DPCC Co-Chair Hakeem Jeffries on President Trump’s Failed First 100 Days

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WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, Co-Chair of the House Democratic Policy & Communications Committee (DPCC), today joined CNN's Wolf Blitzer to discuss President Trump's dismal first 100 days, defined by countless broken promises to middle class Americans. Below are excerpts from the interview and click here to watch the video.

"This tax proposal is really just a gift to corporate America and will not have anything meaningful to help improve the conditions of working families, middle class folks and those who aspire to be part of the middle class here in America. That's problematic."

"A reasonable first step is for the President to do what every other President since Gerri Ford has done and disclose his tax forms for review by the American people so we can determine what conflicts of interest may potentially exist [and] how his proposed tax reform plan may benefit him – as opposed to benefiting the people of the United States of America. This shouldn't be a controversial issue. Most Americans, Democrats, Republicans, people on the left and people on the right, believe that this President should disclose his tax returns generally as a matter of transparency. But when you are trying to propose one of the biggest tax reforms in the history of the country, they say it may be the biggest, it seems reasonable that he first disclose his tax reforms for review by the American people."

"[There was] uniform democratic opposition to spending a dime of taxpayer money for a wall that he claimed would be paid for by Mexico and will not do anything to improve our border security. There were also Republicans, particularly along the border states, who weren't interested in paying for that border wall either."

"[TrumpCare] was going to kick 24 million people off of their insurance. It was going to increase costs, increase premiums, increase deductibles and impose an age tax that would hurt people between the age of 60 and 64. TrumpCare 2.0 seems to be tripling down on the most egregious of the first version in order to get support from the Freedom Caucus – including enabling states to deny the protection of people with pre-existing conditions. That would be inhumane and unconscionable. The likelihood is that the more Freedom Caucus members that you add, the number of moderates who are Republicans and others will drop off and they'll still not be able to get to the 216 number."

"Donald Trump has challenged the legitimacy of the independent press; challenged the legitimacy of the national security apparatus; challenged the legitimacy of federal judge after federal judge - not recognizing we have a separate and coequal branch of government…With respect to this particular decision it was a clear-cut decision anchored in the United States Constitution that the Executive, the President, doesn't have the power to threaten or withhold funding in order to accomplish a public policy objective. That has to happen through the legislative process. I'm hopeful we can deal with the issue generally of improving border security without demonizing cities like New York City that regularly send $25 billion more to the federal government than we get back in return."

"By penalizing and forcing cities like New York to enforce draconian aspects of the law in way that would target undocumented families not felons is not consistent with protecting the safety and well-being of the people of New York and these other places. That's why, I'm pleased that the federal court so far has declared what Trump is trying to do through his executive order is unconstitutional and is wrong."