Transcript of Pelosi Weekly Press Conference Today

Contact: Speaker's Press Office,

202-226-7616

Speaker Pelosi. Good morning. Ah, you have masks.

Well, this has been an important week for justice and security in our country. This week, the House passed, as you know, the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, a bipartisan, bicameral bill to combat the rising epidemic of anti-AAPI – Asian American Pacific Islander – hate crimes. Those attacks – yesterday the report was that in the past year, 6,600 attacks reported. We know there are many more, but reported attacks. As someone blessed to be from a district, as I am, with a large AAPI population and community, this is something that I see regularly, and am, therefore, very grateful to Congresswoman Grace Meng and Senator Mazie Hirono for their leadership. There are other leads in the House and Senate on it as well. I thank them all.

Today, we go to the White House for a signing ceremony for that legislation, a signal to our nation of the high priority that President Biden has placed on – and the Congress – have placed on addressing this issue. As you know, right within a day of his inauguration, the President brought this up, tasked the Justice Department to make a further record of this – address the issue as well, even before we had an Attorney General, and now we have the legislation. When he talked about COVID and made his address to the nation, he included the COVID-19 hate crimes that we have seen.

So, again, yesterday the bipartisan support was passed for this legislation, the Senate, the House, the signing tomorrow – today. So yesterday, again, that was on justice and security. Yesterday, as you know, proudly the House of Representatives, strong bipartisan way, passed the bipartisan legislation for an independent, bipartisan 9/11-type commission to establish the truth of what happened on January 6th.

It is important to know that this legislation was done in a record time. You probably don't know, but the legislation for 9/11 Commission – now, 9/11/2001 – was signed into law November 27, 2002, more than 14 months later. We are very pleased that this has a much accelerated pace to it, and we are eager to get it to the President's desk.

Again, it was endorsed by Chairs Kean and Hamilton, the Co-Chairs of the 9/11 Commission. In the interest of bipartisanship, we yielded on many requests, but we would not yield on its purpose: to defend our democracy. I just wanted to read from Governor Kean, in case you didn't see: ‘We very strongly urge House Members to support H.R. 3233, the bipartisan National Commission to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the Capitol.' It on goes on to say what it would establish. ‘As Chairman and Vice Chairman of the 9/11 Commission, unity of purpose was key to the effectiveness of the group. We put country above party, without bias, the events before, during and after the attack. Today, democracy faces a new threat. The January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol was one of the darkest days in the history of our country. Americans deserve an objective and accurate account of what happened. As we did in the wake of September 11th, it is time to set aside partisan politics, come together as Americans in common pursuit of truth and justice.' So, we are very pleased at the number of Republicans who voted for truth and justice.

Today, the House continues our work to protect the Capitol with an emergency supplemental funding bill. It's based on the facts and findings of General Honoré report – General Honoré had a task force of national security and law enforcement experts who prioritized and sequenced how we should proceed – and also reflects the Inspector General's reports to the Appropriations and House Administration Committees.

The funding will respond to the cost to harden the Capitol, to repair the Capitol and then to harden against future attacks. And it also honors the sacrifice of the Capitol Police officers, including the Howie Liebengood Center for Wellness. Howie Liebengood took his life following [January 6th]. His family has been very concerned about the counseling necessary for Members faced with such tragedy. And it's beyond shameful and beyond reasonable that any Member would not understand why we need this.

And I want to make a special shout out for the custodial staff of the Capitol. This legislation addresses the sacrifices that they have made, the needs that they have to go forward. And I'm pleased that the Appropriations Committee found the appropriate route to be helpful to them.

Okay – and all of this is going on, of course we are getting ready for the American Jobs and [Families] Plans to Build Back Better. Our Chairs have been working, hopefully, as much as possible in a bipartisan way, to see where we can find common ground from the standpoint of the House Committees.

As you know, the President has been in negotiations with the Senate Republicans. We will see where that takes us, but we do have a responsibility and an opportunity to Build Back Better, with not only what we want to do for roads and bridges and mass transit and high speed rail, but broadband, broadband, broadband into rural America and into urban deserts in that regard, with water projects so necessary for persons in the West where water is – can be a fighting word. It is certainly a vital word and source. And so we have, for the whole country, the need to not only store, distribute better, recycle, but get the lead out for the health of our children.

And in order to Build Back Better, we want to do so with much larger participation of previously underrepresented communities, starting with moms – dads, too – who may need health care. I mean, child care or elder care or care for persons with a disability in their family. When people talk about people not taking jobs now, they have to recognize, if kids cannot be in school and families cannot afford health care and it's not readily available, how can people go to work?

So, again, if we're going to Build Back Better, we have to think in a new way about what infrastructure is and that workforce development, child care, family and medical leave are all part of that initiative. So, we are excited about that what that means. And we are so happy about the Child Tax Credit and universal pre-K and the initiatives that the President sees as valuable to building our kids. It's pretty exciting when you think of the opportunity that is there, how we grow our economy with everyone participating in a fuller way and the benefits of our, hopefully, prosperity as we grow the economy in a way that creates good paying jobs, preserves the planet, involves many more people.

Any questions?

Q: Madam Speaker? Madam Speaker?

Speaker Pelosi. Yes, sir.

Q: On that Commission vote –

Speaker Pelosi. Hey, you went first yesterday. What is that? You were loudest.

[Laughter.]

Q: What did yesterday's vote tell you about the state of the Republican Party?

Speaker Pelosi. You know, I'm not here to analyze the Republican Party. All I say is to my Republican friends – and I do have them – take back your party. This is the Grand Old Party, the party that's done so much for our country. And, quite frankly, many Republicans have courageously withstood the, shall we say, assault on our democracy that has gone forth when you think of the Republicans and the courage that they have had in the electoral system in our country, in the election decisions that have been made to support the fact that the election was legitimate. Many Republicans were the ones who came forward.

So, I think that there is some courage that needs to be recognized in the party, certainly in our body, Liz Cheney and others. But it's not for me to analyze them, except to say, as one who has served with Republicans for a long time in the Congress, this is a different – I would say breed of cat, but I love our kitten Daisy, so I'm not going to say breed of cat. I wouldn't do that to my granddaughters.

But it is interesting to see 35 Members coming forth. I'm very proud of them. And it was a recognition that this was a bipartisan product, negotiated in good faith, that all of a sudden they wanted to say, ‘Well, if it isn't – if it isn't Black Lives Matter,' or something like that, taking their eye off the ball: January 6th.

Q: Madam Speaker?

Speaker Pelosi. Yes.

Q: Good morning.

Speaker Pelosi. Good morning. Next one.

Q: We saw the guidance yesterday from the Capitol Attending Physician, and we saw through statements as well clarifying some of that.

Speaker Pelosi. Yes.

Q: How does that pertain, though – and I have asked you about this before, you know, well – when can Congress get back to normal and the continuation of hybrid hearings and voting?

Speaker Pelosi. Yes.

Q: And you just reapproved, re-upped the remote voting through July. I understand the issue with the Floor and what Dr. Monahan said, but with that issue, you know, why shouldn't some of the other things, like remote hearings, get back to normal?

Speaker Pelosi. Well, what the Attending Physician – and that's the guidance we have to go by – said, unless people are vaccinated, we have to continue to wear masks in our meetings and on the Floor. And so that is what we are doing. It is unfortunate that a large number of people in the Congress have refused to be vaccinated or – I don't know what it is, I don't know – refused or have been vaccinated and don't want to admit it. I don't know what that is because I shouldn't know. It's their personal business. But until they, as the doctor said, until they are vaccinated, we cannot have meetings without masks.

Q: But he was specific to the House Floor, talking about that being a unique place where everyone comes to meet.

Speaker Pelosi. Yes, right.

Q: What about Committees where you –

Speaker Pelosi. Well, wouldn't it be the same thing?

Q: Have 30 or 40 people?

Speaker Pelosi. Well, in the meetings, if you're not vaccinated, the other people have to wear a mask. And we'll see. I mean, I'm hoping that this new CDC guidance will encourage people to be vaccinated. We want to get through this as soon as possible. You – I mean, does anybody feel like wearing a mask?

So, no, we all want to get through this and we want to get back to – now, much of the containment of visitors to the Capitol relates to COVID, not necessarily to what happened January 6th only. I mean, we have to protect people and have safety and security, but many of the prohibitions of visits sprang well before January – came forth before January 6th.

Q: Madam Speaker?

Speaker Pelosi. Yes, ma'am?

Q: Thank you. To follow up on that, you know, the President has talked about July Fourth as being maybe the time when the country can begin to sort of gather more and get back to normal. Do you see any openings for other aspects of the Capitol for visitors? And, again, knowing that so many people have not been vaccinated, do you just keep waiting for them?

Speaker Pelosi. Yeah.

Q: Or is there an alternative?

Speaker Pelosi. Yeah, we have to wait for them to be vaccinated, because they are selfishly a dangerment to other people, including staff people here.

So, while we are hopeful, and I join the President in being hopeful that we can reach a place where it is safe for people to be – what is this, the honor system, the honor system as to whether somebody has been vaccinated? Do you want them breathing in your face on the strength of their honor?

So, let's just see. Let's just see. I mean, again, we have – this is about science and governance, and science and governance. We have a responsibility to make sure that the House of the Representatives Chamber is not a petri dish because of the selfishness of some not to be vaccinated or to insist – or to wear a mask, because it requires us to wear a mask.

I mean, we could come to a place where we say, if you don't want to wear a mask and you don't want to – if you're not vaccinated, don't even come to the Floor. We have facilities up above in the Gallery where people can come to vote.

We don't want to deter anybody's ability to exercise their constitutional duty. We have that responsibility as well. So, we're trying to balance everybody being able to exercise his or her constitutional duties, as well as protect, secure the staff and the other Members.

Now, I know a lot of things, as Speaker of the House. I know a lot of things, and I know a lot about people's predispositions and the rest, because they share them with me, and I have to make judgments based on what the vulnerability are of our Members as well.

But it's not a, shall we say, subjective decision. The Attending Physician has said until everybody is vaccinated, we wear masks.

Yes, ma'am?

Q: Madam Speaker, back to the Commission.

Speaker Pelosi. Yes, ma'am?

Q: I know that that is your strong preference, for a bipartisan 9/11-type Commission.

Speaker Pelosi. Yes.

Q: Things are not looking great for that passing in the Senate. There's a lot of opposition.

Speaker Pelosi. Who knows? Who knows?

Q: If that fails, Are you committed to a Select Committee? How would that work?

Speaker Pelosi. We are taking this one step at a time. What we have said we want is a bipartisan Commission. I don't want to weaken that position.

Everybody knows what my options are. They are no secret. But I – the preference – not only preference, overwhelming preference is for bipartisanship.

And I don't think that what we heard from the Senate is so bad compared to what we usually hear from the Senate, and I'm very pleased with the statement made by the Majority Leader on the subject. And now some of the Senators, Republican Senators, are saying, well, ‘If the Republicans can hire staff, I would be okay with that.' Of course they can hire staff. That's never even been a question. So, we like that threshold that they want the Committee to cross.

Q: Madam Speaker, I just want follow up on that question. It doesn't appear – there is going to be an investigation no matter what happens, right? That's basically what you're saying is, it's this – it's something else, but this Congress is not going to go by without some sort of large scale probe into January 6th.

Speaker Pelosi. Well, let's go back to 9/11. 9/11, you saw it took fourteen and a half months to get this signed by the President. Did you know that?

Q: I didn't, no.

Speaker Pelosi. Isn't that surprising to you?

Q: Yeah.

Speaker Pelosi. You would have thought, just like that. But there was major opposition to a 9/11 Commission. I know that because I had the first bill, and I lost on the Floor. We were in the Minority at the time.

And then Tim Roemer had the amendment to the Intelligence bill, with the help of the families, and that's how we got a bill passed and then to the President's desk. But it took time.

This has been really on an accelerated pace, even though, why don't we have it? Well, it's in the works, and it takes time to negotiate.

In the meantime, though, in 2011 – I mean, excuse me, 2001 and 2002 leading up to that, we had a Joint Committee in the House and Senate, bipartisan Committee of which I was a Co–Chair as the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee. Bob Graham was the Chairman of the Intelligence Committee in the Senate. So, he and Shelby; Porter Goss, Pelosi in the House.

And we had months of hearings and the rest, and the work that was produced by that Committee was very valuable to the 9/11 Commission. And in the legislation establishing, it said it should take advantage of all those things, as we would hope that this Commission would take advantage of some of the other oversight committee work.

So, let's just hope that we can have the clarity of a bipartisan Commission with high-level national leaders on it, as the Committee calls for, with expertise in the areas that are important, whether it's law, law enforcement, security, civil liberties, civil rights, privacy, different range. Read it. Well, it's in the bill. It's online.

So, let's just go that route. It's the preferable route to go. Why wouldn't we? Why wouldn't we? So –

Q: Madam Speaker?

Staff. Last question.

Q: How – just a quick follow up on that – but how long are you willing to wait when Democrats seem to have a real fear that what happened on January 6th could occur again? So, how long are you willing to wait before Democrats decide to just go ahead and do this on their own?

Speaker Pelosi. Well, we want – you know, again, these things take a little longer time than those who want immediate gratification on an answer on something. ‘We passed it yesterday. What is your answer today?' It takes time for issues to be socialized, bills to be reviewed and the rest.

So, again, we want to bring it to the Floor when it is ready – I mean, for them to bring it to the Floor when it is ready. They may have some modifications in it, which we will see what they are.

Then, again, this is about prioritizing, sequencing, honoring the report of General Honoré and the Inspectors General about what needs to be done.

But I would like to have the trust that the Senate wants to find the truth as well, and let's just give them a chance to do that without hanging something over them about a timetable or other options that exist for the Speaker of the House.

Q: If I could please just follow up real quickly about police reform. We are approaching that May 25th deadline –

Speaker Pelosi. Yeah.

Q: On the anniversary of the death of George Floyd. Right now, Democrats and Republicans have said it didn't seem like they would reach a deal. I mean, what does that say about –

Speaker Pelosi. Well, it does – I don't think they've said they're not going to reach a deal.

Q: We've heard from Senator Cory Booker who has said that it's unlikely right now that it looks like they will reach a deal by May 25th.

Speaker Pelosi. Oh, by May 25, so that's a different story.

Q: So, what does that say about –

Speaker Pelosi. I'm not a timetable person. Those of you who may – I'm not a timetable person. I don't want to, shall I say, empower those who are opposed to it to – say, ‘Well, they didn't do it by the date.'

No, do it when you're ready, and it will be in a reasonable amount of time. The hope would have been that we could have done it by his [anniversary], but you can't do it until it's ready in the best possible way, and that is more valuable than having it a couple of weeks earlier or whatever.

So, I think – I have great confidence in Karen Bass. I think that, with all due respect to your question, it's unimportant in terms of – the fact that it will happen is what is important.

We would have liked it to happen at a certain time. It's a legislative process. We are operating under circumstances that are unusual, with people not here. Karen Bass says she will stay next week to hopefully complete – but to continue the negotiations. I have a great deal of respect for how this is being handled in a bipartisan way. We are very proud of Karen Bass for what she's done.

And, again, this is not just about us maneuvering internally. And inside is very important. But as I say about every bill, inside maneuvering can only get you so far. The outside mobilization is what makes all the difference.

And the outside mobilization we saw more than one year ago, after May 25th, was something that we've never seen before, across the world, people in the streets for days, if not weeks, millions of people speaking out against what happened to George Floyd.

So, there's opportunity. We'll have legislation. I don't think we should bemoan the fact of what day it is, as long as it is imminent and soon, and I think it will be.

Thank you all very much.