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Transcript of Pelosi Press Conference Today

March 3, 2016

Contact: Drew Hammill/Evangeline George, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi held her weekly press conference today. Below is a transcript of the press conference.

Leader Pelosi. Good morning.

Yesterday we had our annual celebration of Women's History Month honoring the service and sacrifice of our women veterans who defended our rights and our freedom. We were honored to be joined by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden as we honored Brigadier General Vaught, the most decorated woman in our national security history.

Unfortunately, in their Select Committee to Attack Women's Health and in oral arguments before the Supreme Court yesterday, Republicans were working to undermine the rights and freedom of all women. In the select panel hearing, the Republicans sadly chose to continue their witch hunt, not only against Planned Parenthood, but against scientific research, wasting time and taxpayer dollars on their radical obsessions.

At the Supreme Court, we are hopeful that the Justices will uphold the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade and four decades of precedent and reject Texas politicians' brazen assault on women's reproductive rights.

Two of the Republican's actions this week deal with the court, a court they continue to obstruct with their refusal to even consider interviewing or having a hearing to fill Justice Scalia's empty seat. So ironic, because Justice Scalia was such a devotee of the Constitution, and here they are undermining it, ignoring the fact that it says that the President of the United States has actually not only the opportunity, [but] the responsibility to fill the vacancy, and the Senate has the responsibility to confirm.

On the House floor, the House Republicans soon will bring forward a resolution to present their fierce opposition to immigrant families in our country. They are putting forth an amicus brief to the Supreme Court, and they want the House to validate this extreme position. We are asking for a similar, we have an amicus brief as well, signed by almost every Democrat, and we would like to have a vote on the floor as well. We will see.

Republicans continue to double down on their radical anti‑immigrant agenda. The immigration executive actions that President Obama took are well within the President's broad authority under the law and the clear legal precedent established by every administration, Republican and Democrat, since President Eisenhower. Just as Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Herbert Walker Bush did before him, President Obama took executive action to make our immigration system better meet the needs of our country. They didn't say anything then.

And as I remind you, President Obama is acting in the absence of congressional action. President Reagan acted after congressional action, saying Congress didn't go far enough. We want to have a Family Fairness initiative that he and President George Herbert Walker Bush then implemented and covered a higher percentage of immigrants than President Obama's actions are. But for some reason with this President it is a different story with the Republicans.

Then, as I said, we will file our own amicus brief, and we hope the Speaker will allow it to come to the floor for a vote, just as he has the Republican one.

We have heard but not seen that today the House Republican Budget Chairman is finally presenting a budget to the Republican Conference. From the news reports that we hear, the budget proposed is deeply troubling, but we look forward to seeing more details.

Their budget continues down the path of a road to ruin for America's working families by demanding $6 trillion in cuts. Republicans are putting at risk key initiatives, Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, to name a few. The Republican budget plan erodes our Nation's promise of basic economic security for all Americans, continuing to stack the deck for the wealthiest and well‑connected at the expense of everyone else.

Republicans and Democrats should come together to pass a budget that is fair, that creates jobs, that raises paychecks for the American worker, and invests in the future of our country, while reducing the deficit.

Tonight, I am headed to Flint to meet with the families impacted by this man-made catastrophe and to meet with officials on the ground to hear directly from both of them how we can do much more to help these children and these families, while at the same time we think in a larger sense of how we can make sure this doesn't happen other places in the country. We have a responsibility right now, immediately, to Flint's children. We cannot let the nation forget it.

With that, I'd be pleased to take any questions you may have.

Yes, sir.

Q: Good morning.

Leader Pelosi. Good morning.

Q:Do you feel – you know, I saw your statement the other day about Donald Trump and David Duke and the Ku Klux Klan?

Leader Pelosi. No, no, my statement was about House Republicans.

Q:Right. Right.

Leader Pelosi. It was about House Republicans.

Q:But it was predicated on some of the things that…

Leader Pelosi. Right, referencing that. You're right.

Q: Do you think, though, that there is any potential where Democrats or Hillary Clinton or whomever the Democratic nominee is might overplay their hand here, thinking, well, this is a great opportunity to run against – you cite the issues you have with Republicans on their policies. In your statement the other day, you cited the issues with David Duke and Donald Trump. Do you think that there is a chance that folks could overplay their hand and this backfire in some way on them?

Leader Pelosi. I don't know what you mean by overplay your hand. What we are about when we go into the campaign is the economic and national security for the American people. Economic security to make sure that we make decisions here that help grow the economy, increase paychecks, as we reduce the deficit, as I mentioned our budget should do. In terms of our national security, in terms of our homeland security, in terms of our neighborhood security, protecting and defending the American people is our first responsibility. That is what the campaign is about.

My statement the other day was just to say, oh, my gosh, I felt like I was in the movie "Casablanca." There is gambling here. Can you believe that somebody is associating themselves with the statements of these kinds of white supremacist groups? And my sentiment is that I don't think that what Trump and the others are saying is a reflection of Republicans writ large in our country, but it is an accurate reflection of the actions taken or not taken by the House Republicans.

While they disassociate themselves from the Trump association with potential or whatever, association with right‑wing white supremacist groups, they at the same time voted a number of times against our amendment to remove the Confederate flag from the Capitol, [Congressman] Bennie Thompson's initiative, and then my privileged resolution. At the same time that they want to associate themselves with Selma and the Foot Soldiers of Selma with gold medals last week and all the rhetoric you can drum up, and go to Selma last year for the 50th anniversary, they do disassociate themselves from any attempts to pass a Voting Rights Act.

If they are sincere about honoring the bridge to the ballot that Selma was, give us a vote on the Voting Rights Act. How do they respond to Lincoln, the founder of their party, that they are obstructing voting in our country?

At the same time, they are about family values and the rest and the spark of divinity that exists within every person, they are shutting the door to women and children from Latin America and Syria who are trying to come here as refugees. And they are again saying to, as they do in their amicus brief, they are saying that our DREAMers – these young people – should go back to the country of their family's origin, countries that many of them never really lived in as other than little children, don't even, some of them, speak the language.

So in any case, my point was the sanctimony that was displayed in terms of “oh, my gosh, can you believe he said that,” is stuff that we hear around here all the time.

Any other questions? Yes, ma'am.

Q: Leader Pelosi, Hillary Clinton's campaign is arguing after Super Tuesday that the delegate math makes it impossible for Bernie Sanders to get the nomination. Do you agree? And are you ready to pivot now to the general election and endorse Hillary Clinton for President?

Leader Pelosi. Well, I have always been pivoted to the general election. I think that the Republicans have to take the time they need to make their nomination, and the voices will be heard of Democrats and others who vote Democratic across the country. I have a great deal of respect for the voice of the American people. Thirty-five States have not voted yet, and I think that it would be important to hear from them. I think that it is important to note that with all the whoop-dee-doo on the Republican side and all the voting that has taken place, Hillary Clinton has gotten more votes than Donald Trump. Did you know that?

And as you also know, I am not a believer in the sway of superdelegates deciding who is going to be the nominee. I think we have a democratic process where people vote on both sides of the aisle, actually, both parties – and that that should determine who the nominee is. I don't think that any of us should count out 35 states.

Although the math is clear that anyone other than Hillary Clinton – Bernie Sanders and the lesson for all the young people he is attracting and people who might not even be paying attention to the political scene, that he is attractive – I think that is very wholesome for our country. But I also think that you have to do very well in those 35 states to overcome the advantage that Hillary Clinton has in pledged delegates. That is pledged as opposed to superdelegates.

Yes, sir.

Q: Is it clear to you that it would be good for House Democrats to run against Donald Trump in the general election?

Leader Pelosi. You know, this is turning into a political kind of a thing that you all talk about: politics, politics, politics. We're going to have to move to another venue. We have to talk about – at least a large percentage of our time – about the issues before the Congress. I say let the Republicans nominate who they nominate, and then we will have that debate then. You wouldn't want to even know who my personal favorite is on the Republican side.

Q: I would.

Leader Pelosi. There are so many that are vying for that.

Q: Gilmore?

Leader Pelosi. Anyway, again, the people will speak. We will have our election. And you never know how elections are going to turn out. So who knows who would be a stronger candidate or not? But I do say to the Republicans, if they think that they are going to upset the verdict of the people in terms of the elections, that can really be opening a very big pandora's box.

Q: You're talking about a brokered convention?

Leader Pelosi. Well, you know, again, if it is competitive. But if somebody has the majority of the delegates from the votes of the people, I think that you change that to your peril, whatever party you are.

Yes, sir.

Q: Well, here is a non-political question.

Leader Pelosi. Alright.

Q: What do you know, either directly or indirectly, about the Republican leadership's intent for dealing with the President's Zika request or your desires to provide money for the Flint crisis?

Leader Pelosi. There was a very important meeting yesterday. We were having our celebration of women in the military. Unfortunately, they scheduled at – just not enough hours in the day – at the same time. But Mr. Hoyer led our side with Mr. McCarthy, and our appropriators and all were there.

And as I understand the meeting, there was some interest in using Ebola money for Zika. That would be very wrong. That would be very wrong. We have to recognize that Zika is its own threat and that we have to address it with research, with all of the arrows in our quiver to stop the spread of Zika.

But I do associate Zika with Flint in that there are two public health issues that are very major that we have to allocate resources, and they have to be fresh. They cannot cannibalize other public health budgets at this time.

I don't know the full outcome of the meeting yesterday. I just know that that was part of the discussion.

My appeal to the Speaker is that we – and actually Steny, our Democratic Whip Mr. Hoyer, and Mr. McCarthy have talked about having a FEMA-like account where you have resources for these kinds of issues so that you're not always trying to go find money once you learn about it, but that it is there in the event of, and that would be good. But that fund should not be coming out of the Ebola account.

I don't know what decisions have been made. You will have your chance to ask the Speaker shortly. But what we want to see is an appropriate response to Flint, an appropriate response to Zika, and I see nothing but goodwill coming from the other side in that regard.

Thank you all very much. As we were all watching the returns on Tuesday night, I was listening, as my daughter held the phone up to my ear at 12 or 12:30, to hear the Golden State Warriors win again in overtime without Steph Curry, without even the star on the team defeating.

Q: But you are wearing your San Francisco Giants colors.

Leader Pelosi. Tis the season. The only reason I wear it is because I am going home. I have the Pullman Theory: when you go in a direction, take something. So I am taking this home as a human garment bag to be ready for opening day.

Q: We'll be watching.

Leader Pelosi. Our year. Every other year – it's the Giants.

Q: And those are the years, the years they have won, have been the years that Democrats haven't done too well in House elections.

Leader Pelosi. Any assumptions about politics are obsolete and stale. This is all fresh and new. Thank you.

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Issues:Health Care