Chairman Aguilar: We must avoid a costly Republican-led shutdown and put an end to the chaos and division
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar and Vice Chair Ted Lieu were joined by Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chair Suzan DelBene and Rep. Jahana Hayes in a press conference to highlight the dishonesty of the Extreme MAGA Republicans and the need to avoid a costly, Republican-led government shutdown.
CHAIRMAN AGUILAR: Good morning. So thankful to be joined by Vice Chair Ted Lieu, DCCC Chair Susan DelBene and Representative Jahana Hayes.
Over the weekend, Republican candidate for vice president admitted on national television that he's perfectly comfortable lying to the American public. It was a shocking admission, even from Donald Trump's own vice-presidential nominee, but dishonesty has always been the hallmark of the MAGA playbook.
They're not telling the truth about Springfield, Ohio. And Republicans across the country aren't telling the truth about their plan to ban abortion and end fertility treatments like IVF. They're not telling the truth about their proposed budget, which will cost American families an additional $4,000 a year. They're not telling the truth about Social Security and Medicare, or proposed cuts of $35 insulin guarantees for seniors. Some Republicans still refuse to even tell the truth about the 2020 election. And they're not telling the truth about government funding legislation before us today which jeopardizes military readiness and healthcare for veterans. Speaker Johnson must reject the most extreme voices in his party and quickly move toward a four corners agreement so we can avoid a costly Republican-led shutdown. The American people want to see an end to the chaos and division.
VICE CHAIR LIEU: Thank you, Chairman Aguilar.
House Republicans are following Donald Trump's orders. They're trying to implement Trump's Project 2025 with this continuing resolution bill that they say we are going to vote on. And how do I know that? I can read.
So, if you look at Project 2025, it wants to eliminate the Department of Education. This CR that House Republicans have is going to cut $11 billion in the Department of Education and lay off 72,000 teachers. Project 2025 also wants to reverse the Fair Housing Act. This CR that House Republicans have make it so that not only are there deep cuts to the housing department, it also prohibits HUD from using its funds to enforce fair housing rules.
Project 2025 also wants to make abortions inaccessible for millions of American women. This CR would prohibit money going to family planning services, prohibit funding for women traveling out of states where abortion is banned and make it more difficult for certain medical students to receive abortion care training during their education.
So, just look at what House Republicans are trying to do. They're trying to implement Project 2025 into law. This CR is never going to pass the Senate, even if it passes the House. They should get serious and work with Democrats so we can fund government before the funding expires by the end of this month.
And I have the great pleasure now of introducing our amazing field general, the great Suzan DelBene from the state of Washington. She is the DCCC Chair, and she is doing a fantastic job, and we’re going to have a different makeup in Congress next term.
DCCC CHAIR DELBENE: Good morning, everyone, excuse me. I want to thank Chairman Aguilar, Vice Chair Lieu, for inviting me to join them this morning.
We just came from our Caucus meeting, and House Democrats were more excited than ever to win back the House of Representatives. 48 days ahead of us. Now, many of you may have heard me say this before: Americans want governance to work. I say that all the time because as I travel across the country, I hear it all the time, from folks who are frustrated with the chaos and the dysfunction that they've seen from House Republicans since the beginning of this Congress. I'm bringing it up again today, because this week is the latest reminder of how the antics of the Republican majority drive people back home absolutely crazy. From day one, their circus act has been on full display, and here we are yet again on the brink of a government shutdown because House Republicans can't govern and would rather fall in line behind Donald Trump and his call to quote, “close it down.”
But this is what they do– fall in line behind Donald Trump. Just take a look at their record on reproductive freedom. House Republicans and Donald Trump are responsible for the bans, restrictions and attacks on abortion rights happening across the country. But they are now realizing that they are on the wrong side of this issue. Over 60% of voters support a federal law to restore the reproductive rights that existed under Roe. This is why Republicans have struggled in their message of extremism to the public. First, they tried to hide it. They scrubbed off and deleted any reference to their extreme anti-choice positions from their websites. But when that hasn't worked, they are now trying a new tactic: deception. In just the last few weeks, we've seen House Republicans desperately try to cover up their anti-abortion records with fibs and falsehoods. They falsely claim they support IVF but won't vote to protect it. They're running ads to mislead about their anti-freedom records. Some of them have the audacity to blatantly lie by saying they are functionally pro-choice.
So, it's important that we remind people that this is the Republican record. It's shameful, and as a woman, it's incredibly insulting. Make no mistake, every single House Republican has voted to restrict reproductive rights. Every single one of them cheered the fall of Roe. Every single one of them elevated Mike Johnson as speaker, who is unquestionably the most extreme anti-abortion speaker in our lifetime and is committed to passing a nationwide abortion ban.
Over the next two months, House Democrats are going to hold them accountable. We'll make sure the American people know exactly how the Republicans have voted to restrict reproductive rights. In November we will defeat this extreme, dysfunctional House Republican majority, and we will get Congress back to work to defend our rights, our freedoms, our democracy and our future.
And now, it’s my honor to introduce our colleague from the great state of Connecticut, Jahana Hayes.
REP. HAYES: Thank you. Good afternoon, everyone.
For months, House Republicans have been considering unpopular and partisan spending bills, instead of working across the aisle to pass a bipartisan budget that works for the American people. Now, House Republicans are putting a six-month CR that puts veterans, our national defense, needy families and communities affected by disasters, like my district, impacted by catastrophic floods, all at risk. This CR threatens FEMA disaster recovery efforts by not fully funding the Disaster Relief Fund. The legislation only includes $10 billion in funding, but total requirements are over $24 billion to respond to disasters through March of 2025. This budget shortfall will leave FEMA unprepared to fully respond to extreme weather events and disasters in areas that typically do not experience them, like my home state of Connecticut, where homeowners and businesses are still rebuilding from a one in a thousand-year flood that devastated parts of the state.
Furthermore, the CR would also deprive low-income families of child care and other services halted by TANF payments to states for the first two quarters of fiscal year 2025. TANF is a bipartisan program that supports over one million low-income families in need, and blocking these funds would lead to catastrophic consequences for children and families at a time where families are begging for help. It is not appropriate to cut funding for these programs.
Additionally, the CR jeopardizes health care for our veterans by failing to provide $12 billion in necessary funding to maintain care for veterans through the VA. The CR also damages our national security and military readiness by preventing the Department of Defense from winding down programs no longer necessary and from strengthening ongoing modernization efforts.
Most concerning, this CR also includes the Save Act, which would create barriers to the ballot for millions of women, seniors, and military members. In fact, military IDs would not be an acceptable form of ID, and military members would be forced to also show proof of citizenship. It is already illegal under current law for noncitizens to register or vote in federal elections. This CR is designed to delay fiscal year 2025 funding to push through harmful Project 2025 priorities that do not support the American people and are not supported by the American people. House Democrats are committed to putting People Over Politics and pass the spending bill that supports veterans, families and those experiencing national disasters. Thank you.
Video of the full press conference and Q&A can be viewed here.
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