Senate Democratic leaders hold their weekly press briefing after Rep. Kevin McCarthy's ouster from the Speaker role.
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00:00 Good afternoon.
00:04 Now I want to thank everyone for coming.
00:07 Special thanks to Senator Murray and Senator Padilla, but particularly Senator Butler for
00:12 joining us today.
00:14 We are thrilled, just thrilled, delighted, feel great to have Senator Butler join us
00:20 here today, but as a Senate Democrat at lunch and as a vital and active member of our caucus,
00:30 we sat down, we knew each other before from Emily's List, but we sat down and talked for
00:35 45 minutes and boy was I impressed.
00:39 Senator Butler is going to be a great Senator.
00:42 And before we get more to Senator Butler, I want to speak a bit about her predecessor,
00:47 my dear friend who we deeply miss and love, and that is Senator Feinstein.
00:52 As we all know, Diane was such a force in the Senate.
00:56 She came during the year of the woman, 1992, right alongside Patty Murray.
01:02 Diane's work extended far beyond the Senate floor as she gave a voice, a platform to women
01:08 throughout the country for decades.
01:11 Diane didn't just push doors down that were closed to women, she held them open for generations
01:17 of women to follow.
01:19 She gave a voice, a platform, a model for women across the country who aspire roles
01:26 in leadership and public service, who want to leave their own mark on the world, who
01:32 want to make this country a better place for others.
01:36 Today there are 24 women serving in this chamber and every one of them would admit they stand
01:40 on Diane's shoulders.
01:42 Her impact extended far beyond the Senate floor and far beyond politics itself.
01:48 The sign of a leader is someone who dedicates the whole of their spirit for a cause greater
01:52 than themselves.
01:54 The sign of a hero is someone who fights for others, who endures for others, no matter
01:58 what cost, no matter what the odds.
02:01 And the sign of a friend is someone who stands by your side to fight the good fight on good
02:07 days and on bad days too.
02:10 Diane Feinstein was all of these and more.
02:13 A friend, a hero for so many, a leader who changed the nature of the Senate and the fabric
02:19 of the nation.
02:20 She made America a better place.
02:23 As the Senate mourns this tremendous loss, we are comforted in knowing how many mountains
02:28 Diane moved, how many lives she impacted, how many glass ceilings she shattered along
02:32 the way.
02:33 America, America is a better place because of Senator Feinstein.
02:39 Today, tomorrow, many of my colleagues, Democrat and Republican alike, will go to California
02:44 and mourn together and say our final goodbyes.
02:48 It will be my honor, a sad, tearful, and great honor to speak tomorrow at her memorial.
02:55 Also joining us tomorrow will be her successor, the brilliant and accomplished Senator Butler.
03:01 Senator Butler, standing on Senator Feinstein's shoulders, makes history of her own as the
03:05 first openly LGBTQ Senator of color to serve in this body.
03:12 Senator Butler has dedicated her life to serving others and advocating for families, particularly
03:17 women and girls, across the country.
03:20 And finally, to our colleague, I know, I know these last few days have felt like a whirlwind.
03:28 I know it seems like there's a million things to do and so little time to do them.
03:33 Rest assured, we're here to help you.
03:36 Senator Murray.
03:37 Thank you, Mr. Leader.
03:42 I've been really lucky enough to serve with Dianne Feinstein since the start of my time
03:47 here in the U.S. Senate, after we were both elected in the so-called year of the woman,
03:52 when there were finally, after a long time, six of us in the United States Senate.
03:57 So 24 sounds pretty great to me.
04:00 We still have work to do.
04:02 Senator Feinstein was truly one of a kind and right from the very start, she really
04:08 stood out to all of us here as someone who came here to be a voice for her constituents
04:14 and values.
04:16 And whether it was gun safety or abortion rights, she was tough as nails and ready to
04:22 face down any of those guys here in the Senate.
04:26 She was really a role model and set an example for all of us on how to conduct yourself and
04:32 to stand strong for what you believe in.
04:35 She showed America that women did belong here in the United States Senate and that our voices
04:42 were needed.
04:43 She was a hard worker who would never give up or stop talking to the people that she
04:49 disagreed with, which is why she often made so much progress that seemed impossible.
04:56 And she was someone who read every single brief and asked really tough questions to
05:02 stay on top of some of the most complicated issues in foreign policy, which is exactly
05:08 why when Diane spoke, we all listened.
05:12 Look, I'm not going to list all the legislative accomplishments of Senator Feinstein.
05:17 There are far too many and you've heard people talk about them.
05:21 But what I think the American people should know is that Diane did really big things.
05:28 It is not easy to make a difference in Congress.
05:31 And of course, no bill is the sole accomplishment of any single member.
05:35 But there is no question Diane made waves in this country, that her personal story and
05:41 how she communicated what she had been through when her colleague was assassinated had a
05:47 real impact.
05:49 There is no question she absolutely changed the culture and the conversation around gun
05:57 violence to get the assault weapons ban passed.
06:01 And whether it was that or standing up to the CIA to shine a light on the inhumane use
06:06 of torture, Diane never backed down.
06:11 And she made waves.
06:12 She changed the conversation and the policy.
06:15 I mean, Hollywood made a motion picture about her.
06:19 But I don't want it to get lost that Diane was so much more than an icon.
06:25 She was a dear friend to many of us here on both sides of the aisle.
06:31 She was so quick with a thoughtful gesture or a sympathetic ear, a kind word or a generous
06:38 gift like the picture she drew of those flowers shared with several of us.
06:43 And I'm so proud to have one hanging on my wall.
06:47 That personal touch is something that made you feel seen and heard and supported when
06:52 you most needed it.
06:55 She was the most gracious and elegant woman.
06:59 And then in the next minute on the Senate floor in a committee hearing, she'd be fiery
07:02 and tough.
07:04 That was Diane.
07:06 So as we start to celebrate her legacy tomorrow, I want her family and her staff and all of
07:13 our constituents to know how much she was appreciated and loved.
07:17 And our support is there for them now.
07:21 Senator Feinstein will be deeply missed and long remembered.
07:25 And today I'm so proud as we turn the page on that history that we begin another page
07:32 here with Senator Butler.
07:35 I'm so glad you're here.
07:37 Welcome to the United States Senate.
07:39 We know you're going to make California proud and make your difference as well.
07:44 Thank you, Patty.
07:47 Good afternoon, everybody.
07:50 I want to thank Senator Schumer for inviting me to join him in honoring the legacy of,
07:58 for me, a friend, a mentor, and a titan of the United States Senate, Diane Feinstein.
08:07 It's impossible to overstate the impact she's had on California and the nation.
08:13 You know, for generations of Californians, she was the one that we turned to for leadership
08:20 and for comfort, whether it was in times of conflict or crisis or not.
08:28 Everyone recounts how she was always so prepared, so put together.
08:32 We've been hearing stories over and over and over again.
08:35 But I think I understand why.
08:37 You know, as a first, I know the pressure we often feel of sometimes having to work
08:47 twice as hard, hoping to attain half the respect when you're the first.
08:56 And if you think of the many firsts that Senator Feinstein represented, the first woman to
09:00 serve as mayor of San Francisco, the first woman to chair the Senate Judiciary Committee,
09:07 to chair the Intelligence Committee, and the longest serving female senator in our history.
09:15 That explains a lot.
09:18 But she always had that toughness and that grace at the same time.
09:23 I've shared stories of what it was like working for her.
09:26 Whether you worked for her or not, or heaven forbid, you might have squared off with her,
09:32 you knew all too well that she'd do what it took to win.
09:39 No issue is too small, no challenge too great.
09:45 From the landmark assault weapons ban to taking on her own party even to disavow torture,
09:53 from fighting discrimination against LGBTQ Americans and standing up for reproductive
09:57 rights to protecting victims of trafficking and combating violence against women.
10:03 The list is long.
10:04 It would go on and on and on.
10:07 But there's one aspect of her legacy that I particularly want to highlight for not just
10:15 the American people, but particularly young Americans and young Californians.
10:21 I don't think the full appreciation and recognition is there yet of what she did to help protect
10:28 the iconic landscapes throughout California, from forests to deserts, utilizing the federal
10:36 powers of national monument status, national parks status to protect public lands for future
10:45 generations.
10:48 It's been a tremendous gift for me as I reflect on my time with her when I was on staff, calling
10:54 her boss, calling her senator, I didn't want to be reprimanded, as a young elected official,
11:01 calling her a mentor and calling upon her advice and counsel regularly to one day calling
11:09 her a colleague and most importantly, a friend.
11:16 Just a few days ago, Senator Feinstein made one last trip to San Francisco, her home,
11:23 where people there still think she's the mayor.
11:27 She'll be the forever mayor of San Francisco.
11:30 But what she's left behind for myself and for our newest colleague, Senator Butler,
11:36 is probably the highest standard you can think of, of what it means to represent California,
11:44 how to serve the people of California, and how to be the best senator you can be for
11:52 the sake of our country.
11:55 Our hearts are with her daughter, Catherine, and her entire family.
12:00 We miss her.
12:01 We will continue to miss her.
12:05 And now it's my honor to bring to the podium her successor, someone I'm proud to call a
12:12 friend, we've only known each other since 2009, but in that time, through various positions
12:20 that she has held, that I have held, we haven't just done a lot of work together on different
12:24 issues, but we have developed a friendship under her passion, under her strategic mind,
12:31 and she is a tremendous blessing to now be serving in the United States Senate.
12:36 Senator LaFonza Butler.
12:41 Good afternoon.
12:42 I am just honored beyond belief to be asked by Leader Schumer today to offer some reflections
12:52 on just my first whole day standing in, sitting in the seat of Senator Dianne Feinstein.
13:04 As mayor, she of San Francisco, first woman mayor of San Francisco, to come into the United
13:11 States Senate in the year of the woman, to lead all of the legislative battles that you
13:19 have heard and have read over the last few days and just here today, Senator Feinstein
13:26 is an example of the gift of Emily's List.
13:31 She had the courage to run, she worked hard to win, and when she won, she did the work
13:40 to change the world.
13:42 And to be able to sit in her seat, knowing that I will never be able to fill her shoes,
13:51 is the honor of a lifetime.
13:53 I remember when I first met Senator Feinstein, 2009, in her district office in San Francisco.
14:02 She was convening stakeholders to talk about some important issues relative to immigration.
14:09 And she brought us a group of community leaders and labor leaders into her district office,
14:17 and the first thing that she did was not tell us what was going on in Washington.
14:23 She didn't tell us the role she was playing in negotiating language or bills.
14:30 She asked us how the community was feeling.
14:34 And every story and every interaction that I have had with Senator Feinstein before her
14:40 passing and even since has reminded me very much of her approach to the work, starting
14:50 with the people of California.
14:53 It's definitely the example that I intend to have learned from and want to offer my
14:58 colleagues on behalf of the legacy of Senator Dianne Feinstein.
15:03 Thank you, Leader Schumer, for inviting me.
15:05 Thank you.
15:06 You're going to do great.
15:09 She is the greatest already.
15:12 Thank you, everybody.
15:13 Now my colleagues have to go, but I'm going to say a few words about what happened in
15:17 the House.
15:19 So we all know there's quite a bit of history being made on the other side of the Capitol
15:25 as well, unfortunately not the good kind.
15:29 Yesterday, a small band of MAGA extremists plunged Congress into pandemonium.
15:36 For the first time in history, a speaker has been removed from his position at the hands
15:42 of radicals that he empowered from day one.
15:46 What happened yesterday is a failure entirely of the House Republicans' own doing, a disaster
15:52 years in the making, to the great detriment of Congress and to the detriment of the American
15:57 people.
15:59 Speakers Boehner, Ryan, and now McCarthy have all learned the same hard lesson.
16:05 You cannot allow the hard right to run the House or to run the country, or you'll get
16:13 chased out by that very same hard MAGA right.
16:18 You cannot allow a small band of MAGA extremists, which represents just a tiny percentage of
16:24 the views of the American people, to tell the overwhelming majority of Americans what
16:30 to do.
16:33 But folks, Republicans' issues with MAGA extremism seeps far deeper than any single leader.
16:41 MAGA extremism is a poison that the House GOP has refused to confront for years.
16:48 And until the mainstream House Republicans deal with this issue, the chaos will continue.
16:54 Now, I hope it's obvious.
16:58 MAGA extremism is not good for the House Republican leadership, it's not good for Congress, and
17:03 it's disastrous for the country.
17:05 So let me say this to the next Speaker of the House, whomever that may be.
17:10 Think carefully about what happened to your predecessors before trying to coddle the hard
17:14 right.
17:16 Each of your predecessors got burnt each time.
17:19 I urge the next Speaker not to make the same mistake, not just for their own future, but
17:25 for the country's.
17:27 Whomever the House elects as Speaker will not be able to ignore the realities of divided
17:31 government no matter what the hard right demands.
17:35 And to his credit, I will say this, Speaker McCarthy, both on shutting down the government
17:42 and on default to the debt, at the end of the day realized he had to work in a bipartisan
17:48 way to do what's right for America.
17:50 Well, the need for bipartisanship will not change.
17:54 We'll need bipartisanship to keep the government open.
17:57 We'll need it to make life better for the American people, for the good of the country.
18:02 I urge my Republican colleagues in the House to once and all, once and for all, accept
18:08 the reality that bipartisanship is the only way out.
18:12 I'll take your questions.
18:13 Yes.
18:14 The lead candidate, Congressman Jim Jordan, says he does not support further aid to Ukraine.
18:15 Is that something that would concern you?
18:16 Well, look, there's strong bipartisan majorities in both the House and Senate for aid to Ukraine.
18:31 I've spoken to Leader McConnell.
18:33 We're going to work together to get a big package done.
18:36 And even in the House, you may remember when Speaker McCarthy put $300 million in for Ukraine
18:44 in one of the defense bill, in one of the budget bills, there was a move by the hard
18:49 right to take it out, and it was defeated by over 300 votes.
18:54 So we have large bipartisan majorities in aid for Ukraine, and we're going to work to
18:59 get that done.
19:00 Yes.
19:01 Go ahead.
19:02 Senator, you had a chance to hear from Bob Menendez last week at the caucus meeting.
19:03 Do you believe he should resign or should he serve longer?
19:08 Look, when I read the indictments, I was both disturbed, deeply disturbed, and disappointed.
19:14 Senators must rise to a certain standard, and Senator Menendez's actions are way below
19:20 that standard.
19:21 Yes.
19:22 Yes.
19:23 In terms of just the amount of time that a speaker race could take and the fact that the
19:24 Senate is going on recess, are you concerned that a government shutdown could be looming
19:25 especially if the House does not have a new speaker in the next couple days?
19:34 Well, we're working very hard in the Senate to get things done.
19:37 We have passed 12 bills out of committee, bipartisan appropriations bills, and now we
19:43 are working to get those bipartisan bills to the floor of the Senate.
19:47 Our staffs are constantly talking to one another, not just about this, these first three bills,
19:52 about all of them, and we're going to work very hard to get those bills to the floor.
19:56 Yes, back there.
19:57 Yeah.
19:58 Do you have a preference in the fact that we are inviting a government, who's the next
19:59 speaker of the House?
20:00 Yeah, Hakeem Jeffries.
20:01 Yes.
20:02 Given your praise of Senator Butler, would you endorse her Senate run if she chooses
20:03 to run?
20:04 Look, that'll be up to her whether she runs.
20:05 Thank you, everybody.
20:06 Senator, why don't you try the minibus?
20:07 Have a good day.
20:29 Thank you.