DPCC Co-Chair Jeffries: House Republicans Are Acting As A Cover-Up Caucus
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08), Co-Chair of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC) and Democratic Caucus Chair-designee, appeared on Morning Joe on MSNBC to discuss how Democrats are fighting for the people to reduce health care costs, raise wages and clean up corruption in Washington so every U.S. citizen can pursue the American dream. Below are excerpts from the interview. Click here to watch the video.
"It's quite unfortunate that on their way out the door they continue to try hide facts from the American people. What we've seen over the last two years, Joe, is that House Republicans essentially have functioned as a cover-up caucus, doing the bidding of President Trump to try to hide facts as it relates to what may or may not have happened in terms of Russia's interference with the election. And, they have not veered off the script even in their final days."
"Well I think we should approach it with an open mind but put it in the context of what's been happening in terms of our economy. For the last 40 plus years, we have seen the productivity of the American worker has increased. I think in an excess of 285 percent. During the same period of time, wages have increased by less than 10%. And so, we have a situation where the great middle class and those who aspire to be part of it are in jeopardy. A lot of that has to do with globalization. Some of it is poorly negotiated trade deals. A lot of it is a rise of automation. Some of it is a decline in unionization. So, in that context, I think we have to evaluate this trade agreement, but put it in the broader ideal of how do we reach a point where the American worker has an opportunity to continue to robustly pursue the American dream."
"That's a great question. And, that process really began in term of our closing argument to the American people, which we articulated under our For the People agenda. And, we said to the American people we are not going to fight for the wealthy, the well-off and the well-connected. The Republicans have done a great job in doing that. We're going to fight for working families, middle class folks, senior citizens, the poor, the sick and afflicted, in specific ways. We're going to fight to lower health care costs focusing on the high cost of prescription drugs. We're going to fight for a real infrastructure plan, not the fake one that Donald Trump has put forth and we are going to try to do it in a bipartisan way. And, we're going to work on cleaning up corruption in Washington, D.C. - bringing our democracy to life, ending the era of voter suppression and trying to get unregulated money out of politics."
"Well it should be done in a bipartisan way. And, we're hopeful in the context of the spending agreement that is being negotiated right now that has to be resolved on or before December 7th, that we can reach a bipartisan agreement to protect the Special Counsel. We know Senator Jeff Flake has been a leader in this regard on the Senate side. Certainly we're prepared to act on the House side. Now, unfortunately, instead of chasing folks like James Comey, many of our colleagues on the Republican side have refused to do what is essentially enacting a provision to allow a full and fair investigation to take place. I don't want to contemplate a circumstance where President Trump terminates the Special Counsel or allows his self appointed lackey at the Department of Justice to do so. That would be incredibly grave. That would be the precipice of a constitutional crisis."