Chairman Aguilar: On top of the cost of living crisis, Americans are on the brink of losing access to quality and affordable health care if Republicans allow the Affordable Care Act tax credits to expire. There is no time to waste.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar and Vice Chair Ted Lieu held a press conference about the affordability and health care crises Donald Trump and Republicans have created. You can watch the full press conference here and read the transcript below.
CHAIRMAN AGUILAR: Good morning. I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. Before we begin, I want to say that our hearts are with the family of National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, who was tragically murdered last week here in the District. House Democrats are honoring her memory and continue to pray for the recovery of Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe. This tragedy should never have happened and we will continue to support the investigation on this deeply troubled individual and how they were able to carry out this horrific attack.
Now, I'd like to talk about the affordability crisis that is plaguing hardworking families and Americans all over this country. This past week, Americans experienced this sticker shock as they went to their Thanksgiving dinners, as they went to the grocery store and as they decided to get a jump on buying Christmas presents. In every town, every community, every rural community, the cost of living continues to become more difficult for families to bear. From groceries to clothing to rent and utilities, Americans are seeing these expenses go up with no relief in sight. And not only is there no relief in sight, there's no agenda from House Republicans on how to address this. Donald Trump promised to lower costs on his first day in office. This is one of the many broken promises from this President. Republican economic policies have only made this worse.
On top of the cost of living crisis, Americans are on the brink of losing access to quality and affordable health care if Republicans allow the Affordable Care Act tax credits to expire. There is no time to waste. We have a discharge petition that is active, that has Democratic support. That is the only path to deliver the health care certainty and stability that Americans need. We heard during the shutdown from dozens of Republicans who gave public statements saying that they supported the Affordable Care Act tax credits to their constituents. This is their opportunity to make that right. This is their opportunity to stand up for health care, to stand up for their constituents and to stand up to Speaker Johnson and Donald Trump, who are willing to let these tax credits expire to hurt the American people. This is the only real solution. Republicans should take it before it's too late. I’ll turn it over to Vice Chair Ted Lieu.
VICE CHAIR LIEU: Thank you, Chairman Aguilar. I also want to add my sincere condolences to the family of Sarah Beckstrom, the National Guard soldier senselessly killed last week. And I also pray that Andrew Wolfe, the other National Guard soldier fighting for his life, pulls through.
As Chairman Aguilar has said, we have an affordability crisis. That's one reason Donald Trump is polling at the lowest level ever for a modern-day president at this point in a term. Only 36 percent approval, over 60 percent disapproval. And for folks who shopped Black Friday, last Friday, according to Salesforce, average prices across all products increased 7 percent, and then specifically for household goods, prices increased 24 percent. Things like furniture, appliances, dining and decor—all skyrocketed, and what is Donald Trump doing? He wants to make sure his Great Gatsby ballroom is as big as it can be. Trump and his Rubberstamp Republicans are not focusing on the affordability crisis, and now we have health care costs skyrocketing. If we don't extend the ACA tax credits, it's going to mean that millions of Americans are either going to lose health insurance or pay a lot more for their health care premiums.
Now, I'd like to talk about war crimes. Last week, Secretary Hegseth lied and denied media reports that the U.S. military ordered a second strike on defenseless shipwrecked survivors. Then yesterday, both the White House and Hegseth said, actually, it was Admiral Bradley who ordered the second strike. I served in active duty as a JAG for four years, and then an additional 21 years in the Reserves. And let me be very clear: killing shipwreck survivors is a war crime. The Pentagon's own Department of Defense Law of War Manual literally says that, ‘orders to fire upon the shipwreck will be clearly illegal.’ The Department of Justice must conduct an investigation into the war crime and hold all those accountable, including Secretary Hegseth. He allegedly said, ‘kill them all.’ If the Trump Administration does not hold the people accountable, I guarantee you a future administration will do so, because there is no statute of limitations for war crimes.
And now I have a message for the members of the United States Military: Thank you for your service to our great nation, and for those of us who served, we know that we all followed a code of conduct, and part of that code of conduct is to not lie and to accept responsibility. Unfortunately, the head of the Department of Defense, Secretary Hegseth, engaged in dishonorable conduct. He stated on national TV, ‘I watched it live. We knew exactly who was in that boat.’ And instead of accepting responsibility for what happened, Hegesth chose to throw Admiral Bradley under the bus. Shame on Pete Hegseth. He is a coward. He must resign. You deserve better.
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