Pelosi Remarks at House Democratic Leadership Press Availability Today

Press Conference

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and House Democratic Leadership held a press availability today after the House Democratic Caucus meeting. Below is a transcript of the Leader's remarks followed by the question and answer session:

Leader Pelosi. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. You gave a full array of issues that we are dealing with right now. I'm going to focus with the issue right now that Mr. Levin and I focused on in the meeting that is to review the possibility of a trade agreement.

I have always said I want to find a path to "yes' in terms of Fast Track and TPP. We are trying to do that. It's a difficult path. I would like to see both Democrats and Republicans come together to address the global economy -- which we know is inevitable and that we are a part of -- to come together to have a trade agreement that raises the paychecks of America's workers, that increases manufacturing in our country. To the extent that what our Administration is proposing does that, we will find some areas of agreement.

So far, there are very serious questions about what is in the TPP -- we mostly have not seen all of the provisions. As the Chairman said, we will dig deeply into this. But I see this discussion as an opportunity for our country, in a bipartisan way, to think in new and fresh and entrepreneurial ways about how we deal with trade. And that does not slip back into old notions that have been put forth: that unless you are an internationalist, you're not of the future. Quite the reverse. We are internationalists. We are of the future. That does not mean that we do that at the expense of the paycheck and the manufacturing base in our country. We can do this in a great way, in a nonpartisan way, in a way that the American people feel confident that, as we go forward into the future, we're doing so with the word "trade' meaning exactly that: that we are exchanging goods in a fair manner; that we are honoring one of the pillars of our foreign policy, which is to promote our economic interest, but again, not doing it at the expense of the America's workers, which has happened in the past.

I'm excited about what the possibilities are. I see great opportunity for bipartisan cooperation. I hope that the Administration will be receptive to how we see a better path to "yes'. Thank you.

***

Q: Madam Leader, can we have your readout on how the Israeli elections will affect U.S. relations, regardless of the outcome?

Leader Pelosi. Well, we'll all see what happens at the end of today. But U.S.-Israeli relations are very strong. It's important to our own national security to support the security of Israel. It's a very, very, again, intellectual relationship, security relationship, and an emotional one as well -- a democracy; the only democracy in the region; our shared values; our great history; and again, our national security.

Q: Do you think Mr. Netanyahu's speech hurt his prospects here?

Leader Pelosi. I have absolutely no idea. You'll have to go to Israel and ask the people there as to what that prospect was.

Q: Madam Leader, do you think that the Administration is on a path to yes given that there are concerns in the Caucus that they're not being forthcoming enough about the TPP, and that currency is still not part of the TPP?

Leader Pelosi. Well, I do believe that some of the, shall we say, impatience of our Members to have access to material is a legitimate one. However, the Administration is making it available. Tomorrow, they'll be here morning and afternoon -- the Secretary of the Treasury in the morning; other leaders, Secretary Perez, the Secretary of Labor, and others in the afternoon. There's a concern about why some meetings are classified or not. We can get over that. That's process, and as Mr. Levin said, we're not here to talk process. We're here to talk policy: what is in the legislation? How can we make it better -- meeting some of the concerns that we have about workers' rights, the environment, food safety, you name it. It may be, as more is learned about what is in the bill, that we have some common ground, that we can make some improvement, or we can find areas of complete agreement or complete disagreement.

But we will see. And I'm so, really, very excited about the opportunity that this presents, not just to say yes or no, but to say: "We can make it better." And I believe that the Administration is very receptive to that, and that they have already had improvements over what was in NAFTA in terms of enforcement and the rest. But we have to see how real that is. But it is within our grasp, in a non-partisan, a bipartisan way, House and Senate, White House, to do something that is in keeping with what my inspiration, President John F. Kennedy said, that the Democratic Party is the party of free trade. In being that party, though, we want to be the party of fair trade, and the party that increases the paycheck of our workers and the manufacturing capacity of our country.

Congressman Levin. Can I just add, I want to emphasize, since you asked about process: what's happening is that there is now this shift to talk about the substance of TPP. It is an unusually important agreement, involving 40 percent of the GDP in this world. And I know it's easy to write about process, and more difficult to write about substance. But in the end, it's the substance that is going to matter. It's the substance that is going to matter, and there are a dozen issues that remain outstanding, where there's meaningful back and forth. And the Leader has made it clear we're going to talk about substance. Because, in the end, that will determine process.

Leader Pelosi. And on that score, if the gentleman will yield, I want to commend the Ranking Member of the Ways and Means Committee for the intellectual resource he has been -- just great in identifying different concerns, asking for answers from the Administration to take us to a better understanding of what's in the bill. But again, this is part of an economic agenda, a middle class economic agenda, that addresses the challenges faced by the middle class in our country. And there's so much more about it, whether it's the budget, whether it's trade, whether it's tax policy and the rest. It's comprehensive. It's complicated. This is an important part of it.

Q: I'm sorry, but my question is actually about process. Because my understanding is that the Administration feels that it needs TPA in order to complete the TPP agreement. But what Congressman Levin has been arguing seems to be the opposite.

Leader Pelosi. Well no, it's not the opposite. It's saying, if you want TPA, let's find out what you want TPA for.

Q: Right, so you're not saying that you need to see a final TPP agreement before you approve TPA?

Leader Pelosi. We have to see TPP. It may not be the final agreement, but we have to see what it is. What are you asking for trade promotion for? What are you asking for fast track for? If there's a clear understanding of what that is, and the back and forth has taken place and questions are answered by the Administration, then there might be a better chance for the Trade Promotion [Authority]. I don't want to get into process. But it is a chicken and egg. You know, there are some people who say: "Let's just defeat trade promotion, because we don't know what's in TPP." Mr. Levin very rightfully says, "Well, let's see what's in TPP, and then make a determination about TPA."

Chairman Becerra. Let's try to get to as many questions as we can.

Q: Was there any discussion at the meeting, Madam Leader, about the AF-CIO's suspension of campaign funding because of their issues…

Leader Pelosi. No.

Q: Or was this raised with the union representatives?

Leader Pelosi. No, no. We don't talk about that in this kind of meeting anyway. But no, this was strictly the substance of the bill.

Congressman Levin. This is on substance. We would never, as the Leader said, talk about fundraising. We're trying to talk about the substance of trade. It's important. We've promoted and voted for trade agreements when we shape them correctly. That's what the issue is.

Q: It seemed pretty clear, Leader, that you're sort of taking on what Mr. Levin has been saying for a long time -- that we need to focus on the substance of TPP, not the process. Are you also taking on the specific recommendations that Mr. Levin has made, you know, for these, maybe, 12 or more outstanding issues -- where he has made specific proposals? Are you sort of taking these on as the Caucus' demands for how TPP should end up?

Leader Pelosi. Well certainly I commend the Ranking Member, Mr. Levin, for the proposals that he has put forth -- actually, questions he has asked the Administration. I'm not here to say that they are inclusive of all of the concerns of the Caucus. We'll see as we dig into the substance, as to what other questions may arise. But they are a solid block of concerns that Members have, and we're anticipating getting some very thoughtful answers to them. But that is not inclusive of everything.

Q: But he's also laid out the proposals for how he wants to resolve them. So I guess, are those proposals, as well, something that the Caucus is backing -- for instance, on currency?

Leader Pelosi. Well, I would think -- generally I would say yes. But again, until we dig deeper into the substance, then some other concerns about those particular issues may arise. So this is, you know, open, read it, understand it, question it, and then let's see where we can find agreement. But his product is a very valuable head start on all of this discussion.

Q: Madam Leader, how eager are you to see a Member of your delegation run for the Senate seat and what advice have you given to those Members of your delegation who talked to you about their interest in running -- maybe those right here?

[Laughter]

Congressman Levin. I'm going to leave since I'm not one of them.

[Laughter]

Leader Pelosi. Well, we have such a plethora of talent in our Caucus and in our leadership. And so for me to see Mr. Becerra, our distinguished Chair of the Caucus, Mr. Van Hollen, a Ranking Member on the Budget Committee, and Congresswoman Donna Edwards, the co-Chair of the Steering and Policy Committee and other Members looking at the race -- Mr. Cummings, our Ranking Member on Government Reform -- please don't let me have to say all the names. I've got Tammy Duckworth in Illinois, Patrick Murphy in Florida, there may be others -- I don't want to make announcements for them. But again, I want to say that this is not inclusive of all the names of people who are thinking about running -- Mr. Delaney in Maryland as well.

I think you could probably say that Senator Mikulski's decision not to seek reelection has caused a stunning change in our House Democratic Caucus if everyone who says he or she is running decides to run. I think that's the biggest hit in terms of the talent in the House. Now, we're used to improving the talent in the Senate and sending over some of our very best people, it's just that so many people who are in the leadership in the House of Representatives are looking at that. And so my view is bittersweet. I want Members to reach their own personal fulfillment, and they'd be great, I know. I also want to see some generational change in the House and I don't mean Members of the House going over to the Senate. It means generational change here in the House. So hopefully, in the next few weeks or months, there will be some winnowing-down, at least in the Maryland delegation. I think almost everybody -- not Steny -- but almost everybody is looking at the race. It just speaks to how talented our California delegation is, our Maryland delegation is, our Illinois delegation is -- I'm not sure we've seen all of the candidates in Illinois -- our Florida delegation -- I know that we have not seen all the candidates there. So it's a very interesting time.

Q: Would you want to see someone from California run in that primary?

Leader Pelosi. Well, somebody from California will run in that primary.

[Laughter]

Q: Well, from the House delegation.

Leader Pelosi. Well, that's up to the Members to make their decision. If I had my way, I'd have none of them run and all stay here and continue to enrich our leadership in the House of Representatives. But that's not how decisions are made. They're personal and individual and timely in people's lives and in their careers, and the contribution they can make in the opportunity that they have. But no question, the two Babs -- Barbara Boxer and Barbara Mikulski -- those two announcements of retirements have had an impact on possible changes in the House of Representatives. But God bless them.

Q: Can I ask you a question on doc fix? Are you optimistic -- I was wondering if the Caucus had anything to say about that?

Leader Pelosi. We didn't discuss that today in the Caucus. We are waiting to see what comes back from the Republican side. I am optimistic we can find a way to have a doc fix in time before the SGR expires. We're trying to work in a bipartisan way on this, in a bicameral way as well. But I don't know if this was discussed in the Republican Caucus but I'll be eager to hear how it was received there. We haven't brought it up in Caucus. We talked about it in Leadership, we've talked about it at the Steering and Policy Committee. But I was really determined that today would be a meeting that focused completely on the trade issue so that we could stay on our schedule of having our deep dig into the substance, into the policy in that legislation. When we know more about what's in the SGR then we'll have more of a discussion of it in the House Democratic Caucus. I'm optimistic about that. Thank you all very much.

Source