- 6/24/2025
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) held a press briefing on Monday.
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00:00The Trump administration continues to unleash chaos, cruelty, and corruption on the American
00:12people. Donald Trump and extreme mega Republicans have been a complete and total failure, domestically
00:23and internationally. Donald Trump promised that on day one of his presidency he would
00:33end the war in Ukraine. He promised on day one of his presidency he would free the hostages
00:40to bring about peace in the Middle East. And Donald Trump promised that on day one of his
00:46presidency costs would go down in the United States of America. None of it has happened.
00:56Instead, costs in the United States of America aren't going down, they're going up. Donald
01:02Trump and extreme mega Republicans are crashing the economy in real time and driving us toward
01:09a possible recession. Donald Trump and House Republicans have not done a single thing to
01:16lower the high cost of living in the United States of America. Not a single thing. Instead,
01:24Republicans are trying to jam this one big ugly bill down the throats of the American people.
01:32The GOP tax scam represents the largest cut to Medicaid in American history. It's an all-out
01:41assault on the health care of the American people. Children, families, people with disabilities,
01:49seniors, veterans will all be hurt by the GOP tax scam. Premiums, co-pays, and deductibles
01:58will go up. For tens of millions of Americans, hospitals will close. Nursing homes will shut
02:05down. Community-based health clinics will be unable to operate. And because more than 16 or
02:13so million people in America will lose their health care, people in this country will die.
02:25That's what Republican governance has brought to the United States of America. The GOP tax
02:32scam will also cut nutritional assistance from the American people. Children and seniors and
02:45older Americans will literally have food ripped away from them. And it's all out of salt on health
02:52care. This all out of salt on health care. This all out of salt on nutritional assistance
02:59is being done by Republicans so they can provide their billionaire donors with massive tax breaks
03:07that they don't need and don't deserve. The one big ugly Republican bill will hurt everyday
03:15Americans in order to reward billionaires. At the same time, Donald Trump and his actions, which
03:28do not appear to be consistent with the United States Constitution, takes unilateral offensive military
03:35action without seeking the approval of the United States Congress. The use of military force, which is
03:48offensive in nature, must be approved by the House and the Senate. That's according to the Constitution. It's not
03:58optional, Donald. It's not. The framers of the Constitution actually gave Congress the power to declare war for a reason. So the American people, through their elected representatives, would have the opportunity to debate the issue and make some decisions as it relates to what's in the best interest and the national security of the American people.
04:27Donald Trump and the administration chose to ignore the Constitution. And so they're going to have to come before Congress and explain their justification for an offensive military strike against Iran. Yes, we can never allow Iran to become a nuclear power. And of course, Israel has
04:56the right to defend itself and will support Israel's security in an ironclad manner. But the Trump administration intentionally decided to ignore the aggressive diplomacy that was available to it to try to address the Iranian nuclear threat and ignore the requirements of the Constitution. And now they've got to explain why.
05:24Why? And we expect that justification, not just at the classified briefing behind closed doors tomorrow, but we expect them to explain to the American people the basis of the strike. What were the results in terms of actually thwarting
05:49Iran's capacity to become a nuclear power? And what are the Trump administration's plans to avoid another potentially disastrous war in the Middle East, where thousands of American lives are potentially at risk? What is your plan to avoid another foreign war? A promise you made?
06:16A promise that Donald Trump made to the American people last year. And just like every other major promise that he made on the campaign trail, he's failed to keep it. Question?
06:34Mr. Leader, I know you've said it's not optional to use military force without consulting Congress, but what is your specific reaction to this afternoon's retaliatory strikes? Also, were you briefed this morning about the potential for retaliation?
06:50And lastly, have you been given any updated intelligence assessment about what damage may or may not have occurred from Saturday's strikes?
06:57On Saturday, at the highest levels, I communicated to the White House that it was my expectation that we would have a gang of eight classified briefing immediately to discuss the military strike on Iran, the potential for retaliation, as well as to probe the basis and justification for the offensive military action.
07:25For the offensive military action and to understand the damage that was actually done and whether reports are accurate that Iran may have moved significant amounts of their enriched uranium in advance of the strike, which would effectively allow them to remain in a position to become a nuclear power.
07:50That gang of eight briefing has not taken place. So the question is, why not? What is the administration hiding from the elected representatives of the United States Congress, if they're willing to stand behind their actions?
08:07Now, our thoughts, prayers, and our full support will continue to be behind the members of the United States military who are in harm's way throughout the Middle East.
08:26That's unwavering and unequivocal support for our service, men and women in the military, throughout the Middle East.
08:39That is different than making sure that the Trump administration, in a democracy, follows the law, follows the Constitution, and does what's in the best interest of the national security of the American people.
08:57Leader Jeffries.
08:58Back, Ro.
09:00Leader Jeffries, would you support the Ro Khanna War Powers Resolution?
09:04Have a take a look at it.
09:05Leader Jeffries, Speaker Johnson just said that now is not the, quote, appropriate time for that resolution.
09:12What's your response?
09:13And also, do you expect to receive another briefing from the White House?
09:16What have they told you?
09:17We haven't gotten an initial briefing from the White House.
09:20All we received from the White House was a so-called courtesy call with no explanation as to the rationale for the decision that was taken that could have serious consequences for the American people.
09:35I asked for a gang-of-eight briefing.
09:38I asked for a gang-of-eight briefing.
09:38It has yet to occur.
09:41And it's not clear to me what the administration is hiding from the Congress and from the American people.
09:48If they have a case to make, come up to Capitol Hill and make it.
09:54In terms of the War Powers Act resolutions, because House Republicans changed the rules in this Congress,
10:08those resolutions would ordinarily be required to be presented for an up-or-down vote within 48 hours because they were privileged in nature.
10:23For some reason, House Republicans don't want to have a full and comprehensive and swift debate on the War Powers Act issue before the American people.
10:38So they've changed the rules such that the resolutions aren't even eligible for a debate on the House floor until several weeks from now.
10:51That's outrageous.
10:54And House Republican leaders are going to have to explain that to their own base,
11:01which also does not want to see another dangerous, potentially disastrous Middle Eastern war.
11:12Mr. Leader, you've been very clear in your position that Congress should have authorized,
11:19that military action should have been authorized through Congress.
11:23If the Commander Head Chief had sought congressional approval here, would you have given it to him?
11:30We've seen no evidence to date that an offensive strike of this nature was justified under the War Powers Act or the Constitution.
11:44But the whole reason for the Trump administration to undertake that process is to come up to Capitol Hill
11:52and convince the American people and their elected representatives in the House and in the Senate.
11:57That hasn't happened.
11:59And what I can say is not a scintilla of evidence to date has been presented that I have seen
12:06to justify the notion that there was an imminent threat to the United States of America.
12:13If the administration has evidence to the contrary, come up to present it.
12:20We're not hard to find.
12:21I'm not hiding.
12:23And we've asked for a gang-of-aids briefing.
12:27Tomorrow, there will be an opportunity for every single member of the House
12:31to hear the information from the administration,
12:35and hopefully they will present it in a manner that's comprehensive.
12:39It will be probed.
12:41It will be tested.
12:42It will be aggressively pushed back against.
12:45And then we'll see what the outcome is after that classified agreement.
12:48Just up until this point, what is your estimation of how close Iran has been to obtaining a nuclear weapon?
12:54That's a question that the administration is going to have to provide to us and to the American people.
12:59Mr. Leader.
13:00Thanks.
13:00Coming back.
13:01Yeah, Leader Jeffries, you clearly think President Trump's actions here were unconstitutional.
13:06So what are you and other Democrats going to do to hold him accountable
13:10if not a vote on the War Powers Resolution?
13:12I clearly think that there's no basis that I've seen to justify his actions
13:18that involve in running the United States Congress.
13:24The Trump administration will have an ability to try to convince members of Congress
13:30on both sides of the aisle that it was a justified action and ultimately convince the American people.
13:36And that will begin tomorrow, and we'll see what happens from there.
13:41There's no evidence that I have seen to justify the military strike that took place
13:49in the absence of securing congressional approval.
13:53Leader Jeffries, thank you for taking my question.
13:56There are some members in your conference that have suggested impeaching President Trump over these Iranian strikes.
14:02Impeachment has come up not just from AOC but other members.
14:05Is that a tool on the table for you if you were to take back the House?
14:09I think what's on a tool that's on the table right now is to continue to demand that the administration
14:17present itself before the United States Congress and make the case to the American people
14:22as to why this extraordinary step has been taken.
14:26That's step one.
14:27Step two is for the War Powers Resolution, whether that's the one that has already been introduced
14:34or others that may subsequently be introduced, for those resolutions to be debated on the
14:40House floor, as should have occurred already.
14:44And then we'll see where we're at thereafter.
14:47So you're not taking any calls for impeachment seriously right now?
14:51This is a dangerous moment that we're in, and we've got to get through what's in front of us.
14:56And what's in front of us right now is the Trump administration has a responsibility to come to Congress,
15:04justify its actions for which we see no evidence to justify its offensive strike in Iran.
15:13And we also don't even know how effective the strike has been.
15:18There's zero evidence that I've seen that the nuclear program was completely and totally obliterated,
15:28as Donald Trump has claimed.
15:30No evidence that has been presented to Congress to suggest that that has occurred.
15:36Let's see what happens at the classified briefing tomorrow.
15:41Thanks for taking my question, Leader Jeffries.
15:44What's your level of concern that this conflict could escalate and other countries, more powerful
15:50countries, could get involved?
15:51The approach that was taken by President Barack Obama, which I strongly supported, to prevent
15:58Iran from becoming a nuclear-capable power, which is a goal that all of us should share,
16:06and I do, is aggressive diplomacy.
16:10When President Obama entered into discussions to try to secure a nuclear agreement to prevent
16:19Iran from becoming capable of developing a nuclear weapon, it was a discussion that involved
16:28diplomacy from the United States, Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and China.
16:39Iran, all at the table, entering into an agreement that took Iran's capacity from racing to a nuclear
16:52weapon from inside of three months, which is where it was at the time, to outside of a year.
16:58Everyone agreed that Iran was complying with the agreement that had been reached, which had its flaws, but was working, as it had intended, to significantly push back Iran's capacity to break out and develop a nuclear weapon.
17:20Donald Trump comes into office, and because he's such a hater, particularly as it relates to all things Barack Obama, he pulls out of the agreement, even though Donald Trump's own administration, his own national security apparatus, his own Department of Defense confirmed repeatedly that Iran was adhering to the agreement.
17:48When Barack Obama was president, when Barack Obama was president, when Barack Obama was president and when Donald Trump was president the first time, Donald Trump pulls out and set this whole situation that we're in right now into motion.
18:00On Friday, Donald Trump says, we're going to allow for the next two weeks to occur so that we can pursue a diplomatic resolution.
18:14He lied to the American people, turned around, and without congressional authorization, launched an attack that does risk the possibility of further United States entanglement that will cost us trillions of dollars and thousands of lives.
18:35If it goes the way of the failed war in Iraq and the challenges that we had over a 20-year period of time in Afghanistan, notwithstanding the fact that our involvement in Afghanistan was clearly justified because we had to take out al-Qaeda and the Taliban who were housing them.
19:01These Middle Eastern situations are rough situations, the American people see this clearly, which is why one can't just simply unilaterally decide to potentially entangle us in another conflict.
19:19It's the purpose of the constitutional provision, I think, Article I, Section 8, Clause 11, if I'm wrong, someone will point that out immediately.
19:32There's a reason for it, and Donald Trump chose to abandon it.
19:41Thank you, Mr. Leader.
19:42House Republicans, including Derrick Van Orden and Byron Donalds, have suggested that the Trump administration was justified in not providing the briefings that you've asked for because the information would be leaked.
19:54They say that members would leak to the press and that the Trump administration was correct to keep this information secret.
20:00What's your response to these Republicans who say that you all would have leaked the information, classified information, had you received it in the manner that you requested it?
20:09The Trump administration can't point to a single example of a gang of eight briefing being disclosed to the American people in a manner that would have created harm to the United States of America.
20:27I challenge them to point to a single example of a gang of eight briefing over the last several administrations resulting in information that was classified becoming public.
20:44What is the administration hiding?
20:46And by the way, the strike has already occurred.
20:50On Saturday, at the highest levels, respectfully request of the White House to provide an immediate gang of eight briefing.
21:01And it still hasn't happened.
21:03This is after the strike has occurred.
21:09So, come up to Capitol Hill and justify your actions.
21:13Justify the fact that you may be taking us to a war that your own people in the MAGA verse don't want.
21:23Your own people.
21:24And you have a responsibility to explain that to the American people.
21:28And so far, they've failed to do it.
21:30Even at the highest levels of congressional leadership.
21:34Throughout the last 20 years, presidents have consistently used sort of unilateral executive authorities to counter strikes like this, including President Biden against the Houthis, President Obama in Libya.
21:49What makes this moment different?
21:51The question is, what was the imminent threat to the United States of America?
21:58And there's been no evidence to present an imminent threat.
22:03Now, if the administration believes that it existed, then they have an opportunity to present that to the American people and to Congress as the elected representatives of the American people.
22:15Up until this point, they've not provided any evidence of an imminent threat.
22:20The only suggestion has been that we can't allow Iran to become nuclear capable.
22:27We agree.
22:29That's been a consistent position of Democrats and Republicans for decades.
22:35And the question is, what justified this particular action and was it even successful in completely and totally obliterating Iran's nuclear program as was represented by Donald Trump to the American people?
22:56Did Donald Trump tell the truth?
22:58Or is he lying again?
23:03Last question.
23:06Leader Jeffries, one, have you spoken with other officials back home in New York City about the potential harm that could come to the area with these latest strikes from Iran?
23:16And then I also just want to get your thoughts on the latest polling as the New York City mayor race is set to start off with tomorrow.
23:23There's a high degree of concern as it relates to just the climate of political violence that exists, and that's something that we need to decisively deal with here on Capitol Hill.
23:33This should not be a Democratic or Republican issue.
23:36Every single member of the House and Senate should be able to do their job free of the threat of political violence to themselves and to their families, and that's going to require the House taking decisive steps in terms of increasing the resources available to keep members of Congress safe so we can actually effectively represent the American people regardless of party affiliation or political ideology.
24:05In terms of specific threats, I'm confident that the NYPD, the police commissioner, working with the leadership in New York City and New York State, they're taking appropriate steps to keep everybody safe, particularly areas that are sensitive in terms of the potential to be targets, whether those are houses of worship, synagogues,
24:32or other affiliated religious institutions during a time of great challenge.
24:39In terms of the mayor's race, it's going to be close. It appears. And I've said this is in the hands of the people of New York City and we'll see what the outcome is.
24:59But I think at this moment in time, no one can credibly predict who the winner will be until all votes have been passed.
25:09Last-minute endorsement?
25:11I'm going to pass on that one. Thank you all.
25:17All right.
25:20All right.
25:21All right.