ICYMI TRANSCRIPT: New Dem Leaders Hold Press Conference Unveiling Nine New Policy Task Forces & Robust Policy Agenda for 118th Congress
Today, New Democrat Coalition (NDC) Leaders, led by NDC Chair Annie Kuster and NDC Vice Chair for Policy Derek Kilmer, held a press conference unveiling nine new policy task forces for the 118th Congress. The New Dem Task Forces will develop innovative policy ideas and work to find common ground on critical issues from climate change to immigration reform.
You can read the transcript from today’s press conference below:
NDC Chair Annie Kuster (NH-02): Good morning, everyone. Thank you for being with us for the New Democrat Coalition press conference this morning. We are very excited for you to be joining us today as we unveil our nine new policy task forces and lay the groundwork for our robust legislative agenda. As you've all heard me say, the New Democrat Coalition is the “Can Do Caucus.” We are the true policy entrepreneurs in Congress. New Dems know that a closely divided House provides an opportunity to work with reasonable Republicans to deliver bipartisan solutions to our nation's most pressing challenges.
With nearly 100 members, no piece of legislation will reach the President's desk this cycle without New Dems at the table. And as you'll hear today from my colleagues, these policy task forces reflect our members’ top priorities, and they represent areas where our members believe we can find bipartisan agreement. In addition, these task forces will assemble a governing agenda that we will pursue on Day One when we are back in the majority in 2024.
In 2022, New Dems held off the much heralded “red wave,” because we ran on finding common sense solutions to kitchen table issues. Voters rejected extremism and embraced mainstream members who will work with anyone to get results. Now, ahead of 2024, Americans want to see us deliver on that promise to work across the aisle and to make progress on tough issues – from tackling the climate crisis to passing comprehensive immigration reform and addressing the mental health and substance use disorder crises.
As New Dems, our top priority has always been breaking through the gridlock to deliver real solutions.
NDC Vice Chair for Policy Derek Kilmer: All right. Thanks, Annie and thanks everybody for being with us. So, let me talk about what these task forces are really about.
On one hand, they're about helping our members get pucks in the net. This is, as Annie mentioned, a Coalition that stands ready to work with folks on both sides of the aisle in hopes of getting stuff done for our constituents.
But second, these task forces are an opportunity for us to lay the foundation, lay the groundwork for progress when we're back in the majority in the next Congress.
The nine task forces that we're rolling out today are really centered around the issues that the American people care about, areas where we think we can find some bipartisanship and make some progress, and areas that we are hearing about with our constituents back home.
There's no exciting way to read nine task forces to you. I thought about trying to turn it into a limerick. Instead, I'm doing this as free verse. So, we've got Climate Change and Clean Energy, Workforce Development, Affordable Housing, Immigration and Border Security, Health care, Substance Use and Mental Health, Economic Growth and Fiscal responsibility. We have a task force focused on the Farm Bill, one focused on Trade and one focused on National Security.
If you think about that, a few of those are in areas where we know there's going to be moving vehicles. We know the NDAA passes and having a National Security Task Force to hitch some of our members train cars to that moving vehicle – there’s an opportunity to do something. Same thing with the Farm Bill. We have a lot of hope that we will see a bipartisan Farm Bill move.
There are others [task forces]where there's a lot of excitement from our members because of the priorities that they’re hearing about back home, things like combating the climate crisis – and our [Climate Change and Clean Energy Task Force] Chair Scott Peters is not able to be here right now – but you know, we really see the existential threat of the climate crisis. We see it as an opportunity too, to grow jobs to create economic opportunity, and especially with the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. We also know that we're going to have to lean in on permitting reform if we're going to see some of these investments actually happen. And so that task force is going to be focused there.
Our members are hearing a lot about housing affordability. So the Housing Task Force is going to be focused on building more housing, and trying to make sure that rents and homes are more affordable for the American people.
Third, we know we can support workers and get more folks into the labor force if we support policies like increasing access to child care and paid leave and job training and education and even mental health care as a means of supporting American workers.
And finally, and you'll hear from Greg Stanton next who's leading the charge on immigration policy. We think there's an opportunity to reach a compromise in immigration reform that strengthens border security, that provides protections for our dreamers, and that grows our economy.
Listen, we're going to look for bipartisan agreement where we can, but these task forces will also focus on working with the Administration where we can't find a legislative pathway – working with an administration that shares our values. We're not going to let being in the minority slow us down and we're a coalition that's about getting stuff done. And that's exactly what we plan to do as a coalition.
Immigration and Border Security Task Force Chair Greg Stanton: Good morning. I want to thank my colleagues, Chairwoman Kuster and Congressman Kilmer, and I look forward to working closely with you and the rest of the New Democrat Coalition as the Chair of the Immigration and Border Security Task Force.
I love being a member of New Dems – the sole focus is to make government work. And that leadership in this Congress is needed now more than ever. The New Dems work to get to “yes” on issues that matter most, and they do that by reaching out to members across the ideological spectrum with a split Congress and razor thin majorities in both chambers, building bipartisan coalitions around key legislation is essential.
And this may come as a surprise to some, but I've always viewed immigration as a policy area where we can find common ground.
We can start with protecting our Dreamers. These young people have never known another home. They are woven into the social and economic fabric of our country. And we have to make sure that they can contribute and participate economically without fear.
We need to pass the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, so farmers and ranchers can meet their labor needs and keep our food supply chain strong. And high skilled immigration reform, so we can continue to bring the best and brightest from around the world to work for American companies.
Now, our colleagues across the aisle say our first priority should be securing our southern border. The situation is dire – there is no getting around it, and Congress and the Administration must do more. But, investing in border security and reforming our immigration system are not incompatible goals. For any serious proposal, we'll have to do both. We have our work cut out for us. But the New Dems are ready to come to the table in good faith and finally, get something done. Thank you.
National Security Task Force Chair Marilyn Strickland: Hi, everyone. My name is Marilyn Strickland, and I represent the 10th Congressional District of Washington State. Thank you, Representative Stanton, and thank you to my New Dem colleagues who are committed to a few things – delivering for the American people and governing in the 118th Congress.
Our country and its allies are safest when Congress effectively exercises its authority to guide national security policy. And that's why I'm so proud to be Chair of the National Security Task Force for the New Democrats.
As New Dems, we are committed to delivering a comprehensive national security strategy that will keep Americans safe. We want to ensure that the United States retains its role as a global leader in the 21st century. And we want to maintain congressional support for Ukraine in their fight against Russian aggression.
Now, you heard earlier about the different task forces that we're going to Chair up, and one thing is very important – these dots are all connected. Housing affordability is related to national security. Climate change is related to national security. Immigration is related to national security. So as we New Dems look at policy and working across the aisle and developing solutions, understand that these things are absolutely linked to each other.
Our task force will work to advance our members’ national security priorities and deliver meaningful policy reforms in the NDAA that will invest in the people, the tools, the technology, and partnerships that are critical to strengthening US national security.
We're focused on delivering for our service members and their families, and Americans are depending on us, on the New Dems, to roll up the sleeves to be serious about governing and to do the work. We want to make sure that we are defending freedom here at home and abroad.
Trade Task Force Chair Lizzie Fletcher: Thanks so much, Marilyn and good morning. I'm glad to be with all of you here today. I'm glad to be standing here with my New Dem colleagues, and I'm so glad to see all of you here to hear from us about the important initiatives that we're launching, the work that we're doing.
I'm so thrilled to work with this incredible group of leaders, including our Chair Annie Kuster, and to highlight the work of the New Dems Trade Task Force. I'm glad to Chair the task force this Congress, after serving as the co-Chair in the last two Congresses. We're going to build on the work that we did both in those two Congresses, including building a broad coalition of support for the USMCA and really advocating for tariff relief during the pandemic and tariff elimination with the U.K. and the E.U., and of course the work we have done over the years.
The New Dems have long been at the center of driving pro-growth, pro-innovation policy that recognizes the importance of trade in our economy and the opportunities that it presents. It's actually a really good segue, although not the original planned segue, from national security as well. Thinking about all of these things together, thinking about our relationships with our allies and partners around the world, trade is an absolutely essential part of what we do when we engage with others around the world.
Trade is essential in our global economy. It is at the heart of many of the challenges that we face at this moment. It is also at the heart of many of the opportunities in front of us as well, and certainly representing the energy capital of the world – I see great opportunities to work in partnership as well with the the Climate and Clean Energy Task Force and and many others.
So all these task forces will work together very collaboratively to talk about policy solutions. One of the things I've learned since I've been in Congress that I'd love to say is I associate myself with the comments of all of my colleagues here. We've talked about the things that the New Dems do and at the end of the day – we're about getting things done, we're about smart policy, and these task forces are ready to get to work to deliver solutions for the American people.
Workforce Development Task Force Chair Kathy Manning: Good morning, everyone. I'm Congresswoman Kathy Manning. I am proud to Chair the Workforce Development Task force and to serve on the Education and Workforce Committee.
As you've heard from my colleagues, the New Democrat Coalition is home to Members who want to find common sense policy solutions to the issues that are impacting our districts. The task forces are a place where we can convene stakeholders, engage with the Biden administration, and put forth policy ideas to solve the challenges before us.
I'm excited to work with Vice Chairs, Representatives Hillary Scholten and Gabe Vasquez to lift up the workforce development challenges and wins that our districts have experienced – and to use those experiences to create policies that work for hard working Americans. I'm proud to represent North Carolina's Sixth District. My district is home to 11 colleges and universities, including several community colleges and the largest HBCU in the country.
We are known as leaders in the aerospace industry. The economy in my district is booming. But like many of my colleagues standing here today, we have workforce challenges I hear about every time I'm in the district, that must be addressed.
Historically, my district was home to textile and furniture manufacturing, and following NAFTA, many of those businesses moved overseas or went out of business. We lost hundreds of hundreds of thousands of jobs, and our community has had to rethink how we are going to grow in the future.
But I'm proud to say that we've emerged as a place where students come to receive a world class education and companies are locating to innovate in the aviation industry and other manufacturing areas. I'm proud to say that Toyota will be opening an electric battery manufacturing plant in the years to come, which requires lots of new educated workers.
We've successfully attracted new business to our region, and now we have to make sure our workforce is prepared to fill those jobs. As Chair of the task force, I'm focused on expanding workforce training programs that can train the next generation of workers while retaining workers who are switching jobs mid-career. I'm excited to work with industry leaders, educators, unions, and workers to increase support for communities that are working to attract workers to fill open jobs, and for companies that are at the forefront of innovative workforce training.
I look forward to working with my Vice Chairs, our stakeholders, and the Biden administration to advance solutions to expand workforce training, attract talented workers to available jobs, and fill the open positions that I hear about every time I'm in my district. Together, we can create bipartisan solutions that move our workforce forward. Thank you.
Affordable Housing Task Force Chair Norma Torres: Good morning, everyone. It's great to be here with the New Dems to talk about a very important issue that affects every single American across our country. Affordable housing is truly the top issue for the constituents that I serve. And last Congress, I worked with my colleagues to address America's housing crisis and rising housing costs for our families as a member of the House Appropriations THUD subcommittee. New Democrats also put forth a comprehensive plan to lower the cost of housing and increase affordable housing development.
We did all of that with a goal to ensure our constituents had access to affordable, secure, and most importantly, quality housing. Because every American deserves the safety and security of a place to call home. That has been our prime priority. Now we continue to work hand in hand with the Biden administration to seek out bipartisan opportunities, so that all Americans can enjoy the benefits of stable and affordable housing. We are focused on getting things done, and we will work with all partners to advance policies to end the homelessness issue and tackle the affordability crisis, and address rapidly rising rents. We’re focused on bolstering the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, addressing material and labor shortages and making sure the investments that we have already made benefit projects that boost access to affordable housing, and allow us to overcome this homelessness crisis.
As Housing Task Force Chair, I look forward to building on this work in the 118th Congress delivering results for the Inland Empire – the 35th congressional district in California that I represent – and generally for all Americans. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with all of you today.
NDC Vice Chair for Communications Brad Schneider: Thanks Annie and good morning. It's good to be with you…I think that gives you a sense of what we're trying to do and the approach that the New Dems take. I'm Brad Schneider, Vice Chair of Communications for New Dems, and I'm working to ensure that our coalition's priorities are clearly heard and understood across the country – not just here in Washington.
New Dems as a whole represent America as a whole, from rural and suburban communities to our cities, our coasts and everything in between. Our Members understand the unique challenges our nation faces, as well as the economic opportunities we have established and lay ahead of us.
And we know that in every community, Americans want to have the freedom to make their own decisions and the ability to earn a good life for themselves, their children, and their future, and they want to feel safe where they live. These principles were reflected in all the legislation that Democrats passed in the last Congress, and they're reflected in the task forces the New Dems are standing up today.
Last November, we had an incredibly successful midterm election, because of the work Democrats are doing across our country, and in particular the New Democrats. And we need to communicate to Americans that even though in this Congress we're in the minority, we are still fighting for them each and every day.
And when we win back the majority next year, we will already have a proactive agenda ready to go. Americans want to feel heard and represented. And it's on us the New Dems to show them that we are working in Congress to make a difference for their lives. And we have proved time and again that it is the New Dems who are committed to doing things and getting things done for the American people.
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