BREAKING NEWS: DNC Holds Platform Committee Meeting As Republican National Convention Continues

3 months ago

On Tuesday, the DNC’s platform committee met to discuss the upcoming convention.

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Transcript

00:00:00Thank you for joining the meeting of the platform committee of the 2024 Democratic

00:00:04National Convention. I would like to call our virtual meeting to order. My name is Mitch Landrieu

00:00:11and along with my friend Marina Romero of Tucson, we're honored to serve as co-chairs of this very

00:00:16important committee. Before we begin, we must address the incident in Butler, Pennsylvania.

00:00:23This violent attack on former President Trump and the rally attendees, including one American who

00:00:28tragically lost their life, is horrific and totally unacceptable. We want to be clear there

00:00:35is no place for political violence or violence of any kind against our fellow Americans. We strongly

00:00:40condemn these actions and thank the brave first responders who immediately jumped into action.

00:00:47We wish President Trump a quick and full recovery and send our deepest condolences to the families

00:00:52who were impacted by this tragedy. The families of Chief Corey Kampatari, who was killed on

00:01:00Saturday, and David Dutch and James Copenhaver, who were injured, who we all wish a full recovery.

00:01:07Now, turning to today's business, we're here today to collaborate and recommend a draft of

00:01:12the platform to the convention that will highlight the accomplishments of the Biden-Harris administration

00:01:17and showcase our party's positions on important issues that our country is facing. We appreciate

00:01:24all the work that's been done so far to make this comprehensive and compelling platform.

00:01:28Before we begin, I'd like to start with a big thank you to the platform drafting subcommittee

00:01:32for getting us to this point, to all of the platform members who have been elected in every

00:01:37state and territory, and the at-large members for being with us today. We also want to acknowledge

00:01:42everyone who is online watching live stream to our meeting. So to begin, please join me

00:01:48in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of

00:01:56America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty

00:02:03and justice for all. Thank you very much. Mayor Marrow. Good afternoon, fellow platform members.

00:02:12I'm Regina Romero, mayor of the beautiful city of Tucson, Arizona. I'm honored to serve as co-chair

00:02:21with co-chair Landau and all of you who we take up the important work of finalizing our party's

00:02:30platform. As we begin, I would like to thank the team who has been working diligently on the

00:02:37platform process over the past several weeks. The staff have poured dozens and dozens of hours

00:02:45into this and have supported a really strong document and a very smooth process

00:02:52leading up to today. Thank you so much to the staff doing all of the important work

00:03:00to put our platform together. Thank you, Mayor Romero, and I echo your thanks to our team.

00:03:06I now have the opportunity to welcome my friend, the DNC chair, Jamie Harrison,

00:03:10to offer the committee remarks before we begin on our amendment review. When Jamie became chair of

00:03:16the Democratic National Committee, he envisioned a party powered by the grassroots, grown block by

00:03:22block in service of our shared values. That's what we see from today's DNC and certainly throughout

00:03:28this platform and the testimony we are here to hear, we are heard to build on. Please join

00:03:35me in welcoming my friend and DNC chair, Jamie Harrison.

00:06:42Thank you so much, Chair Harrison. We appreciate all of the work you put into

00:06:47bringing us Democrats together. Thank you for your leadership and the leadership that

00:06:51you bring to our party. We are very appreciative. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you,

00:06:57Chair, for those important words that we will carry with us as we begin our meeting.

00:07:03When the American people go to the polls this fall, we will be faced with a very stark choice.

00:07:10We can either continue the unprecedented progress that President Joe Biden and Vice

00:07:16President Kamala Harris have achieved in the last four years, or elect Donald Trump,

00:07:22who plans to institute a national abortion ban, give handouts to billionaire donors on the backs

00:07:30of the middle class, and make cuts to Medicare and Social Security, and ensure that he can be

00:07:37a dictator from day one. His words. The choice could not be more clear on where we stand,

00:07:45and you will see that throughout this platform committee, we will demonstrate

00:07:51what we mean. The platform highlights the success of the last past four years

00:07:57of President Biden, that we've created nearly 16 million jobs, prescription drug prices are coming

00:08:05down, and we're taking the most ambitious action in world history to fight climate change.

00:08:13We're seizing record amounts of fentanyl and securing our border in the face of Republican

00:08:20inaction, and strengthening NATO and restoring American leadership around the world.

00:08:28We've worked to close the persistent racial wealth gap that has plagued our country for generations,

00:08:35with Black wealth climbing 60 percent since before the pandemic, and Latino household wealth

00:08:42increasing by 19 percent in the last three years. It's safe to say that the last four

00:08:49years have shown us unprecedented progress, and now we must finish the job. This platform

00:08:58gives us a clear vision of what we as Democrats want to accomplish in the next four years.

00:09:05We will continue to grow the economy from the bottom up and the middle out, investing in

00:09:12American infrastructure, pushing Congress to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour,

00:09:19extending overtime pay to millions more workers, and closing the racial wealth gap. We will reward

00:09:27work, not wealth, cutting taxes for the middle class and low-income Americans, making the super

00:09:34wealthy pay their fair share, including through a 25 percent minimum tax on billionaires, and raising

00:09:43taxes on corporations. Our plan will cut the deficit by $3 trillion. We'll secure our border,

00:09:52fight human trafficking, reform the asylum system, keep families together, and provide a pathway

00:10:00to citizenship for DREAMers. And we'll keep communities safe, passing universal background

00:10:07checks, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazine, ending the gun lobby's immunity from

00:10:15liability, and push Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice and Policing Act. The breadth and

00:10:23depth of this platform is a display of the diversity of our party and the vision we have for

00:10:30our country to make sure every American has a fair shot. I am honored to stand with the President

00:10:38and to stand behind this platform that deepens our commitment to the promise of America and lays out

00:10:46what we must do to finish the job that President Biden and Vice President Harris started. I want to

00:10:55thank, um, actually it's on to you, uh, Co-Chair. Thank you, Mayor Mero. Thank you for those wonderful

00:11:04comments. I want to thank Chairman Harrison for his leadership as well as our platform drafting

00:11:09committee for the incredible work they've done to present us with the boldest platform in Democratic

00:11:14history. As a lifelong Democrat and public servant, I've seen firsthand the good our party can do

00:11:21for working families. We've all seen the power of Democratic leadership to create change

00:11:27and command the world's respect. And that's exactly why we need to re-elect President Joe

00:11:32Biden to finish the job that he started. When President Biden took office, our reputation

00:11:38around the world was stained by the last administration's America First policy

00:11:43that only made us less safe, our economy more fragile, and endangered our democracies,

00:11:49our values, and our unity. President Biden did the hard work to restore our standing on the

00:11:55world stage, strengthening NATO and deepening our cooperation with Europe, and he stood up to

00:12:00autocratic dictators not with them. He understands that we live in an increasingly connected global

00:12:06economy. The path towards security relies on rallying the world to address the challenges

00:12:13that we face from climate change to global health to inclusive economic growth. Our work

00:12:20on the world stage is not limited to diplomacy. Climate change is a global threat, and this

00:12:24administration has committed the United States to doing our part by passing the most aggressive

00:12:29climate change legislation in history. This platform will continue to tackle the climate

00:12:35crisis, implementing the most ambitious climate and clean energy plan in history.

00:12:40We will triple renewable energy production this decade, advance environmental justice,

00:12:46and stand up to big oil, getting rid of unfair subsidies. We want to lower utility bills for

00:12:51hardworking American families and conserve 30 percent of our land and our waters. Keeping

00:12:58promises is what this president does, and he has and will continue to ensure the promises that he

00:13:02has made to this country are kept. Our economy is growing, wages are rising, and record numbers of

00:13:09people have really good jobs, but we must double down on our commitment to lower the cost of living

00:13:14so that every American feels the impact. The Biden-Harris administration's efforts have

00:13:19resulted in lower costs for life-saving prescription drugs, cost savings on housing

00:13:24and child care, but we have so much more to do. This platform fights to lower costs for working

00:13:30families, protecting affordable health coverage, capping prescription drug costs at $2,000 a year

00:13:35for everyone, capping insulin at $35. We will lower housing costs with rental assistance,

00:13:42homebuyer tax credits, and building two million homes. And we'll fight to protect Social Security

00:13:48and Medicare, guarantee affordable quality child care to millions of working families for less than

00:13:53$10 a day per child, and guarantee paid leave. This platform boldly lays out a vision for criminal

00:14:00justice that ends the school-to-prison pipeline, the disparate discipline of students of color,

00:14:06and incentivizes community-based alternatives to prison so that we can grow a generation of

00:14:11brilliant citizens and contributors and not a bloated prison population. And finally, as this

00:14:17president has always seen hope in the promise of America, this platform lays out an agenda

00:14:22to end the opioid epidemic, invest in our nation's mental health system, protect our kids online,

00:14:27and end cancer as we know it. These are not small commitments, but this president has never

00:14:33dreamed small and he doesn't plan to start now. This platform reaffirms our values as Democrats

00:14:39and our promise to the American people. Now let's get to work so that they can finish the job.

00:14:47The first thing we will do as a committee is establish that we have a quorum. So in order to

00:14:54do so, we need each committee member to please open the platform committee meeting homepage on

00:15:00your browser and vote yes in the voting box. If you're having trouble, please use your signal

00:15:08group or you can also send a chat to Mira Hopley. Platform members will use the vote to register the

00:15:16presence. A quorum is constituted by a majority of the total votes present, which members

00:15:25representing 91.75 votes. Our parliamentarian, Helen Whitfaden, will inform us of the status

00:15:33of quorum and then walk us through the rules of procedure. Helen?

00:16:47Yes, please go ahead.

00:17:00Closed platform document, okay. Those rules were substantially the same as we have been using for

00:17:10some number of years, but modified for the virtual meeting format. The things that are

00:17:21most important for participation today are that all of the votes will be on the electronic platform

00:17:30that the members just used to register their presence in the room. As to debate,

00:17:40there will be a limit of eight minutes on debate if these rules are adopted.

00:17:48There will be a limit of eight minutes on debate on amendments to the platform,

00:17:55ten minutes on any other matter before the committee. Any proposed amendments under this

00:18:04set of rules were supposed to have been submitted by July the 14th, okay, and today is the 16th.

00:18:15Then there is a provision for minority reports. Any members who wish to make a minority report,

00:18:27I call their attention to Rule 14, which explains in detail how they would do that.

00:18:35So, these rules currently need to be adopted by the committee to become effective.

00:18:52Thank you, Helen. I really appreciate you. The Chair recognizes Roxy Nelson for the purpose

00:18:57of making a motion to approve the committee rules of procedure. Roxy?

00:19:05So, there is a motion for the adoption of rules of procedure.

00:19:23The Chair recognizes Kimberly Peeler-Allen, who wants to second the motion.

00:19:27So, there is a motion and a second. Is there any discussion on this item?

00:19:40I will ask staff to advise the Chair if a member has raised their hand.

00:19:44All right. So, I do not see any points of discussion. I will now call a vote to adopt

00:20:01the rules of procedure. Please vote now on the platform committee homepage. If you're having

00:20:07trouble, please use your signal group or you can also send a chat to Mira Popla. So, go to your

00:20:17voting page.

00:20:34All righty.

00:20:34There is a countdown. And we're giving you 30 seconds to finish your vote.

00:21:04So, the rules of procedure have been adopted.

00:21:23Thank you, Helen and members.

00:21:27Given that our convention will be held in Chicago, we wanted to make sure to incorporate a statement

00:21:35that recognizes and honors Indigenous Peoples as traditional stewards of our lands.

00:21:41We did so within the platform. And joining us to provide today's acknowledgement

00:21:47is my friend, platform committee member, Governor Stephen R. Lewis. Governor Lewis

00:21:55of the Gila River Indian Community, you may begin.

00:22:04Thank you, my good friend, Mayor Romero, Mitch, Chairman Harrison. It's great to see everyone.

00:22:22In my language, good day, everyone. Governor Stephen R. Lewis of the Gila River Indian

00:22:31Community, the Democratic National Committee wishes to acknowledge that we are gathered

00:22:37together to state our shared value on lands that have been stewarded through many centuries by the

00:22:44ancestors and the descendants of tribal nations who have been here since time immemorial. We honor

00:22:52the communities native to this continent and recognize that our country, the United States,

00:22:58was built on Indigenous homelands. We pay our respects to the millions of Indigenous people

00:23:05throughout history who have protected our lands, waters, and animals and honor all of

00:23:14those descendants who continue to honor our past and work toward a secure and promising future.

00:23:24Thank you, everyone.

00:23:25Thank you, Governor Lewis, my good friend. The purpose of today's meeting is to review the

00:23:31working draft of the platform you received and finalize the draft platform for the convention

00:23:36delegates' consideration. Pursuant to our rules, we will begin with consideration of the Chair's

00:23:40amendment, which incorporates amendments and edits previously submitted by members. Additional

00:23:46amendments have been withdrawn in consideration for language incorporated into this amendment.

00:23:52We'll start by voting on the Chair's amendment to get those changes straightened out, and then

00:23:55we'll walk through the platform chapters. When we reach the chapter with amendments, we'll start

00:24:00with those votes before moving to a review of the chapter. We have worked with the submitters and

00:24:06the speakers to determine who will speak when, but please don't hesitate to chat, Andrew Grossman,

00:24:12if you have a question or a thought. During consideration of the remaining amendments,

00:24:17the speakers and time for debate on any amendment has been pre-designated.

00:24:25Pursuant to our rules of procedure, time for any amendment is limited to four minutes in favor

00:24:31and four minutes against. All right, let's get started. Back to you, Mayor Romero.

00:24:38Thank you, Mitch. First, we ask the committee to consider their Chair's amendment that Mayor

00:24:44Landau just spoke about. We received much thoughtful feedback from you regarding the

00:24:50ideas expressed and the language used. We appreciated working with you throughout this

00:24:56process, and we incorporated much of the feedback into the Chair's amendment. This demonstrates the

00:25:03commitment that each of you has to ensure that our platform best articulates our party's vision

00:25:10and values. You can view the Chair's amendment on the platform homepage as sent to you earlier

00:25:17today. The Chair recognizes Nikki Freed for the purpose of making a motion to approve the Chair's

00:25:25amendment. Ms. Freed. Thank you, Chairperson. I so move to approve the Chair's amendment.

00:25:33The Chair recognizes Claire Colas who wants to second the motion.

00:25:41I second the motion. We have a motion and a second.

00:25:46Is there a discussion? I'll ask staff to advise if there's any discussion on this.

00:25:57No discussion.

00:25:57I'll ask staff to advise if there's any members. Michelle Johnson, you're called.

00:26:13Hi. Point of clarification. Are we voting on the amendments as a whole or individual items?

00:26:23We are voting on the entire amendments.

00:26:28Okay. Any further question or comment?

00:26:37Okay. I don't see any additional hands raised. Seeing no further discussion, I will now call a

00:26:44vote to adopt the Chair's amendments. Please use the platform committee homepage on your browser

00:26:52to vote on the Chair's amendments. If you're having trouble, please use your signal group

00:26:57to request support or send a chat to Meera Popla.

00:27:21We have 35 seconds to go.

00:27:27We have 10 seconds to go.

00:27:57All righty. Voting has closed on the Chair's amendment. The motion has been adopted and the

00:28:03relevant sections will be amended to reflect these changes.

00:28:11You have had the opportunity to hear Mayor Romero and my thoughts on the values reflected

00:28:17in this platform. And we're looking forward to hearing from more members today. To help review

00:28:23the platform, Mayor Romero and I will introduce platform members to speak on each chapter. Mayor

00:28:28Romero, will you please introduce our first speaker? All righty. Thank you, Mitch. I'd be

00:28:36happy to do that. The Chair will now recognize Mayor Justin Bibb, my friend, the 58th mayor of

00:28:42the great city of Cincinnati, the Chair of Climate Mayors and Vice President of the Democratic Mayors

00:28:49Association, to introduce chapter one, growing our economy from the bottom up and the middle out.

00:28:56Mayor Bibb, you have the floor. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor Romero. I'm also from the great city

00:29:01of Cleveland, Ohio, but I love Cincinnati as well, too. Listen, folks, this election is a choice

00:29:08between two very different economic visions for America, Mar-a-Lago or Scranton. And the Biden

00:29:16economic agenda is about Main Street, not Wall Street. It's about rebuilding our economy from

00:29:21the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down. That means ending the old trickle-down

00:29:28economics and investing in all Americans. That's what Joe Biden has been doing. And that's what

00:29:35this chapter outlines. When President Biden took office, the economy was reeling as we were still

00:29:42dealing with a global pandemic. He turned it around with historic legislation, investing in

00:29:48our infrastructure, our industry, our people and our future. So far, over 57,000 infrastructure

00:29:58projects have been announced. New roads, bridges, ports, airports, water systems, high-speed

00:30:05internet to close the digital divide in every part of our country. Also, this president led

00:30:12transformative investments in manufacturing, supply chains and also key industries of the future.

00:30:20He's creating hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs. And President Biden is also making sure that

00:30:28American union workers get more than their fair share as we rebuild our economy. In all,

00:30:34the Biden agenda has drawn over $870 billion in additional private investment. It's also helping

00:30:42to close the racial wealth gap, boosting access to credit, home ownership and small business loans.

00:30:49And today, the American economy is the strongest in the world. We've added over 16 million new jobs.

00:30:58We've also seen a record 18 million new small business applications filed. Wages are up,

00:31:06and in just four years, we've erased 40% of the wage inequality gap that took four decades to

00:31:15build. So this president, our president, Joe Biden, has led a great American comeback. It's working.

00:31:22We have to finish the job and keep investing in America. And it starts with one city at a time.

00:31:29And this chapter tells us how. Thanks so much. Mayor, thank you so much. The chair will now

00:31:35recognize Stuart Applebaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.

00:31:41He also serves as executive vice president of UFCW, vice president of the AFL-CIO and president

00:31:47of the Jewish Labor Committee, to introduce Chapter 2, Rewarding Work, Not Wealth. Thank

00:31:52you for joining us, Mr. Applebaum. You may begin. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Good afternoon and good

00:31:59morning, everybody. Chapter 2 of our platform makes clear that Democrats are fighting to reward

00:32:09work, not wealth. This is in contrast to Donald Trump, who instead has been rigging the game

00:32:17for his billionaire donors. Look at what Trump has done. Look at his own record. In 2017,

00:32:26he enacted a massive tax giveaway to the wealthiest one-tenth of 1% of the American public.

00:32:37He slashed the corporate tax rate by nearly half. And in the process, he exploded the deficit.

00:32:47And for hardworking Americans, he weakened labor protections. Make no mistake about it,

00:32:58despite all the theatrics, Donald Trump is no friend of working people.

00:33:07And we, the Democratic Party, and as our platform makes clear, we are not going to allow any of this

00:33:18to happen again. We are going to cut taxes for working families. And we are finally going to

00:33:26make the wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share. This chapter in the proposed platform

00:33:36lays it all out. It outlines our plan. We call for a 25% billionaire tax because, as Joe Biden says,

00:33:49no billionaire should pay a lower tax rate than a teacher or a firefighter. And we will get rid

00:33:59of all kinds of loopholes that the wealthy have exploited for far too long. We will raise the

00:34:10corporate tax rate to 28%. Listen to this. In 2020, 55 of the biggest corporations in America,

00:34:25making $40 billion in profits, paid zero in taxes. Zero. And that's wrong.

00:34:36And we would end special tax breaks for corporate jets and executive pay. Our platform calls for

00:34:46funding the IRS so it can do its job and crap down on corporate tax cheats. And at the same time,

00:34:59we will cut taxes for working families. We would permanently expand the child tax credit,

00:35:08which lifted 3 million kids from poverty in 2021. We would permanently expand the Affordable Care

00:35:18Act premium credit. That's saving millions of families of the health coverage they need.

00:35:26We would provide a first-time homebuyer tax credit of $10,000. And no one earning less than

00:35:36$400,000 will pay one extra penny in federal taxes. And our plan cuts the deficit by $3 trillion

00:35:51over the next decade. That is a fair tax code. It's how we invest in the things that make America

00:36:02strong, like healthcare, education, and a clean environment. It's how we protect programs that

00:36:12Americans rely on, like Social Security and Medicare. And it's how we build a powerful

00:36:24economy and lead the world. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Oppelbaum. Really important

00:36:34message and important points for our platform. Really appreciate your presentation.

00:36:39The chair will now recognize Mayor Paige Cognetti from President Biden's hometown of Scranton,

00:36:47Pennsylvania. My colleague and friend, Mayor Cognetti has a long history of public service,

00:36:54including advising the Pennsylvania Auditor General, Director on the Scranton School Board,

00:37:02and Senior Advisor in the U.S. Treasury Department. Mayor Cognetti,

00:37:07the floor is yours to introduce Chapter 3, Lauren Koss.

00:37:12Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, everyone, for being on today. It's always wonderful to be with all of

00:37:17you, but especially my fellow mayors. So, Mayor Mitch and Mayor Regina, thank you for your

00:37:22leadership. Today, America's economy is the strongest in the world. But Joe Biden, Scranton

00:37:28Joe, from right here where I sit, knows that for far too many folks, the cost of living is very,

00:37:34very high. Lowering costs is Democrats' number one economic priority. We're using every tool

00:37:40we have to bring prices down on health insurance and prescription drugs, housing and child care,

00:37:46the Internet, banking, credit cards, and more. Those savings are adding up. And as President

00:37:50Biden says, they give folks a little more breathing room. But we can't stop there.

00:37:55And we know that Donald Trump hasn't offered a single solution to lower families' costs.

00:38:00The extreme import tariffs that he has proposed would be a massive tax on working families.

00:38:05He's also planning more and more giveaways to those same corporations that have already been

00:38:09hiking prices to pad their profits. President Biden is attacking costs from every single angle.

00:38:16Chapter 3 details his plans, which include, in health care, he'll keep working to expand the

00:38:20Affordable Care Act and surprise medical billing and ease the burden of medical debt.

00:38:25To lower prescription drug costs, he stood up to big pharma and capped costs for seniors at

00:38:30$2,000 a year. For the second term, he'll cap them at $2,000 for everyone.

00:38:36Together, we're going to fix caregiving costs. I'm sure there's a lot of people on this call

00:38:40who know that caregiving is an extremely difficult thing for Americans of all economic levels.

00:38:45The cost of care is too high, care workers' pay is too low, and families are caught in the middle.

00:38:51We'll guarantee child care for no more than $10 per day per child for working families.

00:38:56We'll guarantee 12 weeks of paid leave, and finally, catch up with the rest of the world.

00:39:01On housing, we're going to have a plan to help Americans rent, buy, and build. As mayors on

00:39:07this call, we know how hard it is to make sure that we build housing. We've got to do more.

00:39:12President Biden has been working across all of his agencies and with the state and local levels

00:39:17on a plan, and we've got to make sure that we continue to get that housing built.

00:39:24For older Americans, we'll protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare.

00:39:28Folks paid into those programs their entire lives, and it's a sacred promise that we must

00:39:32deliver on. Democrats know that. The president will continue to crack down on junk fees and

00:39:38corporate price gouging. It seems like a small thing, but we know how much that hits the bottom

00:39:43line, especially for working families in America. Our economy is making historic progress. We're

00:39:48best in the globe on the macro level, but when it comes down to the micro level in households

00:39:53and places like here in Scranton, President Biden knows better than anyone that we've got

00:39:57to make sure that we keep working to make sure everyone can feel the great American economy.

00:40:02This chapter lays out the plans that the president has for our future. Thanks, Mayor.

00:40:08Thank you, Mayor. We will now hear from two exceptional education leaders,

00:40:14President Randy Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers, followed by Arizona's own

00:40:20platform committee member Marisol Garcia, president of the Arizona Education

00:40:24Association. Thank you both for being here. We will hear from President Weingarten first,

00:40:31followed by President Garcia.

00:40:33Thank you, Madam Mayor, and I'm so honored to be here, and I'm so honored to be here with Marisol,

00:40:37and I'm so honored to be here with Stuart and so many other fighters for working people and working

00:40:45families to become part of the middle class and to stay as part of the middle class and retire

00:40:50from the middle class, because that is who our party is. Our party is about those who work and

00:40:56is about those who work and those who have actually created the anchors, the foundation

00:41:04stones for America. And one of the ways of doing that is through education. And so we have a real

00:41:11contrast right now. We got the party that pulls the rug out of education, and we have this platform

00:41:19led by President Biden and Vice President Harris, who has actually created the foundation stone for

00:41:25public education. And so what this platform is, is it builds on what President Biden and Vice

00:41:31President Harris have done already, which is in the midst of COVID, they rescued schools.

00:41:38In the midst of everything falling apart, they were there to create opportunity and to use these

00:41:45funds to actually meet the needs of students, meet the needs of students' mental health needs,

00:41:52meet the needs in terms of health and safety, meet the needs of reopening schools in a real way.

00:41:58That was what we started. That's what President Biden did. But now, what we need to do is do more.

00:42:06Public education is the anchor of democracy and of opportunity. We need to finish the job. And

00:42:12that what that means here, and what is in the platform, is it means we have to strengthen

00:42:16education. What the Republicans are doing, what Donald Trump is doing, what J.D. Vance is doing,

00:42:23and I'm talking about not just K-12, but I'm talking about higher education too, is they are

00:42:28the crowd that wants to pull the rug out of education and out of students. What do I mean by

00:42:33that? Instead of actually reducing student debt, what J.D. Vance wants to do is get rid of the

00:42:40ability of kids who do not have wealth to actually go to college. What Project 2025

00:42:49has done is basically to say, we don't need public schools. We need to balkanize schools. We need to

00:42:55privatize them. And we need to give vouchers to everyone in the world. Marisol knows this better

00:43:00than almost anyone else. And it is, what is it? It is a tax cut to the rich. What we are saying

00:43:07is we're not satisfied with schools as they are. We need to make every public school a place where

00:43:12parents want to send their kids, educators want to work, and most importantly, kids thrive. So

00:43:17what this platform does is say, let's strengthen the opportunities for kids by strengthening

00:43:23the strategies, by looking at what works, like having career tech ed and workforce development

00:43:30starting in junior high school and high school, so we have pathways for kids who may not want to

00:43:35go to college initially, but then ultimately do and get good union jobs, good middle-class jobs

00:43:41in an economy that's now being recreated. We strengthen opportunities for experiential

00:43:47learning. We strengthen opportunities in science, in social studies, in civic engagement. We

00:43:52strengthen opportunities in terms of literacy, starting with our youngest kids in pre-K.

00:43:58We strengthen opportunities that we meet the needs of kids who have been fixated on social media,

00:44:05who need to actually help be able to grow and meet or attack the loneliness and the addiction

00:44:14to social media right now. That's what this platform does. It does all of that, and it says,

00:44:19let's strengthen, not pull the rug out of kids, let's strengthen kids, let's strengthen families,

00:44:25let's strengthen opportunities by making schools the center of those communities. Thank you, Madam Mayor.

00:44:31Thank you, Randy. As Democrats, we know the protection and investment of public education

00:44:36is a vital assurance that every student has the opportunity to reach their goals.

00:44:41Every student and educator should enjoy the freedom to feel safe at school,

00:44:45learn accurate history, and receive high quality instruction from properly trained,

00:44:49respected educators that are paid their worth. In this platform document, it is imperative to

00:44:56In this platform document, it is imperative to reiterate the common good that is public schools,

00:45:01and most importantly, strong public schools for every student. Public educators and their

00:45:06commitment to our children and strong communities should never be undervalued or levied for profit.

00:45:13As a proud Arizona Union public educator, I cannot impress enough to my fellow Democrats

00:45:20the need to oppose, to push back, and hold accountable any and all privatization of

00:45:26public school systems. Strong public schools are the indicators of strong communities,

00:45:31and through this platform, as a guide for the next four years, we have the opportunity to

00:45:36continue to commit to build a great public school system for our greatest asset, our children.

00:45:43Thank you, Mary Romero.

00:45:44Randy and Marisol, thank you both so much, both incredible warriors for public education.

00:45:49The chair will now recognize Gene Kopinski to introduce Chapter 4,

00:45:53Tackling the Climate Crisis, Lowering Energy Costs, Securing Energy Independence.

00:45:58Gene serves as the president of the League of Conservation Voters, a role he has held since 2006.

00:46:05Before joining the LCV, he served as the executive director of the U.S. Public Interest Research

00:46:11Group, advocating for environmental and public interest issues. Mr. Kopinski, please proceed.

00:46:19Thank you. Great to be part of this conversation. Great to see so many friends and allies. As

00:46:23folks know, the climate crisis is real, and we're seeing the impacts every day.

00:46:28When Trump was president, he gutted over 100 clean energy and climate and environmental policies.

00:46:34He did it at the bidding of big oil and the other big polluters. And he's made it clear

00:46:39he's going to do it again. He wants to do it again. In fact, he invited big oil to give him

00:46:43a billion dollars to enact their agenda. And you can see that agenda in Project 2025.

00:46:49They want to destroy our environment, destroy our health. The good news is President Biden

00:46:54has made more progress than any president in history, by far, fighting the climate crisis.

00:46:59The biggest investment we've ever seen, that's triple clean energy production,

00:47:03created hundreds of thousands of new clean energy jobs, lowered prices for consumers,

00:47:09had major impacts, and it's just begun to get the job done. The platform also makes clear

00:47:15President Biden is making polluters pay for the damage they cause. He's promoting an environmental

00:47:19justice agenda, including investing 40 percent of the investments in communities that are most

00:47:24impacted by legacy pollution. He's created a new American Climate Corps so that folks can actually

00:47:30get paid to go work to solve the climate crisis. That's a wonderful new program. He has ambitious

00:47:35conservation goals to protect at least 30 percent of our lands and waters. We're well on our way to

00:47:41doing that with all the leadership he's already seen, he's already shown. And finally, he's

00:47:46re-established our leadership in the global conversation about how to solve the climate

00:47:52crisis. So the platform underscores the progress we've made. It also lays out a vision for the

00:47:57future because we've got a lot more work to do to solve the climate crisis. And that vision

00:48:03includes we need to be energy independent, we need to be resilient, we need to be innovative,

00:48:08we need to be strong, because too much is at stake. We need to solve the climate crisis,

00:48:14we need to save consumers money, create those hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs,

00:48:18and we need to protect our health and advance environmental justice. Thank you for a great

00:48:23platform, Miss, and let's get the job done. Absolutely. Thank you, Gene. The Chair will now

00:48:29recognize Gay Valamont to introduce Chapter 5, Protecting Communities and Tackling the

00:48:36Scourge of Gun Violence. Miss Valamont is currently a candidate for Congress against Matt

00:48:44Gates in Florida's 1st District. She is a gun violence prevention advocate from Pensacola,

00:48:51Florida, and her state's lead for the organization Moms Demand Action. Her work helped to increase

00:48:58the Florida chapter by over 400 percent. Gay, thank you for your dedication to stopping the

00:49:07scourge of gun violence across Florida and in the nation, and your courage to put your name

00:49:14on the ballot. The floor is yours. Thank you, Mayor. I am so excited to be here to talk about

00:49:20the legendary progress that we've made in gun violence prevention under Joe Biden and Kamala

00:49:26Harris. The platform highlights how much safer America has gotten under President Biden's

00:49:32leadership, the sharpest decrease in the murder rate in history and one of the lowest levels

00:49:38of violent crime in more than 50 years. It celebrates Democrats' historic action to pass

00:49:44the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, and it was the most significant federal gun legislation

00:49:50in nearly 30 years, and it pledges to establish universal background checks on all gun sales,

00:49:56ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, require safe storage for all guns, and end the

00:50:02firearm industry's immunity from liability. It recognizes the enormous investment President

00:50:08Biden and Vice President Harris and the Democrats have made in fighting preventing crime,

00:50:13including more cops on the streets and their investment in accountable policing

00:50:18and rebuilding public trust. President Biden's Safer America plan, which will fund

00:50:26a hundred thousand more new police officers and invest five billion in community violence

00:50:32intervention programs, otherwise known as CBIP programs. It also showcases President Biden's

00:50:40action to improve the criminal justice system by taking a major step to reschedule marijuana

00:50:45and pardoning those federally convicted of marijuana-only offenses, invest in

00:50:52rehabilitation and re-insuring programs, and using the pardon power to right the historical wrongs.

00:51:00It calls for further investment in rehabilitation, education, transitional housing, and other

00:51:06services, and pledges to expand Ban the Box. It highlights President Biden's lifelong dedication

00:51:16to ending gun violence against women, including his original authorship and recent reauthorization

00:51:23of the Violence Against Women's Act. And it calls for continued action to strengthen VAWA,

00:51:28keeping guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and ending sexual assault on campuses.

00:51:35It makes clear that Trump will be a disaster and roll back all of these issues,

00:51:45from proudly doing nothing to prevent gun violence, to the record spike in murder rate

00:51:51under his leadership, to tear gassing protesters outside the White House. As a lifelong gun

00:51:58violence prevention activist, I proudly support Biden and Harris's significant steps that they

00:52:04have made to improve public safety, and we must keep the Office of Gun Violence Prevention

00:52:11and fund it. Please vote for this. Thank you. Let's end gun violence.

00:52:17Yay, thank you very much. For this chapter, we have an amendment that we're going to address

00:52:22before turning to a platform committee member to speak on this section. Pursuant to our rules

00:52:28of procedure, the process to consider and debate these amendments provides that one of the co-chairs

00:52:32will recognize a member to offer their amendment. After the amendment is offered, we recognize any

00:52:39additional speakers that have been designated as provided in our committee's rules of procedure.

00:52:44After discussion, we will move to a vote. In some instances, an amendment may be withdrawn

00:52:49after discussion and before a vote or a substitute amendment may be offered. The chair will now

00:52:56recognize Luis de Villa Pernas to make a motion to offer amended language. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

00:53:05I would like to introduce a motion for an amendment. Chapter 6, page 55, line 23.

00:53:13The motion is to strike the phrase or the language self-determination for Puerto Rico and to replace

00:53:20it with the following. Democrats also believe that residents of the island should be able to

00:53:25vote for the people who enact their laws in order to enjoy full representation in their government

00:53:31and that Puerto Rico has rejected its current territorial status, has earned, and deserves to

00:53:36be admitted as a state. Democrats will continue to support efforts to allow the people of Puerto

00:53:42Rico to determine their future political status between the only three non-territorial

00:53:48options available, statehood, independence, and independence in a compact of free association

00:53:55with the United States. The chair recognizes Rosemarie Vizcarrando to second the motion.

00:54:05I passionately second this motion. Thank you so much. We have a motion and a second and

00:54:11we'll now move to the discussion. I will call on Luis de Villa Pernas to begin the discussion.

00:54:17Well, good afternoon, Democrats. My name is Luis de Villa Pernas. I currently serve as

00:54:21national committeeman and incoming chairman of the Puerto Rico Democratic Party. Folks, our

00:54:27amendment is simple. It aims to recognize the historic achievements that Democrats have made

00:54:32on the issue of resolving the Puerto Rico status, political status question once and for all. Trust

00:54:39me, it is tiring to wake up every day and not be able to vote for the people who debate, who come

00:54:45up with, enact, and even the people who interpret the laws that govern our people. It is frustrating

00:54:52to come to these meetings knowing that all my colleagues, i.e. all of you, for all of your good

00:54:58intentions, you are literally my colonial overlords. We are not equal in this meeting and we are not

00:55:04equal because we don't have the same rights and we don't enjoy the same representation.

00:55:10And while I truly appreciate being here, the purpose of this amendment is to establish and

00:55:17convince you that we can no longer continue with the same empty promises of we support

00:55:24self-determination for Puerto Rico. Folks, Puerto Ricans cannot self-determine anything. We need an

00:55:30act of Congress to do so. And that is why, unfortunately, this term self-determination

00:55:36has been used and has become code for not doing anything or for kicking the can down the road.

00:55:42We are better than this. And because of that, and thanks to the Biden-Harris administration,

00:55:48these past four years, Democrats decided to stop dancing around this issue and get down to business.

00:55:55And so, recognizing that the people of Puerto Rico have rejected time and time again our current

00:56:01territorial status, and thanks to a historical compromise amongst Democratic leaders in Congress,

00:56:07the Puerto Rico Status Act was born. It was introduced and approved by the House in December

00:56:12of 2022 with unanimous Democratic support. Not a single Democrat voted against this bill.

00:56:20The road was long and winding, but we now have a bill that provides a fair and binding process

00:56:26with clear and real alternatives to finally give the people of Puerto Rico the chance to determine

00:56:32our own future. This bill was adopted as official administration policy by the White House,

00:56:39and we currently have 27 co-sponsors in the Senate, a historic number led by Leader Schumer.

00:56:46My friends, if you haven't noticed, I'm very passionate about this topic. But in all seriousness,

00:56:52no words can describe how grateful I am to this party for all the progress we have made. And all

00:56:59that remains is that our party platform reflects all the progress that we have made by incorporating

00:57:05the Puerto Rico Status Act into our platform. Puerto Rico has earned and deserves the right to

00:57:11be admitted as a state or become an independent nation. 51, 52 if we come after D.C., or one.

00:57:19There is no other way. With that, I yield back.

00:57:23Luis, thank you so much for that passionate argument.

00:57:25The chair will now recognize Craig Smith for debate on the amendment. Mr. Smith.

00:57:44Craig, are you with us?

00:57:49No, not yet. There we go.

00:57:55Yes. Can you hear me?

00:57:57Yep, we can hear you.

00:57:59Hello?

00:58:00Yep, we can hear you.

00:58:04Yes, I'd like to make a motion.

00:58:21Okay.

00:58:22My name is Craig Smith. I'm representing the Biden-Harris campaign position for Puerto Rico.

00:58:28I've worked for many administrations in Puerto Rico on both sides,

00:58:31but I've always supported statehood for Puerto Rico. I think it's important that we're intentional

00:58:35with our language. That's why I'm offering this friendly substitute amendment. Chapter 6,

00:58:40Puerto Rico, Territories, page 55, line 23. To change it to Democrats recognize that the people

00:58:47of Puerto Rico have earned and deserve to resolve the political status question. For this reason,

00:58:52Democrats support the enactment of the Puerto Rico Status Act, H.R. 2757, and promote full

00:58:58civic and political representation for Puerto Ricans.

00:59:05I second that motion, Mr. Chair.

00:59:08Thank you. Thank you so much, Luis. All right, members, Craig Smith has offered a friendly

00:59:13substitute amendment that has been seconded. The substitute amendment is offered in place

00:59:17of the original motion by Luis David Pernas. Do I hear any objections? I'm directing staff to

00:59:26let me know whether there are any objections.

00:59:32If there are no objections, the substitute motion is approved by unanimous consent.

00:59:39So done. All right, the chair will now recognize Amanda Zuroski to speak on Chapter 6,

00:59:44Strengthening Democracy, Protecting Freedoms, and Advancing Equity. Mrs. Zuroski nearly lost her

00:59:50life due to the cruel Texas abortion ban. She spoke up to ensure that the nation would see

00:59:55the impact of these bans nationwide. Ms. Zuroski, thank you for being here. Thank you for your

01:00:00courage, and I will hand the mic over to you. Thank you. Thank you so much for that introduction,

01:00:06and thank you all for joining today, and to everyone for your tireless work to protect our

01:00:11country. As you heard, my name is Amanda Zuroski, and I live in Austin, Texas. In 2022, when I

01:00:18suffered a miscarriage at 18 weeks pregnant with a baby that I desperately wanted, I nearly died

01:00:25after being denied an abortion due to the cruel bans in my state. Since my experience, I've been

01:00:31traveling the country to fight for reproductive justice, and along the way, I have met hundreds,

01:00:37if not thousands, of people and families who have been harmed by the chaos unleashed in this

01:00:43country in the past two years as a result of Donald Trump and his allies. The fight for

01:00:49reproductive freedom goes far beyond abortion and includes access to things like contraception

01:00:55and IVF. As Americans, we deserve to have the freedom to make our own health care decisions,

01:01:02and it is our business alone to decide if and when and how to have a family and what that family

01:01:09looks like. I proudly support Chapter 6, which clearly outlines how President Biden and Vice

01:01:15President Harris will restore and protect not just reproductive rights, but also racial equality,

01:01:22LGBTQI rights, women's rights, voting rights, and other basic human freedoms guaranteed to us as

01:01:30Americans. President Biden will not let our country go backwards to a time with barbaric laws enforced

01:01:38by extremist judges promoting inequality and second-class citizenship in this country. President

01:01:44Biden and Vice President Harris are fighting tirelessly to protect not only our freedoms as

01:01:49Americans, but our democracy and the future of our country, and Chapter 6 outlines exactly how. Thank you.

01:02:00Thank you so much, Amanda. I really appreciate your voice in this conversation, a very, very important

01:02:05issue for Democrats around the country. The Chair will now recognize Rudy González to introduce

01:02:13Chapter 7, Securing Our Border and Fixing the Broken Immigration System. Mr. González is the CEO

01:02:21of Servicios de la Raza in Colorado. Servicios de la Raza addresses issues such as domestic violence,

01:02:29workforce development, and health access serving marginalized communities. Under his leadership,

01:02:36the organization has expanded its impact, including significant contributions during

01:02:43COVID-19 pandemic, by raising funds and providing vaccinations to thousands of Latinos across the

01:02:50state. Mr. González, thank you for being here. The floor is yours. Thank you, Mayor Romero, and

01:02:59that's my mom's maiden name, Romero. Anyway, good morning and good afternoon, everybody,

01:03:06and thank you, all the leaders of this committee. Immigration. On his first day in office,

01:03:15President Biden sent Congress legislation to secure our border, fix our immigration system,

01:03:22and provide a pathway to citizenship for DREAMers and others. This past year, the President worked

01:03:29across the aisle and negotiated a bipartisan deal that included the toughest and fairest set of

01:03:35reforms to secure the border in decades. It would have made our country safer and made our border

01:03:41more secure while treating people fairly and humanely and expanding legal immigration consistent

01:03:49with our values as a nation. Congress failed to act because Republicans led by Donald Trump

01:03:55would rather play politics than solve problems. President Biden has taken decisive action to

01:04:00secure our border through executive actions have decreased illegal border crossings.

01:04:08He also issued an executive order to protect spouses of U.S. citizens who have been in this

01:04:13country for years and remove barriers for DREAMers who graduate from U.S. schools so that they can

01:04:21remain in the only country they know as home. In President Biden's second term, he will push

01:04:28Congress to pass legislation that is consistent with our values as a nation. Legislation must

01:04:35secure the border, reform the asylum system, expand legal immigration, and keep families

01:04:42together by supporting a pathway for long-term undocumented individuals, improving the work

01:04:49authorization process, and securing the future of the DACA program. I might add that in the news

01:04:56today, the illegal border arrests are down 29 percent because of President Biden. Thank you.

01:05:06Sir, the chair will now recognize Yvette Nicole Brown to introduce Chapter 8,

01:05:11Advancing the President's Unity Agenda. Many of you may recognize her from the Hit Series

01:05:16community or her role on Drake and Josh, among so many others. Ms. Brown is renowned for her

01:05:22advocacy work promoting diversity and inclusion in the entertainment industry. Ms. Brown, thank you

01:05:26for your service to this committee. The mic is yours. Thank you for having me. Hey, everybody.

01:05:32I am overjoyed to be tasked with telling you all about Chapter 8, which is unity.

01:05:37It is a surprise to no one that President Biden is a president for all of us. Further,

01:05:42I wish it would go without saying, but I must say it, our issues are not with each other,

01:05:47no matter what folks say. So, when we drown out the noise, we know that we are a country that

01:05:52values unity. And we also know that we have a president and a vice president who both value

01:05:57unity as well. President Biden has been busy attacking the actual challenges Americans face,

01:06:02like the opioid crisis, the mental health crisis, the tragedy of cancer,

01:06:07caring for our veterans and military families, holding big tech accountable so we can protect

01:06:12kids online. And thanks to the Biden-Harris administration, opioid overdoses can and have

01:06:18been curbed thanks to an over-the-counter medication, which is now available. And I

01:06:21won't try to pronounce it, but it's doing a lot of good. We also now have a national

01:06:26suicide crisis line. It's 988. And it has helped 10 million Americans get connected to counselors

01:06:32when in the midst of a personal crisis. We also have the PACT Act, which expands veterans'

01:06:37business. It helped for them. So, I could go on and on, but those are just a few of the good

01:06:41things that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have implemented or spearheaded for the good of our

01:06:45country. More than anything, it's important to have a commander-in-chief who actually cares

01:06:51about people and wants to make their lives better. That's the job. So, let's do all that we can to

01:06:56re-elect these two principled people, America Needs Servant Leaders, right now. Thank you.

01:07:04What an honor to have you on our platform committee. Really appreciate your incredible voice

01:07:10and really love your work. So, the chair now will recognize Ambassador Ed Gabriel in call and call

01:07:19to introduce Chapter 9, Strengthening American Leadership Worldwide. Ambassador Gabriel is

01:07:25currently on the Board of Directors of the United States Institute for Peace and the President of

01:07:31the American Task Force on Lebanon, in addition to being the former Ambassador to the Kingdom

01:07:38of Morocco. Call in call is the former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy and

01:07:45served as the National Security Advisor to then Vice President Biden. He is currently a professor

01:07:52at Stanford University. We'll start with Ambassador Gabriel and then Colin will speak.

01:08:00Thank you, Mayor. It's a real honor to address our fellow platform members here today. Thank you.

01:08:07You know, I must say the recent events in the Middle East and the U.S. responses to it have

01:08:13proven to be among the most contentious in recent history. I believe the drafters of this platform,

01:08:22however, have authored a balanced statement that addresses the concerns of all the stakeholders.

01:08:29President Biden and Vice President Harris oppose unilateral steps by either side,

01:08:35including an annexation that undermined the prospects for two states. The administration

01:08:41also opposes settlement expansion. President Biden has been committed to the Middle East

01:08:48peace deal, which will allow for the rebuilding of Gaza in a manner that doesn't allow Hamas to

01:08:54rearm, working with partners to rebuild hospitals, schools and destroyed communities, and supporting

01:09:01crucial assistance to the Palestinian people. It would also create the conditions for a better

01:09:07future for the Palestinian people, one of self-determination, dignity, security, freedom,

01:09:14and ultimately a state of their own, unlike and in contrast to Trump, who refuses to endorse the

01:09:23political aspirations of the Palestinian people. President Biden has also spoken out against

01:09:30extremist settler violence, imposing financial sanctions on foreign persons who threaten the

01:09:37peace, the security, or the stability of the West Bank. And finally, let me just say the statement

01:09:43calls for an independent and sovereign Lebanon and a peaceful diplomatic settlement on the

01:09:50Israeli-Lebanon border, thus avoiding further escalation. Thank you, Mayor.

01:10:01Hello, everybody. Thank you, Ambassador Gabriel. Thank you, Madam Mayor. It's a great pleasure to

01:10:06talk with all of you about Chapter 9 of this year's platform. Once again, I'm Colin Kahl,

01:10:11I'm a member of the platform committee. Let's begin by remembering what things were like when

01:10:16Donald Trump was president. Trump's reckless foreign policy shredded American credibility on

01:10:22the world stage, showed disdain for our closest democratic allies, cozied up to dictators like

01:10:27Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un, ignored existential threats like climate change, and did nothing to

01:10:33lead the world in the face of the COVID pandemic. If Trump wins in November, we should expect more

01:10:39of the same, and America will be more isolated and less safe as a result. In sharp contrast,

01:10:45President Biden has demonstrated remarkable foreign policy leadership at an incredibly

01:10:48turbulent time. President Biden has a proven track record of investing in the sources of American

01:10:53power, prosperity, and security around the world. The president understands that in an interconnected

01:10:59world, domestic and foreign policy challenges are highly intertwined. He understands that

01:11:05building on our strengths at home, which means investing in our people, our economy, our

01:11:09environment, our technological innovation, and our democracy, directly translates to our ability to

01:11:15shape world events and keep America safe. As the president likes to say, America leads not only

01:11:21with the example of our power, but the power of our example. For that reason, even though the foreign

01:11:26policy chapter of the platform is last, everything that comes before it shapes our ability to

01:11:31exercise leadership around the world. When it comes to the practice of foreign policy, the

01:11:35platform articulates President Biden's view that America must always lead with diplomacy as our

01:11:41tool of first resort, while ensuring we maintain the strongest military in the world. We must always

01:11:46lead with our values, which is more important than ever when America is being challenged by

01:11:51authoritarian powers like Russia and China intent on reshaping the international order in ways that

01:11:56undermine our security and our way of life. The president understands that we must invest in our

01:12:02unrivaled network of allies and partners around the world because we can't tackle a single major

01:12:08issue we face, whether it's the geopolitical challenge posed by China, adversaries like Russia,

01:12:13Iran, and North Korea, international crises like we see in Ukraine and Gaza, the existential threat

01:12:19of the climate crisis, and the profound consequences of emerging and disruptive technologies. We can

01:12:24address none of these things alone. We are always stronger when we act alongside others.

01:12:30That's something that President Biden gets in a deep and abiding way, and it's something that

01:12:36Donald Trump does not and never will. Chapter nine offers a clear articulation of President

01:12:41Biden's vision for advancing our key interests and vital regions across the globe. It has compelling

01:12:47sections on Europe, the Indo-Pacific, Africa, and the Western Hemisphere, and goes into great

01:12:54depth into the president's efforts to push back against China's unfair economic practices. How he

01:13:00stood up for American workers, stood by our allies in the region in the face of China's

01:13:06regional coercion, and made critical investments in the technologies of the future like semiconductors,

01:13:11artificial intelligence, and clean energy that will enable America to continue to out-compete China,

01:13:17our most consequential strategic competitor, in the years and decades to come, while ensuring

01:13:21that competition does not result in conflict. But let me conclude with a few words on how the

01:13:28platform approaches the Middle East, which is something that Ambassador Gabriel spoke so

01:13:32eloquently about. The terrible events that have unfolded in Gaza since Hamas launched its horrific

01:13:37terrorist attack on Israel last October 7th have produced enormous suffering and raw emotions.

01:13:43As the platform makes clear, President Biden and Vice President Harris recognize the worth of every

01:13:49innocent life, whether Israeli or Palestinian. President Biden has a vision for the region,

01:13:55one rooted in a durable peace, human dignity for all, regional integration to stand against common

01:14:00threats emanating from Iran and its terrorist proxies, and a negotiated two-state solution

01:14:06that ensures that Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state and the right of Palestinians to

01:14:11live in freedom and security in a viable state of their own. Hamas attempted to destroy that vision

01:14:17on October 7th, but President Biden is determined that Hamas will not succeed. From the outset,

01:14:24President Biden has stood by Israel in its fight against Hamas, defended Israel in international

01:14:29fora, and worked with Congress to provide an historic aid package, all while tirelessly

01:14:35pursuing diplomacy to free the hostages, establish a durable ceasefire, surge humanitarian assistance,

01:14:41and address the immense civilian pain and suffering in Gaza, and make progress towards

01:14:46further normalization between Israel and the Arab world in tandem with a meaningful political horizon

01:14:52for a Palestinian state and the reconstruction of communities in Gaza that have been devastated by

01:14:58this war. As the President has taken these steps, he has stood up to Iran and its terrorist proxies,

01:15:04and alongside an unparalleled coalition of allies and partners to defend American troops, to defend

01:15:10Israel and the broader region, while taking decisive military action to deter a wider war.

01:15:16As the platform makes clear, all of this stands in sharp contrast to Trump's incoherent approach

01:15:22towards Iran and his utter disregard of the requirements for a lasting peace in the region

01:15:28that ensures the security and dignity of Israelis and Palestinians alike. Thank you all.

01:15:34Colin, thank you so much, and Ambassador, thank you. And to all the folks that spoke

01:15:38on behalf of each of the chapters, thank you so much for participating in our effort today.

01:15:44Committee members, we have taken action on all of the amendments before us to date. The Chair

01:15:49will now recognize Ida Briceño to make a motion to approve the draft platform as considered today,

01:15:55and to authorize staff to make corrections which are consistent with our discussions.

01:16:00This document will be recommended for approval to the full convention when it begins to vote.

01:16:08Thank you. So moved to approve the platform.

01:16:11Thank you so much. The Chair recognizes Ricky Cole to second the motion.

01:16:17Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I proudly second the motion.

01:16:20Thank you so much. Is there any discussion? I will ask the staff to advise the Chair of any raised hands.

01:16:30Seeing none, we will move to the vote. Please use your platform committee homepage on your browser

01:16:36to vote on the platform report as amended. All in favor, vote aye. All opposed, vote no. If you're

01:16:43having trouble, please use your signal group, or you can also send a chat to Mira Popley.

01:16:52The vote is in progress.

01:18:01are authorized to make corrections which are consistent with our discussions.

01:18:06Mayor Romero.

01:18:09Thank you, Mitch. Really appreciate it. This is amazing. This is wonderful. We've got our platform.

01:18:16Now we all go and talk about what an incredible platform we have. After

01:18:23having completed the business of this committee, it is my honor to recognize

01:18:29the President of the Service Employees International Union, April Vered, for a point

01:18:37of personal privilege. Thank you so much, Mayor. It's been a privilege to serve on this platform

01:18:44committee with all of you all. I just want to say, look, we know what this election is about,

01:18:50and it is clear. It is a choice between two very, very different visions for America. It is a vision

01:18:58that Donald Trump has that comes from his perch at his country club in Mar-a-Lago, or it's about

01:19:05the vision that our President Joe Biden has, who sees the world and our country from kitchen tables

01:19:12in Scranton, Pennsylvania. While President Trump is working for the ultra-wealthy and large

01:19:18corporations, our President, our President Biden, is fighting for every worker to get their union.

01:19:25He's fighting to pass the PRO Act. He's fighting to finally raise the federal minimum wage to at

01:19:31least $15 an hour, and he is fighting to make sure every worker who wants to organize for better pay,

01:19:38benefits, and working conditions has the opportunity to do so. Democrats, we are fighting

01:19:44to reward work, not just wealth. We will reward work and not just wealth. We will make the child

01:19:51tax credit and earned income tax credit permanent. We will raise the corporate tax rate, and we will

01:19:58make sure that billionaires pay a minimum income tax so that they are no longer paying an average

01:20:04tax rate that is lower than a fighter-fighter or a teacher. Today, our economy is growing. Wages are

01:20:12rising, and the record number of Americans have good jobs. Together, America has built its way

01:20:19back to the strongest economic recovery in the world, and we should be proud of that.

01:20:24But there are still far, far too many hard-working families that are worried every single night,

01:20:31worried about the cost of living because it still feels too high. That's why our President,

01:20:37President Biden, is taking action to lower the cost of health care, to protect Social Security,

01:20:42to expand benefits, and to finally, finally increase access to care for our elders and our

01:20:49siblings with disabilities. He's working to guarantee affordable, quality child care to

01:20:55millions of working families. President Biden is delivering the most aggressive climate agenda in

01:21:01history. His landmark legislation has unleashed a clean energy boom that is reducing pollution,

01:21:08lowering energy costs, and has already created over 300,000 good-paying American jobs. He is

01:21:16positioning us to lead the future, an energy-independent, resilient, innovative,

01:21:23and strong future. Under our President's second term, Democrats together, we will continue to

01:21:30invest in clean energy research and development, and we will build on our legacy as a nation

01:21:37of new frontiers and new possibilities. Let's go get it, Democrats.

01:21:42Thank you so much, President Barrett. That was incredible. I would now like to recognize

01:21:47Pennsylvania State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta for a point of personal privilege.

01:21:51Representative.

01:21:53Thank you so much, Mayor. You know, today, I hope that we all just take a step back at what we just

01:22:00did. Today, Democrats just reiterated a point that bears repeating. Policy matters. The stakes

01:22:09could not be higher. The visions of the two parties could not be more stark, and Project

01:22:172025 remains a threat to every single fundamental freedom that we hold dear. You know, I like to say

01:22:26this with all respect to my colleagues from all across the country. You know, Pennsylvania is the

01:22:31place that birthed this often unwieldy experience in self-governance, and I believe that Pennsylvania

01:22:36is going to play an important role in saving that democracy and in moving us in a direction

01:22:42where we expand the promise of America to include everybody, to include everybody.

01:22:49And we have been lucky to have a President and a Vice President for four years who have not just

01:22:56talked about getting things done, who have not just given flowery speeches, who have not just

01:23:01sent out tweets, but who have actually delivered for the American people. And on that, as Democrats,

01:23:09we can be proud to go out for the next three and a half months and talk about an America that sees

01:23:17every single community, to be a party that truly believes every single community deserves a

01:23:24champion and every single community is worth fighting for. And so now we have our difficult

01:23:30work ahead to take this platform every single place, our community centers, our faith institutions,

01:23:37everywhere we can to talk about a vision of an America where costs are low, where families can

01:23:45thrive, and where fundamental freedoms are protected, and where every single person, no matter who they

01:23:50are, what they look like, where they're from, that they are respected and treated with fundamental

01:23:56dignity. Listen, I grew up in a working poor family here in North Philly, buried both my

01:24:02parents by the time I was 27 because they didn't have access to the type of health care everybody

01:24:06deserves, have watched too many people who I know and love, neighbors, lose their lives to gun

01:24:12violence, have been in a community where before Obamacare, so many folks didn't have access to

01:24:20health care. And so for neighbors like mine, politics and the decision that we make is existential,

01:24:27it's critical. The work that we are going to do together to expand the promise of America,

01:24:35to finish the job that this president and vice president have started, it's not about just

01:24:41our team winning, it's about the American people thriving. And so I am damn proud of this platform,

01:24:48we should all be proud of it. I'm happy that we actually had a robust discussion about what our

01:24:53platform is and included real detailed policy on how we're going to deliver for the American people.

01:25:01And when you take this platform that we just approved and put it next to Project 2025, which

01:25:07is the platform for the other side, we have a product to be proud of, we have a president to

01:25:12be proud of, we have an administration to be proud of, and let's get out there and finish the work.

01:25:18Thank you, chairs. Thank you for this opportunity. Thank you, Representative Kenyatta, and also thanks

01:25:23again to President Barrett for those two compelling statements. All right, folks, we've completed this

01:25:29committee's work on the 2024 Democratic Party platform. I'd like to thank everyone again for

01:25:35their participation. We appreciate all your input on the important issues for the committee to

01:25:40consider. Thank you to the platform team. Platform team have been working around the clock on this

01:25:45to make sure this has been a smooth and seamless process. I have no doubt that our party platform

01:25:50is going to clearly articulate the values of our great party and highlight Joe Biden's vision for

01:25:55our country. It's now time for us to finish the job. Mayor Romero, take us out. Thank you so much,

01:26:02Mayor Alondra. I really appreciate your work on this. I've been privileged to work with an

01:26:10excellent team, and I want to echo your appreciation to all those involved in crafting

01:26:17this platform. I am very proud of the work we have accomplished together, and I hope you are too.

01:26:25The strength of our party is in its diversity, and there is more that unites us than divides us.

01:26:33We all understand how vital this election is to our nation and to the future and to our children.

01:26:42So my fellow Democrats, let's organize, energize, and mobilize our voters. Members, we have concluded

01:26:51the business scheduled for our meeting today. As such, since there is no further business,

01:26:58the meeting is adjourned. Thank you again, everyone, for joining us today. Have a wonderful

01:27:03evening, and we will see you all on the campaign trail. Let's go get it, Democrats.

BREAKING NEWS: DNC Holds Platform Committee Meeting As Republican National Convention Continues

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