Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)
Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries released the following statement:
Donald Trump and congressional Republicans promised to lower the high cost of living on day one. The extremists have failed.
Instead, Republicans have worsened the affordability crisis, forcing the American people to pay thousands of dollars in additional costs per year because of the disastrous Trump Tariffs. Donald Trump’s failed economic policies and global trade war waged with irresponsible, on-again, off-again tariffs on our allies and trading partners have generated massive uncertainty, threatened the economic well-being of the American people and damaged our country’s standing around the world.
Unfortunately, Republican sycophants refuse to serve as a check-and-balance on an increasingly out-of-control executive branch. House Democrats will continue to push back aggressively in the Congress, in the courts and in our communities to protect the American people from the right-wing extremism being jammed down our throats.
The President must refrain from any further unilateral action on tariffs. Donald Trump’s my-way-or-the-highway approach to economic policy has been a complete and total failure.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)
Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on CNBC’s Squawk Box, where he highlighted how Democrats are standing up to make life better for hardworking American taxpayers in the face of the chaos, crisis and confusion being inflicted by the Trump administration.
ANDREW ROSS SORKIN: Welcome back to Squawk Box. It has been seven days since the Department of Homeland Security funding ran out. Democrats are still unwilling to compromise without what our next guest has called dramatic, bold and meaningful reforms. Joining us right now is House Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries. Good morning to you. Where do you see these talks standing? And when you say dramatic and bold changes, let’s walk through what those are and where the fault lines stand.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, good morning. Great to be with you. ICE is out of control and needs to be reined in, and the American people know it. And our value proposition is pretty simple. Taxpayer dollars should be used to make life more affordable for the American people, particularly in the midst of a crushing affordability crisis that the President has not solved. He’s made worse. But instead, we know taxpayer dollars are actually being used to unleash violence and brutality on the American people, and in some instances, kill American citizens, like Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti. And so, yes, dramatic reforms are necessary, including judicial warrants, which, of course, should be required before ICE can storm private property or break into homes and rip people out of those homes. We believe that independent investigations should take place when there are ICE agents who violate the law, often very violently, but are not being held accountable by the so-called Department of Justice. We think that sensitive locations like houses of worship, schools, hospitals and polling sites should be off-limits and that ICE should actually be focused on targeting violent felons who are here illegally, as opposed to law-abiding immigrant families or American citizens.
ANDREW ROSS SORKIN: Okay, so you’ve walked through the issue. The question that I have is, where there is going to be some form of a compromise. We haven’t talked about masks, by the way, cameras, and all of that. But to the extent that you think that there’s a way to get to a compromise with the Republicans on this, it is where?
LEADER JEFFRIES: I think, one, we need Republicans to agree with the proposition that ICE should conduct itself like every other law enforcement agency in the country. We can start there, which is a pretty basic premise that Republicans seem to believe is not one that should be implemented. For instance, as it relates to masks, police officers don’t wear masks, county sheriffs don’t wear masks and state troopers don’t wear masks. And so, we don’t believe there’s been any justification that has been articulated for people being unleashed in an unidentifiable fashion, brutalizing folks, using taxpayer dollars and not even targeting the worst of the worst, which is what Donald Trump promised was going to take place.
ANDREW ROSS SORKIN: Look, here’s the question. The other side says the following. They say, look, these officers are getting doxed. They’re going into states that are—cities that are sanctuary cities. They are not getting the help that they’re supposed to get. As a result, they are putting themselves in danger in ways that they are not in states or cities that aren’t sanctuary cities. And that they’re taking these steps to protect themselves and that you care more about protecting illegal immigrants than you do protecting officers of the law. That is sort of a quick rendition, I think, of the other side of this.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Yeah, so the other side spent weeks during the 43-day Trump-Republican government shutdown in the fall trying to claim that Democrats were actually fighting to provide healthcare to undocumented immigrants. The American people didn’t buy that argument and they understood that we were actually fighting to make healthcare more affordable for them. And that’s part of the reason why the American people appropriately blamed Donald Trump and Republicans for shutting the government down in the fall. And now we find ourselves back in the same situation where we’re supposed to believe an administration that told the American people that Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti were domestic terrorists when the American saw these citizens killed in cold blood without justification by ICE agents who are supposed to be protecting and serving the nation. And so, I’m not concerned about the administration’s spin. We just want to deal with fact and reality. And the American people know that immigration enforcement in this country, it should be fair, it should be just and it should humane. And that is not what they’re seeing. And that’s what we’re trying to accomplish.
JOE KERNEN: Leader Jeffries, good to see you. Last time you were on, I think I read these same six or seven things and the numbers have actually gotten a little bit better even from last time. So I want to ask you again and see if we can drill down on it. We’re going to get a State of the Union on Tuesday. If you were a Trump supporter, this is what you would say. New highs in the stock market almost every week. We’re at full employment at 4.3%. Inflation’s at 2.4% in the most recent reading. You know, obviously still too high, it’s not going, you know, affordability is still an issue, but it’s down from 9%, the high for Biden. GDP, we’re going to get a reading today, is expected to come in at multi-year highs. Real wages are rising. During the Biden administration, real wages fell over the four-year period. Nobody got a raise, a real weekly average raise. Gas prices are dropping after soaring under Biden, and we have a secure southern border. Are any of those things not something that Trump could at least tout on Tuesday? Where’s the calamity that Democrats see at this point?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, it’s not Democrats. It’s the American people. And we know that everyday Americans believe that life hasn’t gotten better for them under the Trump presidency. It’s actually gotten worse. Donald Trump set the standard. He said that he was going to lower costs on day one. Costs haven’t gone down in the United States of America. Costs have gone up. Housing costs are out of control. Grocery costs, out of control. Healthcare costs, out of control. Utility bills, skyrocketing through the roof. Child care costs, out of control. And Donald Trump hasn’t done a thing about it. And the center of his economic policy has been tariffs. We haven’t seen the trade deficit be reduced in any meaningful way. We haven’t seen reshoring take place. Manufacturing jobs aren’t coming back. They’re moving in the wrong direction. And on top of it, to make matters worse, everyday Americans are paying thousands of dollars more because of the Trump tariffs. So yes, his economic policy anchored around his inaction on the affordability crisis and in fact making things worse, so-called Liberation Day was a disaster of a day and has been getting worse ever since. Yes, that’s a problem for the American people and they know it.
JOE KERNEN: Leader Jeffries, the affordability that you’re talking about and the prices you’re talking about, it is true they continue to go up, and the number is 2.4%. But it was 21.5% increases, the total cumulative, during the Biden administration that got prices to where they are. Now, we’re 2.5% above there, which they’re not going down, but the affordability crisis was really engendered in the previous four years during that administration.
LEADER JEFFRIES: The affordability crisis began, we all understand, as a result of a once-in-a-century pandemic and the impact that that, of course, had on the economy moving forward. And we all are committed to trying to resolve it, to deal with the affordability crisis. We have a President who just yesterday said the affordability crisis has been solved. So if he wants to show up on Capitol Hill on Tuesday and make that argument to the American people, have at it. The American people, of course, understand that that is not their daily experience. That’s not their lived experience. That’s not what themselves and their families are going through, and it’s why the President’s polling numbers are suffering mightily.
ANDREW ROSS SORKIN: Where do you think the American public ultimately is on ICE and how they’ve reacted or behaved? I’ve, by the way, proposed something a little bit different, which is just a different training regime, which is to say, I don’t think that most of these ICE officers are trained to deal with protesters or even what might be described as professional protesters. And the question is, how that should be solved.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, they’re definitely untrained officers. Understand that what the administration has done, they enacted their One Big Ugly Bill, largest cut to Medicaid in American history, ripped healthcare away from about 14 million Americans. In the same bill, they cut SNAP by $186 billion, largest cut to nutritional assistance ever. Literally, they ripped food from the mouths of hungry children, seniors and veterans. And they did all of this so they could provide massive tax breaks to their billionaire donors, skyrocket the debt and the deficit and at the same period of time give a $75 billion slush fund to ICE so they could unleash masked and untrained officers in American communities to brutalize them and, in some cases, kill American citizens. That’s all unacceptable, and the American people have articulated that forcefully. So we’ve talked about, as part of the demands that we’ve set forth, of course, the need to institute an excessive use of force prohibition policy to dramatically reform the way in which these ICE agents are trained so that they are professional. Again, all anchored in the premise that ICE should conduct themselves like every other law enforcement agency in the country, not like a rogue private police force being unleashed with violence and brutality on the American people and law-abiding immigrant families.
JOE KERNEN: Do you think there should be sanctuary cities in the first place, Leader Jeffries? Is that—and does federal law—you can at least see that does set up an inherent conflict that unfortunately has ended in these tragic events. Some people might even say that it was inevitable, and the protestors, that’s—they are trained, a lot of the protesters. And to almost—
LEADER JEFFRIES: The protesters have been peaceful and patriotic—
JOE KERNEN: Not always.
LEADER JEFFRIES: And no one is arguing otherwise. No one is arguing otherwise. And the administration hasn’t even tried to blame those peaceful protesters exercising their First Amendment rights, freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, right to petition the government to change policy. That’s part of the DNA, the constitutional fabric of America. And you have these brutal ICE agents who are violently targeting people. Protests had nothing to do with the cold-blooded killing of Alex Pretti, and then the fact that the administration turned around and called an ICU nurse who dedicated his life to helping out veterans a domestic terrorist. And so the American people aren’t buying the spin of Donald Trump, Kristi Noem, Stephen Miller or the administration. We just want immigration enforcement that is fair, just and humane. We also have an immigration system, of course, we understand that is broken, and we need to fix it. But we should fix it in a comprehensive and bipartisan way, not by trying to jam extreme right-wing, violent policies down the throats of the American people.
ANDREW ROSS SORKIN: Okay, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, I want to thank you for joining us this morning and engaging in the discussion and the debate, and we look forward to talking to you again very, very soon.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose)
WASHINGTON, DC – Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) made the following statement on the NASA Program Investigation Team report for the Starliner crewed flight test:
“While I am still reviewing the Program Investigation Team report released today on the Starliner crewed flight test, I am deeply concerned about the breach of NASA’s safety culture. The fact that the risks could have led to catastrophe and the loss of our dedicated NASA astronauts is alarming. It is imperative that NASA and Boeing immediately ingest the lessons from the failures involved in the Starliner mishap, and that the entire agency and contractor community take lessons from this, especially as we stand on the cusp of Artemis II and seek to maximize progress on the even more challenging goal of again landing our astronauts on the surface of the Moon. I appreciate that NASA is treating this with the level of seriousness that it deserves. As Ranking Member, I commit to carrying out oversight of NASA’s and Boeing’s actions to make the necessary changes and address the multiple failures identified in the report.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose)
WASHINGTON, DC – Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Rep. April McClain Delaney (D-MD) sent a letterto National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Acting Under Secretary Craig Burkhardt demanding answers regarding rumors that NIST has begun taking steps to implement a policy that would limit the ability of foreign-born researchers to conduct their work at NIST. An article was published on February 12, 2026, describing an alleged new three-year limit on international graduate students and postdoctoral researchers working at NIST. This cuts the U.S. scientific and industrial sectors off from worldwide talent that directly contributes to excellence in cutting-edge fields.
“While this Administration often finds it difficult to make its legally questionable policies stick, it frequently achieves its goals by intimidating its intended victims. Without clear communication about whom the new policies apply to, when they will take place, and how such policies will impact the work of the affected labs, visiting researchers may very well choose to leave before they get kicked out. The United States’ scientific enterprise would suffer greatly. Our scientific excellence depends upon attracting the best and brightest from around the world,” the Members wrote in their letter.
“There is a right way to handle this issue. And instead, has NIST opted for secretive, slapdash policy changes that pull the rug out from visiting researchers for no clear rhyme or reason?” the Members continued. “You must be transparent with Congress and with the NIST community about the policies that have been put in place thus far. You must cease implementation until Congress can weigh in on whether these changes are necessary at all.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Maxine Waters (43rd District of California)
A Statement from Congresswoman Maxine Waters
The very Reverend Jesse Jackson, presidential candidate and civil rights leader, was not only my close friend and confidant, he was my longtime political ally and mentor. Rev. Jesse Jacskson was my idol and spiritual and political leader. He was a brilliant, gifted and courageous civil rights leader who inspired millions. He registered millions to vote and challenged and changed Democratic Party politics.
Rev. Jackson was one of the youngest followers and supporters of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and spent his life continuing to protect and save the gains that were made during the civil rights movement. I became a dedicated and committed follower of Jesse Jackson. I worked with Rev. Jackson in both the 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns. I was a top advisor on the national campaign and was appointed by Rev. Jackson to Chair and lead the California campaign.
I was a closeup witness to Rev. Jackson’s brilliant campaign strategies and developments. He used his voice and his organizing skills to create the beautiful Rainbow Coalition. Long before there was any understanding or appreciation for diversity, equity, and inclusion, for all intents and purposes, Rev. Jackson created diversity, equity, and inclusion in his campaign. His campaign included Blacks, Latinos, Asians, Native Americans, Whites, women, LGBTQ, organized labor and others. He brought together pastors, preachers, and multi-faith leaders from all over the country. I recall his work and his outreach to small farmers in rural areas and to Native Americans on reservations.
He was responsible for cracking open the doors of America’s corporate community and those in Silicon Valley. Rev. Jackson was also an international ambassador for peace. He used his tremendous influence to champion human rights. I worked with him in the Free South Africa movement where we helped free Nelson Mandela and bring an end to apartheid in South Africa. We had a wonderful experience of attending the inauguration when Nelson Mandela became president of South Africa. And of course, Rev. Jackson helped to secure the release of U.S. hostages around the world, but the one that stands out to me is when he went to Syria and negotiated the release of U.S. Navy Lt. Robert. Goodman Jr.
Rev. Jackson has more than earned his place in history and rightfully so. His work will never be forgotten and will be taught in communities all over the world, in places low and high, in our schools and universities. I will live the rest of my life with the memories I cherish for the time, the effort, and the phenomenal work that I experienced with The Reverend Jesse Jackson, presidential candidate and civil rights leader.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Sharice Davids (KS-3)
Today, after the Supreme Court ruled6-3 to strike down President Trump’s tariffs, Representative Sharice Davids released the following statement. The Court’s majority held that the Constitution “very clearly” grants Congress the power to impose taxes, including tariffs. “The Framers did not vest any part of the taxing power in the Executive Branch,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote.
“Today’s Supreme Court decision is a win for Kansas families, workers, and small businesses who have been paying the price for reckless tariffs that raised costs at the grocery store, the gas pump, and the farm,” said Davids. “The Constitution is clear: Congress — not any one president — has the authority to set trade policy. I’ll keep fighting for smart, targeted trade enforcement that holds bad actors accountable without forcing hardworking Kansans to shoulder the cost of failed policies.”
Background:
Davids has consistently pushed back on the President’s tariffs and supported bipartisan approaches to trade that balance competitiveness with consumer protection. She spoke during a U.S. House Agriculture Committee hearingon the trade disruptionsKansas agricultural producers will face due to these tariffs — a concern echoed by Kansas Farm Bureau President Joe Newland. She also visited a local toy storeand manufacturerthat are being hit hard by these unstable policies and hosted a press conferenceon her efforts to push back on tariffs that are raising prices for hardworking families.
Kansas families are feeling the pinch of Trump’s tariff policies. The Budget Lab at Yale University estimates the average American household will pay $2,400 more annually because of tariffs, with clothing and textiles seeing the biggest spikes. Contrary to claims that tariffs will strengthen the economy, experts warn they will instead lead to higher inflation and slower job growth.
According to Harvard Business School data, tariffs added roughly 0.7 percentage points to inflation in 2025, raising the cost of both imported and domestic goods. Popular items are more expensive, including:
Clothing accessories: +15 percent
Jewelry: +8 percent
Household tools: +6.2 percent
Appliances: +5.6 percent
Meat: +6.2 percent
Fruit: +5.5 percent
Coffee and tea: +9.2 percent
Household supplies like toilet paper: +4.7 percent
Many retailers — including Walmart, Dollar General, and major food producers — have announced or implemented price hikes to cover tariff costs. American families are footing the bill for the administration’s reckless trade policies.
These chaotic tariffs have also threatened key industries in Kansas, including agriculture and manufacturing, by increasing the cost of imported equipment and materials and by inviting retaliatory tariffs on exports. This reckless approach to trade policy underscores the need for thoughtful, bipartisan solutions that promote fair trade without harming American consumers and businesses.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bill Foster (11th District of Illinois)
Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) issued the following statement after the Supreme Court resoundingly rejected Trump’s tariffs:
“Before coming to Congress, I was a manufacturer who kept hundreds of good-paying jobs in the Midwest, so I know the damage done by Trump’s tariffs. I’m relieved to see that, after months of delay, the Supreme Court has finally determined that his tariffs are unconstitutional and illegal.
“Since Trump announced ‘Liberation Day’ last April, tariffs have raised costs on American consumers and manufacturing employment has steadily dropped. At the same time, Trump’s unnecessary trade wars with our allies have turned them towards other markets, like China and Argentina.
“At this point, it looks likely that Trump is going to have to find a way to pay U.S. companies back for the illegal tariffs he has collected. As a start, I would suggest rescinding the $75 billion being wasted on ICE.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11)
Hemlock, Mich. — On Tuesday, Congresswoman Haley Stevens visited Hemlock Semiconductor to tour its newly operational Corning Wafer Facility, highlighting Michigan’s leadership in rebuilding the U.S. solar and semiconductor manufacturing supply chain.
The Corning Wafer Facility, which became operational in late 2025, is the first ingot and wafer facility to come online in the United States in more than a decade. The facility produces high-purity silicon components essential to solar panel manufacturing, helping make fully U.S.-made solar modules possible for the first time.
During the visit, Stevens met with workers and company leadership and saw firsthand how ultra-pure polysilicon is refined, formed into ingots, and sliced into wafers for use in solar energy and semiconductor applications. The facility employs roughly 1,500 Michigan workers and has already sold out its production capacity for 2025 and secured long-term purchase commitments for the majority of its output over the next five years.
“This visit shows what it looks like when American manufacturing comes home,” said Congresswoman Stevens. “Michigan workers are strengthening our clean energy supply chain, creating good-paying jobs, and reducing our reliance on foreign sources.”
Since first taking office, Congresswoman Stevens has visited hundreds of manufacturers across Michigan, promoting Michigan’s role at the center of manufacturing innovation. She also serves as the top Democrat on the Research and Technology Subcommittee of the Science, Space, & Technology Committee.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (District of Columbia)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) reintroduced a bill that would make D.C. eligible for federal funding under two federal wildlife conservation laws, the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act and Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act.
“Excluding D.C. from access to this federal funding has serious repercussions for the District and its approximately 7,800 acres of parkland,” Norton said. “D.C. should be eligible for all the same federal funding, including conservation funding, as states. I have consistently worked to have D.C. treated as a state for the purposes of federal funding and this legislation is no different.”
Norton’s introductory statement follows.
Statement of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton on the Introduction of the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act and Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act District of Columbia Equality Act
February 20, 2026
Today, I introduce the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act and Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act District of Columbia Equality Act. This bill would make the District of Columbia eligible for federal funding under the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act and the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act in the same manner as states. D.C. residents pay the same federal taxes as residents of the states and, therefore, D.C. should be treated as a state under federal programs. D.C. has roughly 7,800 acres of parkland, covering nearly a quarter of the city.
The Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act provides funding to states for five distinct purposes: program administration, wildlife restoration, basic hunter education and safety, enhanced hunter education and safety grants and multistate conservation grants. In general, D.C. is not eligible for funding under this Act.
The Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act provides funding for sport fish restoration, aquatic education, wetlands restoration and boat-related activities. Under this Act, each state receives a minimum of one percent of the total amount apportioned, while D.C. is capped at one-third of one percent.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)
Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on MS NOW’s The Briefing with Jen Psaki, where he explained how Democrats are standing up for democracy and fighting to make life better for hardworking taxpayers while Donald Trump and Republicans are hurting everyday Americans and attempting to rig the midterm elections to remain in power.
JEN PSAKI: Joining me now is House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Alright, Leader Jeffries, I have so many questions for you about elections and what they’re trying to do. But I just want to start with what Trump had to say about you tonight. Because in a speech tonight, he mentioned you, I don’t know if you saw this. He called you a—he loves to name call, doesn’t he—He called you a low-IQ individual. And I just wanted to give you an opportunity to respond to that.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, it’s great to be with you. I mean, he’s such an unhinged, unpresidential, un-American individual. But I was actually quite surprised that he wasn’t able to come up with something more original. Like, this is his go-to insult. I finally earned a presidential nickname, and this is what he goes with. So, he clearly is tired, he’s lame, and he doesn’t know what he’s doing anymore. And the American people, most importantly, are the ones who are paying the price from this failed presidency. Failure on the economy, failure on healthcare, failure on immigration enforcement, failure to make life better for the American people.
JEN PSAKI: Little Marco is maybe a better try on his part. It’s been a few years. We’re seeing Trump, on a very serious note, of course, I know very serious to you, we’re seeing Trump lay the groundwork all across the country for undermining elections in places like Fulton County, where local Republicans appear to be helping his efforts by hiring private investigators and subpoenaing the Georgia Secretary of State, a Republican. The Democrats—What is the plan—for people watching out there who were so freaked about this—to make sure voters aren’t disenfranchised and really scared of going to polling places?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, this is definitely going to be a core focus of ours. We know that the American people, if the election were held today, and Donald Trump knows this, are voting for Democrats because we’re the only party right now committed to driving down the high cost of living, fixing our broken healthcare system, making sure that immigration enforcement is fair and just and humane, we get ICE under control and we clean up the corruption that is taking place here in America. Donald Trump clearly has other plans, but we know it’s got to be an all-hands-on-deck effort. Democratic governors, Democratic attorneys general, secretaries of state, civil rights groups, democracy reform groups, civil liberty groups like the ACLU and others, partnering, of course, with House Democrats, Senate Democrats, civil society, faith leaders and perhaps most importantly, the American people. And together, we can and will ensure that the elections are free and fair. And we’re going to operate under the assumption that voter suppression and voter intimidation will be the electoral strategy that Republicans deploy to try to desperately hold onto power.
JEN PSAKI: One of the efforts you’ve been very focused on is, of course, redistricting. And you were in Maryland yesterday. I spoke with the Governor here last night about that visit. For people out there who don’t understand, you have a Democratic-led Senate there. This is clearly important. I mean, there are big stakes for you in terms of becoming Speaker of the House and big stakes for the country. What’s the deal? What’s the hold up there? And is there any progress you can tell us about in terms of moving it forward?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, we’re thankful for the support of Governor Wes Moore, who’s done a tremendous job getting behind this effort. Thankful for the Democrats in the Maryland House of Delegates, who decisively have passed this legislation. And so now it’s up to the Democratic majority in the State Senate. And I had a good meeting. It was a positive, productive, candid discussion with the Senate Democratic President, who believes, at least, that the votes don’t exist in the Senate, and I think Governor Moore has taken the position, which I share, is bring the bill to the floor of the Senate for an up or down vote, because this moment does require a forceful Democratic response as part of our effort to make sure that Donald Trump can’t gerrymander the national congressional map as part his scheme to rig the midterm elections. Now, we forcefully pushed back against Donald Trump’s effort all across the country, of course, beginning in places like Texas and California with Prop 50, finishing up in Virginia and pushing them back in other places like Utah and Ohio and Missouri, and we’re going to have to continue to keep our foot on the gas pedal. But certainly it’s the case that there’s an opportunity to move forward and create a more competitive map in Maryland, and I certainly hope that the Senate Democrats led by the Senate President, Bill Ferguson, will see fit to at least allow the chamber to vote.
JEN PSAKI: I only have about a minute left, but I’ve been dying to know what you think of this, which is that the White House apparently has a new strategy, a political one, to send their Cabinet members out to competitive districts around the country. And I was thinking, did Leader Jeffries get in this meeting in a mustache and like design this plan for them? But what do you make of this strategy? Are there any Cabinet members you’re just praying they’re going to send out there to swing districts?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Yeah, they should start with Pam Bondi, RFK and Kristi Noem. And I’ll have a list of districts for them to go to. And we may even be willing to pay the cost.
JEN PSAKI: Yeah, I thought maybe you’d fund ads on a bus tour if they if they were gonna send these people out there. Why not? It’s certainly—it’s quite a strategy. Leader Hakeem Jeffries, so much on your plate, really appreciate you being here tonight. Thank you so much again