our main issues.

But again, affordability; we want to do the best we can to make the bill affordable for the American people.  That is absolutely essential to whether this bill is going to work.  Accountability for the insurance companies, whether we are talking about an exchange, a medical loss ratio.  We are talking about the reforms that we have in the House bill that we want to see in the final bill as well.  We are talking about the challenge that some of these insurance companies will face if they raise rates in this next couple of years, then they won't be able to participate in the exchange.  So those accountability pieces, our Members of very supportive of ending waiver of the McCarran-Ferguson, the anti-trust laws for the insurance companies.  So those are some of the issues that have always been part of our agenda for accountability.  Taken other forms, public option, this or that, but they were always about accountability for the health insurance industry.

Q:  Madam Speaker, and do you think are close enough that perhaps you can send an outline to the CBO tonight, as I think has been one of the goals?  And then secondly, in all candor, how much is the concern about the Massachusetts Senate seat feeding this intensity -- the fact that you were at the White House until 1:30 in the morning?

Speaker Pelosi.  Well that had nothing to do with that.  We were on this course of action anyway because what we wanted to do is to move this legislation because I don't think the American people can wait any longer.  It is about the assurance that they will have that we have found our common ground and that this legislation will pass.  So we are on the path that we have always been on this from a time standpoint.

I don't know, we are going to go back to the White House and talk about some other issues and probably have a better idea as to when we can send something.  We will send it again, as Mr. Hoyer always says, when we are ready, when we are ready.  We are very optimistic.  We are finding common ground, making progress on the differences.  But remember 75 percent of these bills were very, very similar so it is just some different priorities we had in the House and the Senate.  All of them are good.  It isn't as if one is better than another other.  It is just establishing priorities,  which is our job.

But we were very pleased to have such a message, both from our President Barack Obama last night and then today from President Clinton.  It was really a master class as he connected health care to jobs and then to the green jobs which are the jobs of the future.  I was pleased that in the day people were talking about retrofitting.  I think we came out of the meeting with, instead of talking about retrofitting were talking about futurefitting.

In any event, everyone has caught the spirit of where we want to go with this.  But essential to it is health care, because it is not only a personal issue, it is a competitive issue for our businesses as you will hear from President Clinton when he comes out.  He made that connection a bit ago.   So thank you all very much.

Vice Chairman Becerra.  We were just informed that the President had to run.  He had a flight to catch, so he will not be able to address you.

Speaker Pelosi.  And we came out because he was busy.  He was swamped.  Sorry.