- 5 months ago
Texas House Democrats and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) held a press briefing about the GOP's efforts to draw new Congressional districts ahead of the midterm elections.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Well, I want to welcome our Texas friends to Chicago and Illinois.
00:18I think we understand why they're here.
00:20This is not a vacation for them.
00:23This is a very important assignment to tackle an issue which affects the whole country.
00:27It isn't just a Texas issue.
00:30This is an American issue, an issue as to whether or not there'll be due process and fairness
00:34in our politics.
00:36Do you remember the telephone call which President Trump made to the Secretary of State in Georgia?
00:41He said, I need you to find me 11,779 votes.
00:45He told the story then of what he thought about our electoral process.
00:49It was a political game to be used for his advantage.
00:52And that's what's going on here.
00:54To think at this moment in time, the president is calling on Texas to create five
00:59new Republican seats is an outrage that he would consider doing that in Texas or any place.
01:05But the bottom line is this.
01:07The reason he is doing it cannot be ignored.
01:10The big, beautiful budget which passed in Congress with all Republican votes was a plan by President
01:18Trump to change America in a way that America does not want to be changed.
01:23The public reaction, the polls across America are against President Trump's big, beautiful budget, particularly
01:30because of its impact on health care.
01:32We just lost a major hospital in Chicago yesterday.
01:36I'm afraid that more hospitals are on the chopping block.
01:38People know their health insurance premiums are going up.
01:41Health insurance companies are leaving our state.
01:43Why?
01:44The big, beautiful budget has told them that they can't count on health care in the future.
01:48So this is not just the Texas issue over Texas procedure and Texas law.
01:53This is an American issue where we have to stand together for the families of this country
01:57who are fighting to survive in this economy and want the basics that we all want to protect
02:02our families.
02:03That's why I'm here.
02:04I'm here to welcome our friends from Texas and to tell them that their work, their gathering
02:09here in Illinois is not going unnoticed.
02:12You are newsmakers because you are speaking to the issues that are at the heart of our economy
02:16and the heart of our political system.
02:18So at this point, I'd like to turn it over to you.
02:21I'm sure you can.
02:27Vice Chair of this group, Mihaela Pleza.
02:30Am I close?
02:30Mihaela?
02:32Thank you so much, Senator.
02:33Yes, you did very well.
02:37Good morning, everybody.
02:38My name is Mihaela Pleza and I proudly serve as the Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus.
02:44I'm so happy to be standing shoulder to shoulder with Senator Durbin.
02:48My colleagues and I are ready for the fight ahead, especially after the week that we've just
02:54had.
02:54Our last meeting was canceled.
02:57It was canceled due to bomb threats.
02:59Since then, my colleagues and I have endured racist attacks, frivolous lawsuits, and relentless
03:06harassment.
03:07All of this because we dared stand up to corrupt politicians in D.C.
03:13But we will not be intimidated.
03:16We will not be bullied into silence.
03:19And we will not surrender, like Governor has, to the demands of corrupt D.C. politicians.
03:24And we will lead by example.
03:28And we will not let them trample on American rights.
03:32Let me be perfectly clear.
03:34Texas Democrats are not running away from any fight.
03:38We're bringing the fight to the bad guys.
03:41We don't back down when the stakes are high.
03:44We don't cave in when the pressure is on.
03:47We stand our ground because we know exactly what we're fighting for.
03:52And we don't take our marching orders from a man who thinks he's a king.
03:57We're fighting for working class Americans.
04:00For the people who get up before dawn and take their showers at night.
04:04We're putting them before us.
04:09They work the long hours and struggle to make the ends meet.
04:14It's about the normal people, the working class people, the regular American people against
04:21the billionaires.
04:23That's what we're fighting for.
04:25It's for parents who want to send their kids to a safe school.
04:29It's for women who want to have access to health care.
04:33It's for our retirees who just want to retire with dignity.
04:39It's to protect Social Security.
04:41Texas Democrats are standing for fair maps.
04:45We're standing for fair wages and fair chances.
04:48We stand in the belief that every Texan, no, every American, no matter their zip code, their
04:56race, their creed, they deserve a fair chance.
04:59They deserve for their voice to be heard in their government and a stake in their future.
05:06This is what it means to meet the moment.
05:10To not just react to the chaos that's been thrown our way, but to push forward with courage
05:15and with conviction.
05:16To lead with the understanding that every decision we're making in this moment touches the lives
05:23of millions who are counting on us to hold the line.
05:27So we've been tested this week.
05:29We've been threatened, but we stand more committed than ever in our goal.
05:34Because the truth is, Texans don't quit.
05:38And with that, I'd like to introduce my colleague, Representative Retta Bowers.
05:46Thank you, Vice Chair Plissa and Senator Durbin.
05:51I am State Representative Retta Andrews Bowers, representing House District 113 and proudly
05:58serving as the first Vice Chair of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus.
06:02Just one week ago, we were scheduled to stand alongside Senator Durbin at an event like this
06:10to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act.
06:15But that event never happened.
06:19Why?
06:20Because our hotel received a bomb threat caused by a direct provocation of our safety.
06:27After our location was made public in an attempt to intimidate and silence us.
06:34That night, after our building was deemed safe, my mind went straight to the four little girls,
06:41the four little Black girls.
06:44Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carol Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley.
06:51Killed one Sunday morning in the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama.
07:02They were targeted because they were a part of a movement for justice.
07:07Their lives were stolen by the same kind of hate that fuels the threats we face today.
07:14The threats of intimidation that we face now as we fight this racist gerrymandering in Texas.
07:24And the very same tactics used against Black and Brown Americans who fought for the Voting Rights Act 60 years ago.
07:35Their fight is our fight.
07:37And just like the civil rights heroes of the past, no matter the cost, we are prepared to see it through to the end.
07:47Let's be clear.
07:49The same forces that tried to silence us in Texas are working overtime to roll back the voting rights all across the country.
07:59The protections guaranteed by the Voting Rights Act are under threat.
08:06And House Democrats, especially in Texas, are standing firm, fighting to defend every Texan's fundamental freedom to vote.
08:16And as my colleague said, every American's.
08:19It is now my honor to introduce someone who has stood shoulder to shoulder with us in this fight.
08:28And she's a relentless advocate for her community and for our democracy.
08:33My colleague, State Representative Josie Garcia.
08:41Thank you so much, Senator Durbin, for having us here.
08:45Thank you, Governor Pritzer and the state of Illinois for welcoming us as family.
08:50I'm Josie Garcia, State Representative of Texas House District 124, Lackland Air Force Base, SeaWorld side of Far West San Antonio.
08:58I have the distinct honor of being the first and only woman veteran to serve in the Texas legislature.
09:05And with my following comments, I wanted that to be the focus of the delivery of my next message.
09:12As a combat veteran, I had the pleasure of serving as an advisor to the Iraqi military.
09:21As the wife of a Purple Heart combat veteran who was shot in combat with the Taliban.
09:28Imagine my surprise when I find myself being hunted by my own state government.
09:37Imagine my surprise when I find hostile territory in my backyard in the hill country because of politics.
09:47Imagine my surprise when upholding the Constitution of this United States of America has what made me public enemy number one in the state of Texas.
10:02I'm proud to represent Military City USA, San Antonio, Texas.
10:11Texas is home to the largest population of veterans in this country.
10:17Of 150 members of the Texas House of Representatives, there are seven of us who have ever worn uniform.
10:31So imagine my sense of dishonor when men who have never worn a uniform have zero idea of what it is to sacrifice your life to protect and defend.
10:54I had the utmost honor of being the commander of an elite search, rescue, recovery, and relief humanitarian operation that launched in the hill country after the devastating biblical floods that just occurred.
11:09On day one for us, July 6th, I showed up with 15 people who believed in me.
11:15On day three, we had 1,000 volunteers, specialized search, rescue, recovery volunteers from every branch of the military, every law enforcement agency you can imagine.
11:26Every acronym agency came to support my operation because they believed in me and my leadership.
11:35I'm here to tell you I was by myself.
11:39As our law enforcement agencies seek materials and supplies to do the job, they sought me and my organization out, Uniting America Outreach, because they had no access to technology.
11:59They had no access to boots.
12:04They had no access to backhoes, to construction material, to hands.
12:09But what we do know is the money's there.
12:12The money is there.
12:15We got called to our special session.
12:19And I expected this special session would be focused on this biblical flood that just happened that stole 130 plus lives.
12:30And rest assured, ladies and gentlemen, that number in the news is way off.
12:36Because if you know anything about the Guadalupe during Fourth of July, you have campers.
12:45You have teenagers who decide that they want to go out on their own and sleep on the riverbanks, camp out in their cars.
12:53The true number of people that are missing is unknown.
12:59I sat through nine hearings as a member of the Select Redistricting Congressional Committee.
13:07Nine hearings I sat through as unanimously Texans of all backgrounds, Republican, Black, Democrat, Muslim, Christian.
13:17They all had the same unified message since the first time since 9-11.
13:21And that unified message is why are we talking about an illegal, unconstitutional redistricting when there's people who don't have food in the hill country in our own backyard.
13:35Those pleas were ignored.
13:38And so for everybody that's asking why we are here, because we had no other choice.
13:44We tried to be diplomatic.
13:46We begged.
13:47We pleaded.
13:48If the families of dead children can't get the governor to write them a check, then who the hell are we?
13:56This is a call to action to everybody who's watching right now and you can't believe what you're hearing.
14:07I'm a messenger.
14:08I've been in politics for three years.
14:09I'm not beholden to anything or anybody other than this Constitution and this United States.
14:15And what I tell you what's happening right now is criminal.
14:19None of us have committed a crime.
14:22Yet we are public enemy number one to the FBI.
14:28Well, we know there's pedophiles walking freely amongst them.
14:37So any consequences that comes to us being here, we will gladly take.
14:42Because to defend and protect the Constitution, but most importantly, to defend and protect this nation, this is going to steamroll through the rest of the country.
14:50And we need all of you on board.
14:53Thank you so much.
14:54Please.
14:55We need you.
14:56Good questions.
14:57Can I ask one on topic first?
14:58Can you guys give us a sense of your timeline?
14:59You know, how long have you been here?
15:00If there's any sense of any resolution coming forward?
15:03I know you've been, it's been perfect.
15:05So in Texas, after the 140 days regular session, the governor can call us back.
15:20He has called us back for 30 days.
15:22We intend to kill the first called special session.
15:27So August 19th is when that ends.
15:29So that's when you plan on going back?
15:31That's when negotiations open up again.
15:33That's when the session's over.
15:35That's when the special session ends.
15:37So we hope that the governor will start putting flood victims before political power grabs if he does call another special.
15:50He said he'll do special session after special session after special session.
15:53Are you able to withstand all of that financially and emotionally?
15:58You all have families at home.
16:00We're going to continue using all of our tools.
16:03I want to be clear.
16:06We have said from the beginning, our objective here is to deal the corruption of this special session.
16:13We're hoping that the next special session does not also have to be corrupt.
16:18And that is entirely upon Governor Abbott and the Republican leadership of that state.
16:24The people of the state of Texas have been crystal clear, including Republicans.
16:30They do not support what they are doing.
16:33They do not support them rigging the system.
16:35They do not support them lying, cheating and stealing.
16:39Even Republicans want things to be fair.
16:43They want people to follow the rules.
16:45We have laid out the case of why Governor Abbott needs to listen to the people of the state of Texas.
16:53If he does not, if he simply calls another special session to do things that are selfish, things that are for him, things that are for his buddies, that's up to him.
17:06We can't make him be a better leader, but we can always hope.
17:11So if he separates that bill, the flooding from the redistricting, will that prompt you to go back?
17:18We have said point blank time after time after time that if Governor Abbott says we will take care of the people of the state of Texas first.
17:30If he makes that commitment today, we'll be back.
17:35All we want him to do is actually listen to the people and do what they ask.
17:41That's it.
17:43That's it.
17:44The financial piece of it.
17:46If I may real quick, when we're talking about the financial piece of what's happening right now, keep in mind that it costs a lot of money to call a special session.
17:55But what also costs a lot of money is sending for unmarked officers, agents to my home where, you know, I have special needs children and a husband who has PTSD.
18:08And you know I'm not in the state, but you're going to exacerbate our resources of an already taxed law enforcement agency to go and do this performical theater of tax funded waste.
18:22This is fraud, waste and abuse in its purest form.
18:26And that needs to stop immediately.
18:28Can you raise your hand if you've heard that your families are being watched by...
18:33Everybody.
18:34Everybody.
18:35Everybody.
18:36I've already had state troopers at my home this morning.
18:41Multiple times.
18:42This morning.
18:43Multiple days in a row.
18:44And last night.
18:45Senator, if we may ask an off topic question, can we get your reaction to the president's decision to federalize the D.C. Police Department and deploy the National Guard?
18:58First, let me tell you, I am sympathetic and feel a bond to the victims of violent crime wherever they occur.
19:07In the District of Columbia, in Illinois, in Texas and in any state.
19:11Having said that, what the president did this morning was political theater.
19:14His idea in federalizing the police force of D.C. ignores the reality.
19:19They are making dramatic progress in reducing violent crime in D.C.
19:24And so it's a typical move by this president to create chaos and uncertainty and to draw the attention from other issues like Jeffrey Epstein and his papers.
19:34Draw the attention away from the concern of American families that health care is beyond their reach and the cost of living is beyond their reach.
19:42He's trying to change the subject.
19:43He won't be able to do that.
19:45Are you concerned Chicago will be next, especially given the deployment of the National Guard troops?
19:49I can't predict where this president will move next.
19:51But I will tell you, this is no way to solve the problem of violent crime.
19:55But he's doing legal.
19:57It is legal under the Home Rule Act for 48 hours.
20:01He can federalize the D.C. police force.
20:03Then it can be extended another 30 days.
20:06And then it takes an act of Congress.
20:08He also vowed to end no cash bail in Chicago.
20:11Any reaction to that?
20:13He's rewriting laws in every state.
20:15He should focus on the laws he's responsible for.
20:18The big, beautiful budget, so to speak, is a bill that's devastating to the American economy and the American people know it.
20:24He ought to address that.
20:26Can we have a discussion that this what Trump is doing right now in terms of federalizing local police force,
20:37what Governor Abbott is doing using the State Guard, what Ken Paxton and John Cornyn are doing calling in the FBI?
20:46This is all together one piece.
20:48This is about the rise of authoritarianism in our country.
20:52This is about saying that we don't care what your local city wants.
20:55We don't care what your state wants.
20:57We don't care what you do that's good for your people.
21:00We're going to tell you what to do.
21:02And this is not just a blue state issue.
21:04This is going to come to red states just the same.
21:07I mean, like Texas is a state that is that is violently proud of our independence, whether you're a Democrat or Republican.
21:14And you're watching the leaders who who in years past, no matter if the president was a Democrat Republican, they say we're going to do what we want.
21:22Now, just just casually bending the knee to them without even a second thought.
21:28This is happening across our country, and if we don't stop it, this is the end.
21:36If we don't stop this authoritarianism coming across, by the time we realize that we need to fight back, it may be too late.
21:43It may they may have everything under control.
21:47Any other questions?
21:49Can anybody talk about the Adams County lawsuit?
21:52Is that something?
21:54What is that?
21:55I'm not working.
21:56I'm not aware.
21:57I'm not aware.
21:58I'm not aware.
21:59That's the one that the Texas folks have gone to Adams County to say we want these Texas Democrats.
22:07Adams County.
22:08Oh, that Illinois suit.
22:11It's a lawsuit.
22:12Yeah.
22:13It's frivolous.
22:14Short answers, but let me do.
22:18I apologize.
22:19They have filed so many frivolous lawsuits.
22:22We have lost track of them.
22:25I mean, like, as an attorney, sorry, as an attorney, it's real easy to respond to things that are sensible.
22:35Right?
22:36It's real easy to say, hey, you're, you know, somebody sued you.
22:39You just file the response.
22:40But when the stuff they file is so bizarre, so wrong, like our attorneys are like, we don't even know where to start to say every single thing that they're doing is just illegal and wrong and unconstitutional.
22:55It's like they're saying that like the American people are just too dumb to know what we're doing.
22:59We'll fool them.
23:00But like any cursory look at everything they're filed from the stuff in California to the stuff in Illinois.
23:07Even the stuff in Texas is nonsense.
23:12And like these are these are adults that we elected to to govern us and they're just treating our country and our system of government like it's a joke.
23:22But just using it to play around with batting it back and forth like like like a kitten.
23:27That's it's it's insane that these people are leaders.
23:31We have any cities that are bad looking at Chicago, given that, you know, they've sort of made a period of Chicago.
23:44Are you concerned about essentially actions that can take as you're going forward?
23:50President Trump was hoping you would ask that question.
23:53That's why he said Chicago.
23:55He always mentioned Chicago in his local cities.
23:58What a coincidence they all happen to be in blue states.
24:01That's where he focuses his political attention.
24:04I am concerned about crime as I'm certain everyone here is.
24:07Bottom line is chaos is not the answer.
24:10It's sort of a theater of the absurd politics is not the answer.
24:15Federalizing the police force in America is not the answer.
24:20We've been working on programs that do work in communities on D.C.
24:24The answer.
24:25It makes sense.
24:26Okay.
24:27We're starting off.
24:28Thanks everybody.
Be the first to comment