Chairman Aguilar: Democrats will continue using every tool at our disposal to improve the lives of hardworking people.

Chairman Aguilar: Democrats will continue using every tool at our disposal to improve the lives of hardworking people.

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 on policies that lower costs and make life better for the American people. You can watch the full press conference here and read the transcript below.

CHAIRMAN AGUILAR: Good morning. Honored to be back here with Vice Chair Ted Lieu. First, I want to say how grateful we are that everyone is safe after the shooting this weekend. We're so thankful for the quick actions of the United States Secret Service and law enforcement to stop the gunman. Political violence is never acceptable and should always be condemned. Now, as investigations continue into the incident, I want to turn our attention to the House floor and Republicans' agenda this week.

Right now, the American people are struggling, and they're getting crushed under the weight of increased costs. Americans can't afford to fill up their gas tanks or drive their kids to school, going to work, and those costs driving up. They can't pay for groceries to feed their families. And healthcare has become so expensive, they're skipping doctors' visits and treatments altogether. But rather than working with Democrats to tackle these pressing issues and actually help hardworking families, House Republicans are pushing bills to attack LGBTQ children, a Farm Bill that hurts our farmers and favors corporations, and a reconciliation bill that gives another $70 billion to ICE and Border Patrol so they can continue to harass lawful immigrants, detain children and terrorize our communities. These taxpayer dollars could be used to improve Americans' lives by extending healthcare credits, reversing the GOP cuts to food assistance and helping Americans afford rent. But it's clear that Speaker Johnson and House Republicans don't have the priorities of Americans in mind. It doesn't have to be this way. Democrats have been calling on Republicans for over a year to join us on policies that drive down costs and prioritize Americans' costs that they're facing. And while Republicans continue their partisan go-it-alone approach, Democrats will continue using every tool at our disposal to improve the lives of hardworking families. Vice Chair Ted Lieu.

VICE CHAIR LIEU: Thank you. Chairman Aguilar, political violence is never acceptable, and I'm grateful no one was injured by the shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner. I know that some of you in this room were at that dinner, and I'm sorry that you've now joined the growing list of Americans who have been affected by gun violence. I urge the Department of Justice to prosecute the shooter to the fullest extent of the law.

FISA Section 702 is a big controversy right now in Congress, and I want the American people to understand why there is this controversy. It's because FISA Section 702 allows the FBI to spy on Americans. And many Democrats and some Republicans simply want a warrant requirement because the U.S. Constitution demands that you need warrants under the Fourth Amendment if you're going to spy on Americans. It is not a complicated or difficult concept. But there's another reason why this FISA reauthorization is having such problems. It's because of the FBI director himself. Kash Patel is a major obstacle to getting to a FISA deal, and it's because many members of Congress simply do not trust Kash Patel. Based on public reporting, it appears Kash Patel is a raging alcoholic. There's also video tape of him flying to the Olympics on taxpayers' dime and partying and drinking. There's also an article from the New York Times that alleges that Kash Patel had his FBI agents query FBI databases to go after a New York Times reporter who wrote an unflattering story about how Patel was using taxpayers' money to fly his girlfriend around on private jets. So we can't trust Kash Patel. And if the administration removed Kash Patel, it will make FISA reauthorization, I believe, a much easier thing to do.

Now I want to talk a little bit about the economy. Inflation, based on the last CPI report, skyrocketed. It was the largest month-to-month increase-it was 3.3 percent-in a number of years. Gas prices continue to be very, very high. And what is Donald Trump focused on? Building a giant arch in Washington, D.C. and building a private ballroom with taxpayers' dollars, at $400 million, for a ballroom that 99 percent of Americans will never be able to access. This is really just for the elite. We urge Republicans and Donald Trump to focus on the American people instead.

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