Chairman Aguilar: Democrats are focused on keeping our community safe and making life more affordable to the American people. It's time Republicans finally join us in those[...]

Chairman Aguilar: Democrats are focused on keeping our community safe and making life more affordable to the American people. It's time Republicans finally join us in those efforts.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar and Vice Chair Ted Lieu held a press conference calling on Republicans to work with Democrats to reform ICE and remove Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. You can watch the full press conference here and read the transcript below.

CHAIRMAN AGUILAR: Good morning. Let me start by saying Democrats are more steadfast than ever in our demands to reform ICE and remove Kristi Noem. Every week, we learn more disturbing information about the damage this administration is doing in our communities and how this agency is failing the American people. It's not just Democrats calling for meaningful changes. Recent Quinnipiac and Marist polls both show nearly two-thirds of Americans disapprove of ICE's enforcement of immigration law. The American people are fed up with seeing their hard-earned tax dollars going toward brutalizing law-abiding immigrants, detaining children, breaking into homes and cars and killing U.S. citizens.

Democrats have put forward a list of common-sense changes we want to see in ICE. Our asks are simple. They're not extreme. We want ICE to be held to the same standards as our local law enforcement. Yet Republicans seem hell-bent on shutting down the Department of Homeland Security because they don't want to impose these changes, which include removing masks, requiring judicial warrants and prohibiting excessive use of force. Our proposal has been in front of Republicans since last week, and we stand ready to work with our colleagues to enact reforms while protecting FEMA, TSA and the Coast Guard. But we will not continue to send Americans' tax dollars to a lawless agency headed up by an out-of-control cabinet secretary until there is more accountability. Democrats are focused on keeping our community safe and making life more affordable to the American people. It's time Republicans finally join us in those efforts. Vice Chair Ted Lieu.

VICE CHAIR LIEU: Thank you, Chairman Aguilar. We have an affordability crisis in America. Americans are drowning in bills and in debt, and we know grocery prices continue to increase; the cost of everyday items continues to increase. One large reason is because of Trump's tariffs, which are increasing prices. And what are Republicans doing? They're putting in a Rules vote that we can't even introduce bills to challenge Trump's tariffs. They're trying to silence members of Congress from even introducing bills to try to stop Trump's harmful tariffs. Any Republican that votes for this rule owns the consequences of these harmful tariffs, which are increasing costs.

Now I'd like to talk about why Howard Lutnick must resign. Howard Lutnick knew Jeffrey Epstein was evil. I'm going to read you some of what Howard Lutnick said in his own words. He called Jeffrey Epstein, 'the greatest blackmailer ever.' He said that when he and his wife visited Epstein's house, Epstein showed him a space to 'get a massage.' Lutnick said, 'They get a massage. That's what his M.O. was-get a massage, get a massage. And I assume that was on video. This guy was the greatest blackmailer ever. Blackmailing people, that's how he had money. And then he gets like weirdly close to me, and Epstein says, 'And the right kind of massage.' This then caused Lutnick to say to the American people in an interview, 'We'll never be in the room with that disgusting person ever again.' Well, guess what? The Epstein files' new release shows not only that Howard Lutnick lied to the American people, he went into business with Jeffrey Epstein. He visited Epstein island and Howard Lutnick did this knowing how evil Epstein was. Lutnick also lied to the American people. And really, the real reason he should resign, he's just like one of the most politically stupid Cabinet members I've ever seen. He knew this stuff was in the Epstein files, and yet he goes and gives an interview where he makes up these lies, knowing it's going to come back and hurt him. So he's just got to resign for all those reasons.

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