ABC News - Hakeem Jeffries addresses the 119th Congress following House speaker vote
The speaker calls for bipartisan efforts in Congress to address the high cost of living in the U.S., emphasizing the need to lower expenses such as housing, groceries, and healthcare. The speech highlights the importance of protecting Social Security and Medicare, labeling them as earned benefits rather than entitlements. The speaker criticizes any attempts to cut these programs to fund tax breaks for the wealthy. Additionally, the speech praises the Biden administration for its economic recovery efforts, infrastructure investments, and climate crisis initiatives. The speaker also stresses the importance of defending democratic freedoms and ensuring economic opportunities for all Americans, while opposing far-right extremism.
Key Points:
- Focus on bipartisan cooperation to reduce living costs.
- Protect Social Security and Medicare as earned benefits.
- Criticize cuts to social programs for tax breaks to the wealthy.
- Praise Biden administration's economic and infrastructure achievements.
- Defend democratic freedoms and oppose extremism.
Details:
1. 🏛️ Introduction and Welcome
1.1. Introduction by Clark Chairman Agular
1.2. Welcome to New Members of Congress
2. 📜 Call for Bipartisanship
- The need for bipartisanship is emphasized by referencing Ecclesiastes 3:1, highlighting a time for campaigning and a time for governing.
- Bipartisanship is crucial for effective governance and requires transitioning from campaign rhetoric to cooperative policy-making.
- Successful examples of bipartisanship include landmark legislation like the Civil Rights Act and recent bipartisan infrastructure deals.
- Strategies for achieving bipartisanship involve open dialogue, compromise, and prioritizing common goals over party lines.
3. 🏡 Addressing Economic Challenges
- The call for bipartisan cooperation emphasizes moving beyond partisan divisions to address the urgent economic needs of the American people, underscoring the necessity for collaboration in the new Congress.
- House Democrats express readiness to work with Republicans and the incoming Administration to find common ground on issues like job creation, infrastructure development, and healthcare access, indicating a strategic emphasis on bipartisan negotiation.
- Specific economic challenges such as unemployment rates, deteriorating infrastructure, and healthcare costs are identified as key areas for bipartisan action.
- The focus on bipartisan efforts reflects an actionable strategy to tackle these economic challenges by leveraging collective political will and shared objectives.
4. 🚨 Social Security and Medicare Defense
- The cost of living in the U.S. has increased while the middle class has shrunk, highlighting the need for an affordable economy for hardworking American taxpayers.
- Housing, grocery, childcare, insurance, and utility costs are all cited as being too high, making America too expensive for many citizens.
- There is a significant portion of the U.S. population living paycheck to paycheck, which is unacceptable in a wealthy country.
- There is a call for bipartisan efforts to lower the high cost of living and to build an affordable economy.
- The commitment to work with any political party to address border security and immigration system issues in a comprehensive and bipartisan manner.
5. 🤝 Achievements with the Biden Administration
- Social Security and Medicare are regarded as earned benefits, not entitlement programs, with a commitment to fight against any attempts to cut these benefits.
- There is a strong opposition against cutting Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans benefits, or nutritional assistance to fund tax breaks for the wealthy.
- In collaboration with the Biden Administration, over 15 million good-paying jobs have been created.
- Historic infrastructure investments have been delivered.
- Common sense gun safety legislation was enacted for the first time in 30 years.
- The administration provided life-sustaining health insurance to veterans suffering from toxic exposure.
- Championed the largest investment in combating the climate crisis in history.
- Reduced the high price of life-saving prescription drugs for millions of Americans.
6. 🇺🇸 Patriotism and Election Integrity
- Donald Trump was elected as the 47th president of the United States, underscoring the importance of respecting election results.
- Election denial is rejected, with a commitment to accepting outcomes as part of democratic integrity.
- Patriotism is characterized by loving America in both success and defeat, fostering unity and acceptance post-elections.
- House Democrats, motivated by their love for America, actively work to preserve election integrity through specific measures and policies.
7. 🗽 Defense of Freedom and Opportunity
- America's strength and freedom are intertwined, with the freedom of economic opportunity being a core aspect of the American Dream.
- There is a focus on defending economic freedom through a free enterprise system that benefits working-class Americans, which is crucial for maintaining the American Dream.
- Social freedoms, including voting rights and the freedom to organize, are highlighted as essential to maintaining liberty and justice.
- The need to defend a woman's right to reproductive health decisions underscores the commitment to personal freedoms.
- A reaffirmation of the pledge to maintain liberty and justice for all, aligning with the values of one nation under God, is stressed.
8. 🔔 Transition of Speaker Role
- Mike Johnson becomes the 56th speaker of the United States House of Representatives, succeeding the previous speaker.
- Johnson is recognized as a God-fearing man, a husband, and a loving father of four.
- He hails from Louisiana and is the son of a firefighter, which underscores his community-oriented background.
- Johnson's political career includes serving as a U.S. Representative for Louisiana's 4th congressional district.
- His appointment as speaker is significant, marking a leadership change in the House with potential impacts on legislative priorities.