Republic thrives. Get informed straight from the source on cspan. Unfiltered, unbiased, word for word. From the Nations Capital to wherever you are. The opinion that matters the most is your this is what democracy looks like. Cspan, powered by cable. House Democratic Leaders spoke to reporters about the search for a speaker of the house as we approach 21 days without a speaker. You to that now. Today is day 21 without a speaker and the other side is back to square one. After the failure of maga extremists, jim j rep. Aguilar today is day 21 without a speaker and the other side is back to square one. After the failure of maga extremists, jim jordan, multiple candidates have emerged to see if they can be the ones to get to 217, if any of them at all can get that done. The American People and our allies abroad cannot afford any delays. Every day of maga madness is another day of not sending aid to israel and ukraine, not taking meaningful steps to fund our government, and not making sure that we are looking out for working families in this country. It is another day of being away from our districts and talking to folks in our communities who elected us to work on their business, the peoples business, not to be here and baby sit House Republicans as their Party Infighting further cripples the integrity of this institution. House republicans can continue down the path of destruction or work with House Democrats in a bipartisan path forward to get back to doing the peoples business. The clock is ticking. End the chaos and dysfunction and get back to work. Now i would like to turn it over to vice chair ted lieu. Rep. Lieu thank you, chairman aguilar, and representative hayes. This entire year has been a stark contrast between how democrats govern and republicans govern. When we were in control, we passed the bipartisan infrastructure law to rebuild roads, bridges and highways and to take lead out of water. And we ated a lot of good jobs with that law. We passed the c. H. I. P. S. And science act, bipartisan, that created a lot of good jobs and passed the Inflation Reduction Act to lower the costs such as prescription drugs. We lowered insulin to 35 a must we now have our government negotiating with Big Drug Companies to lower the cost of additional drugs and we are focused putting the americans first. Republicans brought us to the brink of a default on our nations debt and brink of a Government Shutdown and took out their own speaker. We are 21 days without a speaker, and it is time to reopen the house and ask republicans to join democrats on a bipartisan path forward. Now it is my great honor to introduced a terrific jahana hayes. Rep. Hayes thank you, ted. We have been without a speaker. I represent a district that values bipartisanship and compromise. A bipartisan agreement must be our path forward. I am willing to come to the table and do the hard work, and i invite my colleagues across the aisle to do the same. The people in my district want me to protect the farm bill and our National Security and to keep the government funded. We need a speaker that can simultaneously support the farmers and the hungry children in my district. We need a speaker who can respond to the Global Security crisis and support our allies. We need a speaker who will understand that working with democrats is necessary for governance. I am ready to do that work, and i know that it requires me to work with republicans. I hope they can appreciate the same. The house of representatives cannot remain paralyzed. We cannot remain in the state of chaos and closure. We have to come together and work on before of the American People. House democrats stand behind Hakeem Jeffries and support his efforts to pursue a bipartisanship path forward. I encourage my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to do the same. With that, i give you ms. Budzinski. Rep. Budzinski thank you. My name is nikki budzinski, and i represent central and southern illinois. As a front liner and someone who flipped the seat last cycle from red to blue, my constituents sent me to congress to find solutions and not be part of the political noise and dysfunction in washington. Where i come from, compromise is not a dirty word, and the people i represent deserve results. As we face terrorism in israel, humanitarian needs in gaza, a war in ukraine, a crisis on the southern border and another Government Shutdown possibility, we cannot afford a House Majority that is not up to this job. I know i have colleagues across the aisle who are in the same boat, who came here to get real things done for their constituents. Within my 10 months in congress, there has been nonstop chaos. I voted 18 times for speaker of the house while some of our significant challenges remain unaddressed by the House Majority. And now we have gone 20 days unable to do the job we were sent here to do. Our friends across the aisle spent years and millions of dollars trying to win back the gavel, and and now have it. They are failing the American People every day to put the American People over petty infighting. Thats why i am standing here with my colleagues, united behind a bipartisan path forward , and i hope my colleagues in the majority will come to the table and work with us. There is too much at stake not to have someone in the speakers chair, and i urge my republican colleagues, many of whom i know who are serious legislators, to finally come to the table to figure out a workable solution. Thank you. Rep. Aguilar thank you, nikki. Questions . Reporter some of your whoreporter some of your conference [indiscernible] do you support that . Is that the conversation that is happening within the Democratic Caucus . Caucus . Mr. Aguilar that isnt a conversation we have had. Two points, one is he puts some caveats behind that and mentioned some policy items, fiscal year bills, aid to israel and ukraine and changing rules. Those are things that i am not certain that the republican majority is serious about. Dean phillips throughout the last three weeks hasnt sat at the leadership table and gave his resignation before that. So, the conversation has been we need a path forward and we are willing to engage and have conversations. But thats not one that we have spent any time with. Reporter have you had conversations with specific members that priorities that you have whether dropping the impeachment inquiry . Mr. Aguilar one of the blessings of this place, especially the last 21 days has been all of us have relationships with republican colleagues generally. It comes down to folks you work with within your committee or geographic region. Those tend the relationships you build across the aisle that are a little easier. All of us have had those types of conversations in the elevators and hallways and Committee Rooms and as nicky mentioned, there are reasonable folks who are thoughtful legislators on the other side of the aisle. Jim jordan is not one of them. And we viewed him as a threat to the speakers chair. Thats why it was our top priority to make sure he didnt sit in the speakers chair. Not on us to fix the republican dysfunction and round robin voting going on right now, but we are serious about making this place work and serious about funding government. We are serious about making sure we look out for our allies in israel and ukraine. We want to get those things accomplished. Reporter continue to fight on the speakers race [indiscernible question] mr. Aguilar we need to slow down a little bit here. One tweet is not the feeling of the Democratic Caucus. By the way, he mentioned three significant hurdles in order for a not saying he would vote for a republican for speaker. But he mentioned is his threshold specific policy items and rules change that i doubt the majority would consider. Just putting it in that context, there is no everybody has been united. The strength of this caucus has been something that all of us feel has been amazing. And its because of this unity of purpose. Its not about one person or leader jeffries, but the unity of purpose that we want to get things done. Vice chair lieu talked about it and passing bills that help people. And it should be about implementing those bills that help people. Thats what we should be working on with our Senate Colleagues and the administration. Thats what we are focused on and i would anticipate more Democratic Unity in the future as long as we are focused on the policy that matters. Reporter i want there was no strong arming of support to leader jeffries. The reason why we are in this position is because democrats supported a resolution to keep the government open. That was the hard line for some in the republican caucus. There has to be an appreciation and acknowledgement and acceptance of the fact that in order to get anything done we have to work together. A motion to vacate is going to come at the moment where republicans and democrats work together, if a speaker is threatened working with democrats, we have big things, funding the government, eight more appropriations package a farm bill coming up. Global cries sees at the same time. If their hard line is if you work with democrats you will lose republican support, thats not a place for governing. We are aligned by our values making sure we have a speaker who is reasonable and compromised to bring legislation to the floor get an up and down vote and make come proposal miteses where it is necessary. This isnt where we dug in the sand and said we are going to vote for a motion to vacate. We have been trying with the debt ceiling with the appropriations, with the continuing resolution to give democrat votes where we knew it was best for the American People and we are willing to dont to do that. Mr. Lieu democrats have worked on a bipartisan basis. The infrastructure law we passed, it was bipartisan. The chips in science act was bipartisan. And so now we have a bipartisan path forward. We just need some republicans to abandon maga extremism and join us. So the question is, why not have republicans vote present. The media should be asking that question as well. Reporter congressman dean phillips is he going to announce a bid against President Biden on friday. Do you have any response . Mr. Aguilar nothing to do with the tweet he put out earlier today. One of the great things about serving in this institution is we see colleagues who want to run for other things. Some of them are successful and some of them arent. I think all of us have talked about the importance of reelecting joe biden and Kamala Harris and we can talk about it in the political context. Thats what we are focused on, but people having ambitions and running for other things is par for the course. Reporter congresswoman jackson lee indiscernible] have you had a chance to listen to the audio . Mr. Aguilar everybody should try and do their best and more than try. Everyone in this institution, every member has an obligation to treat staff respectfully and to treat each other with dignity and respect and when people fall short they should say they fell short. I heard the audio and not had a conversation but ill let her speak for herself on whats next. 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