Chairman Aguilar: House Democrats heard the American people loud and clear, and we stand ready to deliver.

Chairman Aguilar: House Democrats heard the American people loud and clear, and we stand ready to deliver.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, Vice Chair Ted Lieu and DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene held a press conference celebrating House Democrats' taking back the majority and highlighting how they'll work to lower costs, protect healthcare and root out corruption. You can watch the full press conference here and read the transcript below.

CHAIRMAN AGUILAR: So thrilled to be joined with the Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus, Ted Lieu and DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene. We just concluded, a little bit ago, our caucus meeting, and when you decide to introduce every new member, and you have historic margins like we do, it takes a little bit of time. There was a lot of energy, a lot of enthusiasm. Very celebratory. People are excited about what's ahead, the next steps, legislating, getting their offices set up and bringing about true accountability and oversight, which is what is ahead.

One week ago, the American people sent a very clear message: they're tired of rising prices, broken promises and a government that puts billionaires over hardworking Americans. And they want Democrats to make a change. House Democrats heard them loud and clear, and we stand ready to deliver. Our agenda is focused on three priorities: lowering costs, protecting healthcare and rooting out corruption. Americans sent Democrats to Washington at historic levels, so we would help make their lives more affordable. This means undoing Trump's costly tariffs and ending the reckless war of choice that is driving up gas prices. They also entrusted us to protect their healthcare. Democrats will reverse the cruel Medicaid cuts and restore the Affordable Care Act tax credits that kept insurance premiums low. Because nobody should have to choose between seeing their doctor and paying their bills. And finally, we're going to hold companies, government officials and the Trump administration accountable for making life harder and more expensive for working families. Our committee chairs will have the tools to investigate corruption and to ensure that no one is above the law. We can and will do it all because this corruption is costing the American people, and we'll get it done with our talented caucus.

In January, with nearly 260 seats, Democrats will be representing red districts, purple districts, urban, rural, every corner of the country. Our caucus will be made up of veterans, doctors, lawyers, farmers, firefighters, musicians, law enforcement officials and we have a crisis negotiator, I think, as well. Their different backgrounds and experiences will make our caucus and our country even stronger. I look forward to seeing how each of them will inform and shape our legislative priorities and make sure that our agenda reflects the will of the American people. Because last week's victory wasn't about us. It was about the millions of Americans who made their voices heard loud and clear. Make no mistake: Democrats will work every day to earn that trust they have given us. Now, it's my honor to introduce the Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus, Ted Lieu.

VICE CHAIR LIEU: Thank you, Chairman Aguilar. Last week, the American people remembered a clear repudiation of Donald Trump and Republicans and the MAGA agenda that they tried to set forth into America. And this was done at the federal level, the state level and the local level. We had an amazing caucus today, hearing from all the new members and seeing the wonderful diversity they represent across all of America. I want to thank our amazing Field General Suzan DelBene, Chair of the DCCC, for her incredible work last term, where we overperformed, and her amazing work this term. We're going to have the largest caucus of Democrats since Watergate.

The American people saw that gas prices were rising, healthcare costs were rising and mortgage rates were rising. And what was Trump focused on? Putting his name on stuff, on coins, on passports, on buildings. You know what he was doing the day before the midterm elections? He was standing in front of the reflecting pool that he screwed up, talking about how it should be changed to the Trump reflecting pool. You know what he was doing the day after the midterm elections? Talking about White House renovations.

The American people said enough. They've had enough of this administration and the Republicans who enable it. And now they've ushered in this tremendous new majority for both the House and the Senate. We look forward to working on behalf of the American people on two core themes: affordability and accountability. Now it's my great honor to introduce the amazing DCCC Chairwoman Suzan DelBene.

DCCC CHAIR DELBENE: Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you to Chair Aguilar and Vice Chair Lieu. I think that caucus might have been my favorite caucus of this entire Congress. Today in caucus, we introduced the incoming Democratic class of the 120th Congress, over 80 of them, which took a little bit of time. As I've said all cycle, our secret sauce is our candidates. Just really amazing candidates. After last week's results, I think the secret is out. Because of our great candidates, we have won 44 of our 66 offensive targets on our list. All of them have helped us get to this historic victory, which, as of last night, we expect to reach the largest House majority of the 21st century.

As outgoing DCCC Chair, seeing all of them in one place for the first time was historic for our country, but also really special for me personally. You spend a little time with them, it is clear how extraordinary each and every one of them are. Why they had such appeal, crossover appeal, in these swing districts. And ultimately why voters in their districts trusted them to represent them in the halls of Congress. I hope all of you will get the time to get to know as many of them as you can, and will be as impressed as I am. They bring different professional backgrounds, life experiences and yes, personalities to our caucus and the Congress. But they share a very common passion: to deliver for their communities. Especially those folks who have been struggling to get by as a result of the failed policies Republicans put in place.

This results-first approach by our new members is both refreshing and needed after the last few years of this Republican rule, where we've seen nothing but rising costs, chaos and corruption. Amongst the incoming freshmen from battleground seats that flipped from red to blue, we have a class that genuinely, genuinely believes their job is to represent all of their constituents: Democrats, Republicans, Independents. They are representatives, not rubber stamps. That's why they run. Their constituents trust them to look past partisan bickering and focus on what matters most: improving the lives of hardworking families back home. They are mission-driven, and their mission-driven approach to service is how battleground candidates were able to win and overperform from 2024, with virtually all of them winning in districts won by Trump. In fact, at least 28 of them were elected in districts Trump won by double digits. Overperforming by that much requires candidates who are able to speak authentically to the issues that matter, reflecting the needs of their communities. I am certain it will define their time in the next Congress.

It's an exciting time, both for our new members and for the country. I know this group is eager and ready to hit the ground running, fighting for their communities. They're going to be incredible partners as a Democratic majority gets to work on lowering costs, restoring healthcare that was slashed by Republicans, rolling back the sweeping tariffs, reining in an out-of-control ICE and ending the reckless war in Iran. Thank you all for joining us today. Again, a really exciting day in Caucus. I'll turn it back to you, Chair Aguilar.

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