Pelosi Remarks at U.S. House & Senate Democrats' Presentation of 'A Better Deal: Better Jobs, Better Wages, Better Future'

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi joined Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House and Senate Democrats in unveiling their bold, new economic agenda and presenting Americans with A Better Deal that will boost wages, lower costs, and unrig the economy so it works for all Americans, not special interests or just the wealthiest few. Below are the Leader's Remarks:

Leader Pelosi. Good afternoon to everyone in Berryville and in Clark County and in Virginia. It is so wonderful to be here with our colleagues from the House and from the Senate. I see an Orioles fan there. I used to root for the Orioles before I was rooting for the Giants since we are talking about sports.

But we are in Virginia. Senator [Mark] Warner makes this point all the time: we are on sacred ground. Here we are in a state that produced so many patriots who signed the Declaration of Independence, and in doing so, established that we were independent, that we would be a democracy.

They pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. It is also a state where we finally ended the Revolutionary War. Sacred ground.

It is a place that recognizes that, to honor the vows of our fathers, to have our democracy be strong, we must have a strong middle class in our country.

The middle class is the backbone of our democracy. It simply is. So when the middle class, as the distinguished Leader from the Senate [Chuck Schumer] has said: when that stagnation of wages sets in, that is the stagnation also of our community and of the country that we are.

So, essential to the success of the middle class, is the financial stability of America's working families and essential to that, are bigger paychecks that create demand, that inject demand into the economy, to help create jobs and help grow the economy for everyone.

This connection between financial stability, a strong middle class and our democracy's strength is a very direct one. I want to recognize that in this great state of Virginia.

That is why today Democrats are unveiling an ambitious and aggressive new economic agenda. A bold new promise for America's working family. From the heartland, to the suburbs and the cities, Democrats are offering a better deal: better jobs, better wages, a better future,

A better deal is founded on strong values that we share. Strong values that are fueled by fresh ideas.

In the House it has been through many months of discussion and engagement in Caucus with the leadership of the DPCC [Democratic Policy and Communications Committee] co-chairs, [Congresswoman] Cheri Bustos of Illinois, [Congressman] David Cicilline of Rhode Island and [Congressman] Hakeem Jeffries of the state of New York and with the leadership of DCCC [Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee] Chairman Ben Ray Lujan. I thank them for their leadership in all of this.

From them and from the Members of Senate here gathered, you will hear what Democrats have heard from American people across the country. Democrats know a better deal for hardworking men and women demands bigger, braver thinking. To create jobs and raise incomes for American workers by creating good paying jobs for 10 million more Americans in the next 5 years -- we have set a goal. To lower the cost of living, as the Leader [Chuck Schumer] mentioned, for taking unprecedented action to lower the cost of prescription drugs, very, very important, and by cracking down on the monopolies that raise costs for our families and hurt competition.

To give every American, this is three -- one, create jobs with bigger paychecks, [two], to lower the costs of living, and three, to give every American the tools to succeed in the 21st century. We want every American to know that they and their children have a place, a strong place in the economy of the 21st century.

A massive new commitment to apprenticeship, lifetime learning, paid on the job training, the list goes on. We have the proposal.

Today, we're on the road. It's so wonderful to be here in Berryville, [Virginia] a state as I mentioned earlier with a rich history of our Founders, the dream they proposed of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We must honor their commitment to that.

Next, Democrats will take it on the road. We're on the road here -- we're starting here, and we'll take it on the road to engage in conversation with the American people. This is not just about telling them what we're advocating for, it's about listening to their concerns in how we shape this and refine it as we go forward.

The past six months, I agree with the Leader [Schumer], have exposed the toxic priorities at the core of the GOP agenda. The American people deserve better. A better deal is exactly what Democrats are fighting for; to give the economic power back in the hands of the American people.

And so as we go forward from the origins of our country, our patriarch, our patriarch of our family, George Washington cautioned as he left office to be aware of political parties that are at war with their own government.

We don't want to be at war with anyone. We want to reach out in a bipartisan way to rebuild the infrastructure of America to increase our paychecks, to lower the costs for families to do so in a way that prepares assured that their children have a place in the economy and the America of the future.

With that, I'm very pleased to yield to the distinguished gentleman from Maryland -- I'm not sure if he's an Orioles fan, he may be a Nationals fan, that's up to him -- to decide but sports of course is a unifying thing for us, we all forget our differences or amplify them when it comes to choosing teams. In any event, a very distinguished gentleman, Chairman of the [Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee], [Senator] Chris Van Hollen.

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