Chairman Aguilar: Americans are ready to put an end to Trump and Republican corruption and Democrats are stepping in.

Chairman Aguilar: Americans are ready to put an end to Trump and Republican corruption and Democrats are stepping in.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar and Vice Chair Ted Lieu held a press conference calling out Republicans' cruel, costly and corrupt policies that are making life harder and more expensive for working Americans. You can watch the full press conference here and read the transcript below.

CHAIRMAN AGUILAR: Good afternoon. First, I want to congratulate all the Democratic candidates who won last night. We're now one step closer to taking back the majority. And Democrats are going to win big in November because we're laser-focused on issues that the American public cares about. From bringing down the high cost of living to improving access to quality, affordable healthcare and protecting our fundamental freedoms, Americans know who has their interests at heart, and they know this Republican majority does not. For over a year, Donald Trump and House Republicans have consistently disregarded the needs of hardworking families. In the Trump economy, families are struggling to afford groceries, gas and healthcare. But rather than using their powers to help people, what they've decided to do just this week is offer $70 billion in a blank check for ICE, while gutting healthcare and food assistance programs and refusing to end the costly conflict with Iran.

And instead of lowering costs for Americans, Trump single-handedly is dividing his own party through his retribution campaign. He's nominating an unqualified yes-man to be his intelligence community chief, and he's making America's 250th birthday entirely about himself. The American people are paying attention, and they know what is happening and they know this is not what they voted for. They voted to lower costs, and what they got was higher costs and chaos. People are working harder just to stay afloat while they watch Trump and his inner circle continue to enrich themselves through backroom deals, stock trading and no-bid government contracts. Americans are ready to put an end to Trump and Republican corruption and Democrats are stepping in. Democrats believe Americans' hardworking tax dollars should go to making people's lives better, not just to enrich Trump and his family. We'll keep fighting to ensure that that happens. Vice Chair Ted Lieu.

VICE CHAIR LIEU: Thank you, Chair Aguilar. I want to thank the White House for repeatedly putting the National Economic Council Director, Kevin Hassett, on TV, because Kevin Hassett is really helping Democrats with our messaging. This is what Director Hassett recently said on national TV: "People are spending more on gas, but they're also spending more on everything else, not just groceries, but restaurants, and so on." Kevin Hassett, you're exactly right. People are spending more because, guess what, inflation is up. Inflation is higher now than it was when Trump took office last year. Grocery prices are up, gas prices are up, consumer products are up, and what is Trump focused on? Putting his face on a $250 bill, putting his face on U.S. passports and putting his name on airports. We ask Republicans and the Trump administration to do what the American people want, which is to lower costs.

Now I want to talk about another issue, which is the United States Supreme Court. There was this case in Alabama where the legislature has proposed a map that a panel of three federal appellate judges, who are conservative, put an injunction on. Two of these federal appellate judges were appointed by Trump himself. One was initially appointed by Ronald Reagan. They said that this map was based on intentional racial discrimination. The Supreme Court recently lifted an injunction on that map and is allowing this racist map to go into force in Alabama for this year's election. That is unconscionable and shows that the current Supreme Court is out of control, out of touch with the American people and acting in a purely partisan manner. This is the most corrupt Supreme Court we've seen in our history, and reform is going to come next year.

###