LEADER JEFFRIES WITH DEMOCRATIC VETERANS: "DONALD TRUMP HAS CONTINUED TO BREAK HIS WORD TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE"
Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries held a press conference with Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, Vice Chair Ted Lieu and Democratic veterans, where he emphasized that Donald Trump has repeatedly lied and failed to make the case for war to the American people, but House Democrats will continue to stand up for everyday Americans and our service members.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Let me thank Chairman Aguilar and Vice Chair Lieu for their incredible leadership of the House Democratic Caucus, the districts that they represent and, of course, the nation and for convening us here today. I'm particularly thankful to be joined, of course, by those who have served our country in uniform, as Ted has done, of course, Jason and Chrissy and Gil and Pat and Maggie who were patriots serving this country in different ways in the military, in the national security space and are now patriotically standing up for the American people, for our men and women in uniform and for the Constitution—that's our commitment as House Democrats.
Donald Trump has continued to break his word to the American people. Candidate Trump promised to lower the high cost of living on day one. President Trump enacted tariffs that have increased costs on everyday Americans by thousands of dollars per year. Candidate Trump promised that immigration enforcement would be focused on violent criminals who are here illegally. President Trump has unleashed untrained and masked ICE agents to brutalize and kill American citizens and to violently target law-abiding immigrant families. Candidate Trump said that it was foolish to get the country involved in endless foreign forever wars. President Trump, without authorization and inconsistent with the Constitution, has now plunged America into what he characterized yesterday could be an endless war that has already tragically cost the lives of six patriotic service members. And we mourn for them and we're praying for their families as well as all of those service members who are still struggling to deal with serious injuries as a result of what has taken place in the Middle East.
The President has a responsibility to make the case to the American people as to the justification for this war, but has provided no evidence that there was an imminent threat to the American people here or abroad. It's the President who said just several months ago, in June of last year, that Iran's nuclear program had been completely and totally obliterated, that's the President's words. Did he lie to us then or is he lying now that he's claiming that Iran was acquiring the possibility of being able to threaten us with nuclear weapons? A nuclear program he had claimed was completely and totally obliterated. The President has indicated that he's interested in regime change, but we know that regime change wars have never worked out for the American people and have cost thousands of lives of our patriotic heroes in uniform. That was the case in Vietnam, in Iraq and in Afghanistan. So I'm thankful for the leadership of the Chair, the Vice Chair and these distinguished Members of Congress—patriots—who are standing up for the American people, standing up for our brave servicemen and women in uniform and standing up for the Constitution.
Full press conference can be watched here.