January 10, 2024

Chairman Aguilar: MAGA extremism is hurting our country

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar and Vice Chair Ted Lieu held a press conference on House Republicans continuing to put MAGA extremism over funding the government and delivering for working families.

CHAIRMAN AGUILAR: Happy New Year. Welcome back. Pleased to be joined with Vice Chair Ted Lieu in this 2024 session. 

Over the weekend, we marked the third anniversary of the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol. I know every member of our Caucus was thinking about the families and loved ones of the officers who lost their lives because of what happened that day, and President Biden's speech on Friday was an important reminder of what's at stake here in our country. 

Over the break, I was particularly troubled by a poll I saw from The Washington Post and University of Maryland, which said that one-third of Republican voters and 44 percent of Trump voters believe that the FBI organized and encouraged the attack. Nearly half of Trump voters believe in a provable lie. 

This is not an accident. The same forces that have cultivated this alternate reality—where Donald Trump didn't orchestrate an attempt to overturn a free and fair election, where Mike Pence didn't come within 40 feet of losing his life to Trump supporters—they're the same people who control the Republican House agenda today. 

The man who was called an architect of the since-repudiated legal strategy—which was the underpinning of the violence that day—is now Speaker of the House of Representatives. Marjorie Taylor Greene is dictating the floor agenda, and we waste time on baseless impeachment inquiries only days away from a government shutdown. 

The extremism is real, it is undeniable and it is hurting our country. And I firmly believe that our democracy is at stake.

Vice Chair, Ted Lieu.

VICE CHAIR LIEU: Thank you, Chairman Aguilar. Last term when Democrats were in control, we put People over Politics and passed a number of laws to move the American family forward. As a result, last year, we had GDP growth exceeding expectations. We had unemployment rates at historic lows. We had a record number of jobs being created, and we had the stock market hitting record highs.

What do we have with Republicans who are now in control? Well, I will tell you. Instead of focusing on helping American people, they are focusing on issues no one cares about, such as a contempt proceeding for Hunter Biden. I can guarantee you, no American family during the holidays was sitting here thinking, “Hey, that Hunter Biden, he agreed to testify publicly in front of Congress, but he really should be doing a closed-door deposition.That's why we need to hold him in contempt.” No American family was thinking about that at all. And now we have two hearings in Congress trying to hold him in contempt for issues no one cares about. I ask Republicans to focus on issues that American families care about. We're nine days away from a government shutdown. That's what we should be focused on.

Video of the full press conference and Q&A can be viewed here.

###