Pete Aguilar (00:00):
… and so pleased to have them playing leadership roles here in the Congress, in the Democratic Caucus, and always joined by Vice Chair Ted Lieu as well. And we want to start by expressing our prayers from the entire Democratic Caucus to the people of Los Angeles County and Southern California for what they are going through today. I know the vice chair will expand on this and whose office has been affected by the destruction, but we're thinking about our friends and colleagues, coworkers and employees and loved ones out there. We saw his is going to take an unprecedented amount of rebuilding. People have lost everything. They've lost loved ones. They've lost their churches. They've lost heirlooms and wedding photos. The depth of this is so hard to comprehend. House Democrats are ready to be a resource that California needs to get back to a stronger position than where we were before. And we're prepared to work around the clock in a bipartisan way to make sure that we meet the needs of the public.
(01:20)
Just a reminder that natural disasters and these events, they're not Republican disasters and Democratic disasters. These are disasters that have affected the entire country, and we will work together to ensure that we drive the resources necessary to help the rebuilding effort that Southern California needs. This is not a time for partisanship or division. It's a time to come together. I'll yield to Vice Chair Ted Lieu.
Ted Lieu (01:52):
Thank you, Chair Aguilar. And let me first say that my prayer is also what those affected by the fires. The northern part of my district was evacuated, but the two districts are hit the hardest are Brad Sherman's and Judy Chu's. I'm going to give you an update on the fires and talk about three things. The first is why did these fires explode and why are they so hard to contain. Second, what the response has been. And then, third, some items to think about going forward.
(02:20)
In terms of what caused these fires to spread so quickly, we had a number of factors. There was drought-like conditions in Southern California for a number of months. We had very low humidity. And then the Santa Ana winds, this phenomenon of high winds hit us. We've had Santa Ana winds in the past, but never at this scale up to 100 miles per hour. So I want you to think about a hurricane with fire in it, and that's what a number of these communities experience. And these winds can blow these burning embers from miles and miles and miles that then set structures on fire. So overall, there's a lot of wildfires happening. There are two main ones, the Palisades fire mostly in Brad Sherman's district, the Eden fire mostly in Judy Chu's district. About 41,000 acres have burned. Washington DC itself is about 43,000 acres for perspective. Over 12,000 structures have been destroyed. At least 23 people confirmed dead. The response has been overwhelming. Over 15,000 personnel fighting these fires from multiple states and multiple countries, nearly 1,500 fire engines, over 80 aircraft, and FEMA's onsite providing assistance to people who need disaster aid.
(03:31)
So going forward, we have to think about climate change. It is causing more extreme weather events, not just in California, but across America. California had these atmospheric rivers causing huge flooding last year, and now we have these wildfires.
(03:47)
And second, I just want to say it is outrageous for Speaker Johnson to try to tie conditions onto this disaster relief or to tie disaster aid to unrelated concepts like the debt ceiling. We should not be leveraging the pain and suffering of our fellow Americans to try to force through policy changes. And when Mother Nature strikes, she doesn't care about party affiliation. At the end of the day, we're all Americans.
(04:16)
It's now my great honor to introduce to you the freshman class president, Yassamin Ansari from Phoenix. Prior to this, she was a vice mayor of Phoenix and she served on the city council of Phoenix, and she's also the first Democratic Iranian American ever to serve a United States Congress.
Yassamin Ansari (04:37):
Thank you, Vice Chair Lieu. Hello, everyone. My name is Yassamin Ansari. I'm humbled to be Arizona's newest Congresswoman. Today, it is my honor to join colleagues here in my role as freshman class president.
(04:49)
First, let me say my thoughts are with the Californians' lost, displaced, and harmed by the devastating wildfires. My state is no stranger to this uniquely painful natural disaster. I feel your loss and I extend my deepest sympathies. Climate change is undoubtedly one of the defining issues of our generation and one that I have spent my entire professional career working on. As the youngest woman in the 119th Congress, I intend to work with my colleagues in the caucus, especially those from California, to ensure that we are passing legislation that invests in the continued sustainable future of the Southwest. Our region is growing faster than we can keep up with, and we need to work together to ensure our constituents have a viable future. I worked on the Paris Climate Accords to do just that, and I'm looking forward to expanding on that work here in Congress.
(05:43)
Democrats are focused on getting things done. As we enter the 119th Congress, we have real policies and plans to lower prices for American families, from groceries to housing, to childcare. We're listening the people in our districts and we know that they are struggling to make ends meet. As freshman class president, I'm committed to working with my class to introduce and move bills that will actually make life easier for the people that we represent. I'm so proud our class is incredibly diverse and impressive and proud to serve alongside civil rights leaders, veteran legislators, scientists, doctors, former educators, business leaders, and people whose personal stories truly reflect the American people. We have the opportunity to create a powerful collective in Congress. Thank you. I'm excited for many more of these. And now I will yield to Representative Olszewski.
John Olszewski (06:40):
Thank you, representative Ansari, and good morning to everyone. I'll start just by echoing the sentiments around the California wildfires and say, as a representative of the Baltimore region, how grateful I am that Congress, without hesitation, moved and acted to respond to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, which was our own tragedy of no one's causing or doing. And so I stand by my colleagues in that work. I'm thrilled to be here alongside our chairman, Chairman Aguilar, as well as Vice Chair Lieu, exceptional leaders of the freshman class with Representatives Ansari and Rivas as we provide updates.
(07:18)
I'll just echo Representative Ansari's sentiments about our class. We are not just big in size, one of the largest in history in fact, but also we're big in ideas and we're big in energy. We have extremely talented members that come from all walks of life. And of course, we bring that experience to the work before us. The priorities of this class are the priorities of the American people. We want to GSD, get stuff done, and we're ready to work together with fellow Democrats to pass common sense legislation that improves the lives of our constituents. Whether that's making healthcare more accessible and affordable, especially for women, or protecting our environment and our social safety
John Olszewski (08:00):
We're also ready to work with our colleagues on the other side of the aisle too. There is plenty of opportunity to find common ground. We can compromise without compromising our values. Unfortunately, Republican leadership has not included Democratic freshmen or for that matter, any Democratic members in discussions on the bills we've taken action on to date. There have been no bill hearings, no markups, nothing to address our shared goals of lowering the cost of living, creating job opportunities, or even physical security at the border.
(08:34)
So I'll just end by saying this. We cannot make truly bipartisan progress by circumventing the process. Process matters. We have to talk to and engage with each other from start to finish. And so, despite these initial votes, I remain cautiously optimistic that we can do just that. The freshman class is ready to be at the table, especially now that we have our committee assignments, we're ready to get the work together. And now I'm happy to turn things over to my friend Congressman, Luz Rivas, another barrier breaker in her own right as the first Latina to represent her district in California. Representative Rivas.
Yassamin Ansari (09:13):
Thank you. Thank you, Chair Aguilar and Vice Chair Lieu for having me here today along with my fellow freshmen colleagues, Representatives Ansari and Olszewski. As freshman leadership Representative to our freshman class, my job is to ensure that our 33-person House Democratic freshman class is represented.
(09:34)
Our freshman class brings strength and diversity from across the nation, a diversity of work experiences from local and state governments to physicians, to small business owners, to engineers, a diversity of backgrounds from urban, rural, red states and blue states. This diversity will allow us as a caucus to work on comprehensive solutions to keep living costs down and improve people's lives. We will use our experiences to protect affordable healthcare, keep Medicare and Medicaid benefits intact, uphold our investments in clean energy jobs, feed our children, and make college affordable for all. We have a duty to work together and across the aisle to make life better for the American people.
(10:21)
As a member that represents the city of Los Angeles, I can't start without thanking the firefighters and first responders from across the country who have been working non-stop to put out the fires in Southern California. Our hearts go out to those who lost their lives and livelihoods as well as those who continue to be threatened by this disaster. The toughness and resiliency that the nation saw this past week in Los Angeles that so many of us know and it makes us proud to be from Los Angeles.
(10:57)
Over the past week, I visited evacuation centers in my district and across the county burn sites, command posts to learn about the coordination across the state, local, and federal levels in fighting the fires. I saw community members coming together to help their neighbors through a tough time. I have many friends that have lost their homes, that have lost everything. Every day I learn about someone I personally know that no longer has a home in Los Angeles.
(11:32)
Constituents who evacuated and were unsure if their home was still standing called my office and asked how they could help their neighbors. And now I'm hearing accounts that shelters are full with donations, showing how much those of us from Los Angeles care about our friends and family. This is what LA is about, and it is what my California Congressional delegation colleagues on both sides of the aisle know to be true.
(12:01)
I want to thank President Biden for issuing a Major Declaration Disaster so that our constituents can immediately access the federal resources that they need to recover. It's crucial that we continue to work together to make sure federal aid, without any conditions, and resources are delivered quickly to the people that need it the most. This isn't about party or politics, it's about getting our constituents the resources that they need to rebuild their lives in the wake of this disaster. Thank you, and I yield back to Chairman Aguilar.
Pete Aguilar (12:36):
Thanks, Luz. Thank you, Representative Rivas. I appreciate my colleagues joining us here today. Questions? Joe. I appreciate you auditing this course and joining us here.
Joe (12:50):
What specific conditions have Republicans asked for for you? And would you ever consider asking for conditions the next time there's a disaster in Florida or Texas or Louisiana?
Pete Aguilar (13:02):
Obviously we have a pretty robust track record when it comes to disaster assistance and emergency supplementals, the terms we throw around here when it comes to disasters. Whether it was Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Sandy in years past, Democrats, even when we had united control, never asked red states or Republicans for anything. We prioritized helping people. We prioritized funding the Disaster Relief Fund so people could get the assistance that they need. We prioritized community development block grant funding for disaster recovery that was specific to those who have gone through events like this, whether that was Louisiana or Hawaii and Maui or New York or the Carolinas. It would never cross our mind to add conditions. And that's why it's unconscionable that Speaker Johnson would raise this issue.
(13:57)
But let's separate this, because what Speaker Johnson is doing, he does not have the votes to raise the debt limit. So he is trying to do everything he can so Donald Trump can have a victory, so billionaires and the largest corporations can continue to enjoy tax treatment that they want to the tune of a couple trillion dollars. In order to do that, they have to raise the debt limit. He does not have the votes for that. And so, that's why he is joining these two. And we expect them to talk about a lot of issues that they could address if the debt limit was raised.
(14:36)
The important piece, as the Vice Chair noted, these disasters don't have red and blue ties on it when they come into our communities. We just need to provide the aid and the assistance so people can recover and get back to some sense of normalcy. Michael?
Michael (15:06):
Thank you. I appreciate it. Last night, or a little after midnight, Mayor Connelly released his checklist report on the January statement investigation. You said President-elect Trump having been elected and coming into office next week, that Jack Smith was confident that he would have been convicted and then the DOJ would be able to sustain that conviction. I want to get your thoughts. Have you been able to see any of the report yet? What are your thoughts on the fact that he may have been convicted had the election not gone the way it did?
Pete Aguilar (15:36):
I appreciate that this is now public. I look forward to reading it. I have not to date read that specific piece. But as you know, the January 6th Committee talked about election interference. We talked about the fake electors scam at length, so I'm familiar with the topic and familiar with some of the testimony that they took. Jack Smith and the Department of Justice had access to more grand jury
Pete Aguilar (16:00):
… three transcripts and information than the January 6th committee did. But the facts remain that President Trump intimately was a part of the election interference, having fake electors, and trying to thwart a peaceful transfer of power. And so, that is part of the public narrative. Those are the facts. What the January 6th Committee did is we raised those facts and put them in a report that the former President, and incoming President, is not happy with. But the facts are not changed. And we saw this, the public saw this, as we reported it in real time and as we reported it after the event through our committee, and now the public will have a more thorough report as a result of Jack Smith's documents being released.
(16:56)
And I think all of the documents should be released. I've said this publicly. Mike Pence's transcript to the grand jury should be released. The other part of the special counsel's report should be released, and the classified documents, all of that should be released in advance of Monday. The American public deserve to see exactly who Donald Trump is. I respect that he was elected, but the American public deserves a higher level of visibility into his role in those events. Scott?
Scott (17:26):
Mr. Chairman, on page 112 of that report, you will see that Jack Smith emphasizes the menacing harassment and threats he will get for defying Trump and being part of the investigation. Are you concerned about retribution or safety?
Pete Aguilar (17:43):
The January 6th Committee, our members… It was just such an honor to be a part of that group of public servants. But that is a group that is not going to be intimidated by Donald Trump. We know exactly who he is. We took the testimony from folks who shared a lot of those same beliefs, being yelled at and screamed at by the former President. The threats and the intimidation is not something that scares us. We stand by the work product. We stand by the work that we did. We stand by our ability to have a fair process and open process where we gathered facts and presented them to the public and then preserved everything for the public to look at. Footnotes and transcripts, it's all in the public record. And so, we stand by our important work and aren't going to be intimidated by the prior and incoming President. Nick, and then…
Nick (18:40):
I want to ask about the reporting that members of the January 6th Committee discussed pardons for their work. Have you sought a pardon or would you be interested in one? And do you think staff of that select Committee should receive pardons?
Pete Aguilar (18:54):
Have not sought a pardon, have not talked to anyone in the White House related to a pardon. I stand by the work that we did. We didn't do anything wrong. I don't think a pardon is necessary. We committed to do a process together to shine light on exactly what happened on January 6th and the lead-up and the President's role in thwarting a peaceful transfer of power. That's exactly what we did and we stand by that work product. I'm not aware of any conversations with the White House related to that.
Reporter (19:31):
Chairman, you touched on this about there's been no debate over any bills, but yet, as part of the original rules that would establish the House procedures to contain the Born Alive Survivors Protection Act, along with 11 other bills, just your reaction to that, Republicans putting that in and not allowing for any compromise, any debate on the issues and with them bringing up more pro-life measures.
Pete Aguilar (20:00):
Yeah, and this is pretty standard for the House Republican Conference. We've seen them run these plays in the past. To Representative Olszewski's main point, none of these bills that they are advancing would lower the costs for the American public. None of these bills are going to lower grocery costs, make housing more affordable. That's the unfortunate part. And it's a missed opportunity because the American public has said, very clearly, that they want us to work together to solve problems. And none of the bills that they are proposing would do that.
(20:39)
What it has done, it has allowed them to buy some time. I saw this morning that the speaker indicated that we're going to have a Rules Chair now. That is an important part of how you govern and what is necessary in order to bring bills to the floor. This might be the latest that we've ever seen a Rules Chair seated. But what those bills did, that you're mentioning, is it allowed them to buy a little bit of time to bring these up without a Rules Committee in place. Maybe that was the goal, but either way, the result is the same. The American public could get no help and support from the initial 12 bills that house Republicans are bringing. Cassie?
Cassie (21:22):
Mr. Chair, there's been a lot of discussion over the last several days about these proposed conditions that are a mystery as to what they might be besides raising the debt limit, but there is a question be asked here about whether or not Democrats are ready to reject a vote on aid. If they do not find those conditions palatable, are Democrats having that discussion and are they prepared to vote against it if they don't think the conditions are something that you guys can [inaudible 00:21:52]?
Pete Aguilar (21:53):
We will not support conditions to disaster assistance. We can have a lengthy debate and discussion and use the committee process to have discussions about the steps that California has taken to protect itself, whether that's doubling the fire professionals in California to record number of resources, billions of dollars, to clearing brush in a preventative way, or as the former President talks, about raking the leaves. California has put the resources in to do that work. It's a big state and the federal government has a responsibility, between the US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management as well, to be thoughtful partners. And so, we are not absolved of any of this, and we have a meaningful role to place.
(22:42)
House Democrats are willing to roll up our sleeves and to stay here as long as possible to have the conversations, but at the end of the day, ultimately, this will mean disaster assistance and that needs to be free from partisan conditions. We did not put partisan conditions on Florida or Louisiana or the Carolinas when we offered aid. Partisan conditions are not helpful and will distract from the help and, more importantly, delay the help that's necessary for the American public.
Cassie (23:13):
May I ask a follow up?
Pete Aguilar (23:13):
Sure. And then the Vice Chair.
Cassie (23:17):
Just a short while ago, the Speaker walked out of here and said that this is not partisan, that this is not politics, that they want to have safeguards making sure that this money is used the way it's supposed to be used, but then he has members going out there and telling reporters that they need to get a pound of flesh for every dollar spent in California. What do you make of his claims that this isn't politics when he has members out there saying that?
Ted Lieu (23:41):
The Speaker's comments and some of the members Republican caucus's comments are outrageous. When mother nature strikes, she doesn't go, "Hey, are you a Democrat or Republican? Because if you're a Democrat, I'm going to take your home and burn it. And if you're a Republican, I'm not." That's not what happened. Republicans lost homes, so did independents,
Ted Lieu (24:00):
So that people who weren't voters, all sorts of Americans, lost their homes. And think how absurd it is to say, "You know, we're not going to rebuild this post office because it's used by 60% Democrats and 40% Republicans." We never do that. So when a tornado strikes in a red state or a flood happens in a red state or hurricane affects a red state, we don't go, "Oh, it's a red state. We're not going to provide disaster relief." So what the Republicans are doing is really, really outrageous. We are the United States of America. It's 50 states.
(24:31)
And by the way, California provides more in taxes to federal government than it gets back in services. California is subsidizing a bunch of red states, and so if you want to just look at the actual numbers, it is even more outrageous that somehow Speaker Johnson wants to publish Americans who happen to live in Southern California, including Republicans who happened to live in Southern California.
Pete Aguilar (24:53):
I yield briefly to Representative Rivas, who was a former state legislator as well, who dealt with these issues.
Yassamin Ansari (25:02):
Thank you. Mr. Chair. The state of California has invested in wildfire mitigation efforts for years, but this weekend, Chair Aguilar and I joined Congress member Judy Chu for the destruction that the Eaton Fire did in Altadena. And anyone that visits that, you just want disaster aid to be there immediately. Speaker Johnson has not visited California. I think the members of the district's most affected would be happy to invite him to witness this destruction. Once you see it, you'll know that we need to send aid immediately, right? There's people that have lost everything in parts of Los Angeles that will take long to recover. They're scared. Where are they going to live? Do they still have to pay their mortgage payments? Do they still have to pay utilities? It's going to take years to rebuild these communities. People lost their churches, their schools, their stores, their businesses. There's people that lost both their business and their home. We have to help the people in California rebuild and recover.
Pete Aguilar (26:26):
Representative Rivas and I stood at an intersection in Altadena and saw in between two churches that had been completely burned down. I guess my question to the speaker is what do you tell those congregants? What do you tell those community members who will see delays because of politicizing the disaster assistance? That's unfair and it's wrong.
(26:51)
Last question, back?
Speaker 1 (26:51):
[inaudible 00:27:00].
Pete Aguilar (27:00):
A couple things are concerning. First that we talked about before is that House Republican Conference decides to bring this up before they want to address economic issues, rising grocery prices, rising cost of living that Americans are facing. We believe fundamentally in the fairness of sports, members of the House Democratic Caucus, some of them played Division I sports. Many people have been shaped by being sports parents, and we kind of view it through that prism first. But we cannot stand and allow politicizing kids' sports to be used as a political tool.
(27:44)
But to your question, what is most offensive about the legislation is that it doesn't distinguish girls' sports at what age. It doesn't distinguish whether you're an Olympic athlete, an NCAA player, a high school sports player regulated by your state, or whether you're just playing soccer as a four-year-old or five-year old down the street. It potentially could lead to inspections, individuals raising concerns, and how you proceed with that is something that is concerning to the House Democratic Caucus. And so that's why we felt that this is the GOP Child Predator Empowerment Act, and this puts kids at risk. Whether you play gymnastics, whether you play football, or whether you're wrestler, this puts you at risk. Kids as young as four could be asked for personal inspections. There is nothing in the bill that talks about parental consent of those inspections. There's nothing in the bill that talks about at what level an inspection is necessary. That is concerning, that will be abused, and that is overwhelmingly the position of House Democrats and why we have strong reservations about the legislation.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
[inaudible 00:29:11]
Pete Aguilar (29:11):
Look, being a kid, being a teenager in this world is pretty tough. I can't speak to a trans athlete or someone who has that lived experience, but I can imagine it's incredibly tough for them. And to subject them to a higher level of intimidation and scrutiny is something that is just flat out bullying. And that's nothing that we can sign up for. That's nothing that we can support, and so those of us who oppose the bill are speaking up against that. Much of this is regulated by the NCAA or by state organizations who guide these efforts. By our count it was 10 athletes in the NCAA who have been affected by this. They have found a way to work through this. 10 athletes out of 500,000 athletes, that's the scope of what we're dealing with. So the House Republican Conference would choose to have this conversation rather than something that is more expansive, that truly helps lower costs or make people's lives better. That's what they've chosen, that's what their leadership has chosen, and that says a lot about who they are. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (30:26):
Thank you.