This is our debut. Linda and i, Linda Sanchez and i, im congressman joe crowley, chair of the Democratic Caucus work the vice chair of the Democratic Caucus, Linda Sanchez. This is our debut, our inauguration in many respects. I want to say what a massive crowd of the press we have here today. It is enormous, it is probably in all likelihood i think the largest on record, although Javier Becerra is already disputing that, he says he has pictures. Where i sit, or stand at this point, i count at least 95 cameras, wouldnt you say, 95 cameras or so . Thats my interpretation. If i say it, it must be true. Thank you all very much for being here. On a serious note, though, President Trump spent his first days in office obsessing over trivial nonsense. And wielding the power of the presidency to attack womens health, ignore basic campaign promises, thats not an encouraging sign for any of us over the next four years. And its not just President Trump. Congressional republicans and their leadership are also focusing this week on furthering their attack on womens health. Instead of voting on legislation that would help grow families and paychecks or give americans better access to health care, we will be relitigating a womans right to choose in our nation. This is not how we should be spending our time here in congress. Compare the actions from republicans and President Trump to house democrats. Who met this morning to discuss the proactive ways we plan to grow the economy and support working families in america. We also discussed our efforts to defend the Affordable Care act and prevent republicans from taking Health Care Away from millions of americans. We have our work cut out for us , no question. Were prepared to fight every inch of the way to ensure we maintain health care for every american who had been denied it in the past and to further expand opportunity for Health Care Coverage for those who still need it. So with that, i want to turn it over to my colleague and good friend and my codifier in the observation of how enormous this press conference is this morning, Linda Sanchez. Ms. Sanchez thank you. Good morning to all of you. We just came from a Conference Meeting in which we discussed several topics that are of concern to democrats here. We are trying to fight to make sure that American Families have access to affordable Health Care Coverage that is more than just catastrophic coverage. That has certain safeguards in place so their plans will be there when they need them. Its been six years and 0 months six years and 10 months since the Affordable Care act was signed into law and in all that time, republicans have held more than 65 votes to repeal the a. C. A. Completely. Theyve pushed out lies and myths about what the law really does. But the truth of the matter is, after seven years, republicans still have not come up with a credible or viable alternative. Yesterday, republican senators bill cassidy and Susan Collins put out a proposal that would cover fewer americans than the aca does, that would repeal Consumer Protections such as the ban of denying people coverage for preexisting conditions. Their plan would increase deductibles and increase premiums for working families. And if thats the best the republicans can come up with, im confident the American People will decide that what they have now, theyd like to keep it. I also want to add that on saturday, i joined millions of women and men across the country, across the world, really, who gathered in an overwhelming display of unity, and that was a motivating experience. Certainly more invigorating than the doom and gloom of the inauguration. From my seat which i notice had noticeably low attendance. But coming from that march to today, i am disappointed that in the first days of his new presidency, President Trump is, throwingive order a. C. A. Attempting the throw the a. C. A. Into chaos. The house is moving forward on a bill to restrict the Health Choices of women all across our country. H. R. 7 is a bill that is an assault on the constitutional right of women to choose and to decide for themselves what is best for ourselves and our family. You know, one of the things ive been in congress for 15 years and one of the things im completely sick and tired of is men dictating to women as if we are stupid and cannot make informed choices for ourselves. Women are responsible, women are smart, women know what is best for them, and women can make their own choices. So republicans need to stop telling women what we can and cannot do with our bodies. With that, i will just close by saying, you know, the energy and the passion that i saw on saturday is something that motivates me every day to stand up for the people that democrats represent which are working americans, American Families that are struggling to keep their head above water, and people who can make informed choices about what is best for them rather than having it dictated to them by government policy. With that, i will close and we will take questions. Mr. Crowley i want to mention how proud i was of my own daughter, 16 years of age. This wasnt about Democratic Politics or grass roots politics or policy for her. She simply had to be at the march. I am incredibly proud of my daughter for doing that, as well , and also my nephew up in new york, he felt compelled to be there, up in new york. This is about men and women coming together and speaking out for the fear they have in this administration as well as their as well as theyre making clear theyre not prepared in any way, shape, or form to go backwards and want to move forward. As the republicans try to repeal and replace obamacare, i know your guys position on this you talked about the votes and so on is there concern of maybe democrats overplaying their hand. What if republicans do come up with something that does insure more folks and lower this cost and builds on the progress you guys would argue was made in obamacare. You guy sometimes say dont just repeal it because it has obamas name on it. What if they do come up with something, do you think its going to be hard to stay away from falling into that trap, if they do, metrically come up with something that is better . Mr. Crowley the governments have always been about government working on behalf of the people. Yesterday, apparently the president mentioned yesterday the note that president obama left him. And in essence it said, if its accessible, affordable, and comprehensive, its actually insurance that does something, that we have to look at that. If it progresses the American People, if its progress for the American People, but that is not that has not been the mantra of the republican caucus. When the president talked about insurance for all, a week and a half ago, bells and alarms went off in the republican caucus. When the president talked about allowing for medicare to negotiate the price of prescription drugs, youd have thought that a meteor had hit washington, d. C. Something the democrats have been supportive of in the past. At the end of the day, we democrats were about advancing the American People. Its squarely on the republican president as well as his colleagues. They now own this issue. One of the first act he is took one of the first acts he took was to diminish and to allow for the dismantling of the Affordable Care act. The other is he made it more expensive for people to own their home. Then he goes after the fourth estate, the media, and attacks you all. He then, you know, it goes on and on. He will not release his taxes ever. Ever. No one is ever going to know what his taxes are. We only see rolling back. Thats not acceptable to the American People. Ms. Sanchez id like to add on the specific question about a republican plan that could potentially replace the Affordable Care act. I have always maintained if the republicans can show me a plan that doesnt reduce coverage, that doesnt increase costs for families, and that provides the kind of protections that we see right now through employerbased coverage that are embedded in all these policies, things like being able to keep your kids on your Health Care Plan until theyre 26 years old. Things like no lifetime cap because prior to a. C. A. , even employerbased coverage, people who had Health Insurance through their employer, were subject to some of these provisions by Insurance Companies which meant if you have some kind of grave illness and you hit your cap, they spent a certain amount of money on your treatment, when you hit that cap, Insurance Companies could cut you loose and youre on your own. Even if you had employerbased coverage you had no security and no peace of mind. They if they can show me plans that dont cost more, that do those three things, have appropriate safeguards so that people have real insurance, not catastrophic insurance where they pay minimal premiums but huge out of pocket costs if something really happens to them, and if they can make sure that the that those plans have adequate coverage, im in, im willing to work with you. So far the plans that ive seen that have been introdussed by that have been introduced by republicans mean fewer people are covered, so youve got less coverage. It means that many of the safeguards dont exist anymore, you cant keep your kids on your policy, you can be denied insurance for preexisting conditions. You can hit lifetime caps and the premiums are going to go up. Why would we scrap something that has proven to be successful at doing those three things to replace it with something inferior . I challenge republicans, im willing to work with you. Show me your plan that does better than the a. C. A. Does right now. Republicans like to talk about the fact that premiums have gone up 33 over the time that obama has been in office. Let me remind people that in the eight years prior to the a. C. A. , premiums went up 53 . Over those years. You had double digit increases year over year. It was unaffordable and thats why our Health Care System was on the brink of collapse. So they may say, oh, premiums have gone up so much, 33 more. Im not a math major but 58 sounds a lot more than 33 . And yes, the price of things are going to go up, thats what inflation is. What you spend on a gallon of milk a year ago is not what youre going to spend on a gallon of milk today. But again, the Affordable Care act has brought the cost down in terms of the trajectory. It was going up, a steep ankle, a steep angle. Its brought costs down. So republicans show me your plan. And if it does better than the a. C. A. , deal me in, im willing to work. Do you think that trump is making the right decision by asking james comey to stay on as f. B. I. Director and do you trust him to investigate potential ties between the Trump Campaign and russia given how he bungled the Hillary Clinton email controversy . Mr. Crowley i dont think any decision President Trump makes is rational. Many of us believe that comeys announcement about the emails was a deciding factor in several states. Everything and anything is contributing to that loss. But more importantly, having watched the president go to langley this past weekend in front of the wall of honor and talk about the size of the crowd at his inaugural and dispute the numbers being reported by the press, attack the press and the media later by his press secretary, lets look back on the fact that when presented with the option to either believe the men, the thousands of men and women who every day risk their lives, many of them, to gather intelligence all over the world to help the president and the leaders of our country make rational and good decisions as to how we engage with the rest of the world, he chose to put aside that intelligence and believe the leader of russia, Vladimir Putin. Does anyone believe that Vladimir Putin is a friend of the United States . He may not be our enemy, but he is not our friend. My republican colleagues know that. Ask john mccain. Ask lindsey graham. Ask just about anyone on the republican side of the aisle except donald trump and they will tell you Vladimir Putin is not a friend to the United States. He does not have our interests at heart. Yet this president when it came time to choose, he took Vladimir Putins side over the men and women in the Intelligence Community. Some 17 agencies. He took Vladimir Putins side. Thats incredibly disturbing to me that the leader of our country would do that. More so than whatever decision he makes in terms of keeping mr. Keeping mr. Comey or anyone else in those positions. The facts are the facts. Not the way in which he wants to interpret them or alternative facts. They are what they are. We know what he did he took Vladimir Putins side over the intelligent community. Do you believe mr. Comey can accurately investigate trumps ties to russia . Mr. Crowley i have concerns about any investigation Going Forward now that hes the president of the United States. I think its incumbent on the Intelligence Community to do whats in the best interest of our country and not any individual. The president and the people within his cabinet are not above the law. They are not. Hes a walking conflict of interest. Hes the king of conflicts. There are so many avenues by which i believe and our caucus believes and the American People believe the Intelligence Community needs to go down and really be honest and straight with the American People, wherever that may lead. So we need an independent f. B. I. We need an independent c. I. A. We need an Intelligence Community that is independent and not coerced by the leader of our nation. They have to inform him, not the other way around. I would just add, our democracy is founded on the idea of a system of checks and balances. And when you have one party that controls the white house, the house of representatives, and the senate, there are very few avenues by which you get impartiality or that system of checks and balances to work. One is the judicial branch, the supreme court. But we would also hope the f. B. I. , the c. I. A. , would be they are more invested in the success of this country than any one individual. I dont believe that director comey conducted himself during the election in a way that was impartial and beneficial to the country. I have concerns about that. But i also have concerns about who would the replacement be . Would the replacement be hand picked by the president and somebody that would be more invested in the success of the president than in the organization or the country . Those are the fears that we have. There are numerous investigations that we think are warranted, not the least of which is to try to finally, ultimately, get to the bottom of what kinds of potential conflicts of interest does this president walked into the office with . Because he has not released his tax returns, he has not filed financial disclosures, and so i want to know what are his holdings globally and what are the potential conflicts of interest that when he walks in the room to talk with world leaders, is he doing so in a way that is going to line his own pockets or those of his friends . I think the American People deserve to know that and i think we deserve to have independent agencies that will investigate those issues thoroughly and again come to a conclusion which i think puts the best interests of the country above the best interests of any one individual. Mr. Crowley i do think its clear we dont want to go back to the days of j. Edgar hoover. We want an independent Agency Working on behalf of the interests of the American People, not their selfinterest or on behalf of solely the president of the United States. So the budget resolution said january 20 the temporary date when they would come out with some sort of reconciliation language to repeal the Affordable Care act. Looks like theyre going to blow right past that. What does that tell you about their ability to do this without causing chaos to the Insurance Market . Ms. Sanchez ive been meeting with hospital administrators, clinic administrators, constituents who are worried about losing coverage if the Affordable Care act is repealed. Insurance industry. It just creates a great degree of uncertainty and again i think its irresponsible for the president or the republicans in the house and senate to talk about repeal without having a viable replacement ready and waiting in the wings. What that does is almost ensure that americans will be subject to illness, injury, potentially lack of coverage, and thats not putting the best interests of the American People first. Its a grave issue if you talk to those who run hospitals and run clinics, theyre very concerned. And the fact that republicans cant seem to produce a plan, again, that is a viable alternative to a. C. A. , again, makes it incredible, incredibly irresponsible of them to move forward on repealing a. C. A. Mr. Crowley i would just add to that, you touch it, you own it. And thats whats happened now. I think theres a difference between running for office and running a campaign to attain power, and then its something completely different to execute and execute that power as well. To use that leverage. My republican colleagues are finding that out. The 60plus attempts to repeal without replacing the Affordable Care act all of a sudden simply repealing is no longer appealing. Not only to themselves but to the American People. And they know that. Because they know all the goodies that are in there that the American People like. As linda has said earlier, the 26 and under, your children being able to stay on your insurance. Youve heard them all. Lifetime caps eliminated. The preexisting conditions will no longer be used to discriminate, especially against women. But all people with preexisting conditions. That wellness visits for our seniors will come to an end. Those free mammograms and prostate screenings and other things to help prevent disease from taking hold in the first place and costing the system more, they will all end. Healthy eating all those programs will end. Those are the sweets. They now have to realize, before you get to the sweets, you have to eat your vegetables. Its a little bit difficult to get that down before you get to the good stuff. I think more and more of our republican colleagues. I want to thank the fourth estate, frankly, for holding their feet and making them accountable. Were learning what their thoughts and ideas are not by them asking us to come into the room. Were both on the ways and means committee, i dont think linda has gotten an invitation. I havent gotten an invitation to sit down with chairman brady or the speaker or any leader on the republican side on health care reform. Im listening to and watching and reading about possible proposals and including a high risk pool by speaker ryan. To deal with the issue of preexisting conditions. But nothing to deal with lifetime caps. Nothing to deal with any other aspect of the Affordable Care act as the gentlelady mentioned. It is working. There are aspects that weve been asking our colleagues to work with, to improve the Affordable Care act over the last six years and they refused every step of the way. Primarily to never, ever give thenpresident obama a victory in any way, shape, or form. Anything that would improve something he created or helped to create. Now its come back to this last point, theyve touched it, now they own it. Any changes made are on them. I hope on behalf of the American People that they are positive changes. Im not holding my breath. You mentioned on the early executive orders, you mentioned the things you dont like. But he also pulled the United States out of the t. P. P. A lot of liberal democrats put out statements yesterday hailing that as a great step. The fact that he very early on is sending a signal that hes not just going to toe a party line because a lot of republicans want that to go through. Is that encouraging at all . Do you see other areas where the democrats can work with him if hes not going to just do conservatives . Mr. Crowley how much he worked with democrats to make that executive order happen, i would question. Youve heard of the term ice in the winter . T. P. P. Was dead. There was no doubt about that. It didnt get a vote under the obama administration, the administration that negotiated it. There was no foreseeable hope that t. P. P. Was coming up under this present administration. He didnt have to issue the executive order. He simply didnt have to bring it before congress or ask congress to vote on it or if it came to his desk, to veto it. He didnt do anything new yesterday. Its nothing. Its more red meat to his audience, but i think many on the democratic side of the aisle appreciate the fact that unless what he has said is hes going to renegotiate these deals individually. In terms of Bilateral Agreements as opposed to multilateral agreements. Many on our side of the aisle said thats fine. Many said thats not fine. They dont want that either. I think on his side of the aisle as well. What i have noticed aside from that executive order is the executive order that makes Home Ownership for new home buyers more expensive by 500 a year. What ive seen is the attack on the Affordable Care act to have less access for the American People and affordability for health care. What ive seen through what hes doing what he is saying is that hes not ever, ever, ever going to release his taxes. Ever. So well never know. Put aside the is a salacious issues you hear. Its about what hes going with his finances. What he is doing with his finances. How is he deconflicting himself . Those are things that scare me more than anything else. I want to thank you all. To the massive crowds that are here, thank you all. I want to make sure you know, lauren french is now officially