Between Donald Trump’s campaign promises and the longstanding special interest wish list of Republicans in Congress, America is facing a spectacularly dangerous and destructive agenda.
Under the Trump Administration, hard-working families and the rights of women, immigrants, communities of color and LGBT Americans face their greatest threat in generations.
Republicans are planning to put Wall Street reform, clean air, clean water, our progress on the climate, and the Affordable Care Act on the chopping block. Speaker Paul Ryan is hoping to realize his dream of ending Medicare as we know it. President-elect Trump is empowering a generation of white nationalists and advancing a radical agenda of discrimination at the highest levels.It will be up to Democrats in Congress to champion hard-working families across America and defeat these dangerous Republican proposals. To win these battles and to take back the House of Representatives, Democrats must be strong, strategic and unwavering – and we need a leader equal to the historic challenges to come.
Two of us are veteran lawmakers, one of us is a newly elected congressman. We each bring our own perspectives and priorities to the issues before America. But all of us believe that we must have Nancy Pelosi leading House Democrats in the hard fights ahead.
Eleven years ago, President George W. Bush and the Republican Congress got it in their heads to try to privatize Social Security, endangering the bedrock promise of retirement security that has protected generations of Americans. Nancy Pelosi led the strategy that stopped them cold in their tracks.
As the first woman Speaker, Nancy Pelosi led the most productive Congress since LBJ. In bill after bill, she demonstrated the unparalleled ability to build coalitions and forge consensus among diverse perspectives of the House Democratic Caucus. With her leadership, we made sweeping progress for the American people.
At the same time that Hillary Clinton lost the White House, because of Leader Pelosi’s tireless efforts, House Democrats won several key races – only the third time in the last three decades that the party losing the presidency has still picked up House seats.
Of course we take seriously the questions raised by the outcome of the election. However, sniping about Nancy Pelosi’s age and undermining her leadership is not a strategy to protect hard-working families from Republicans’ destructive agenda or win back the House. Democrats need our most formidable strategist, our toughest negotiator, and our most battle-tested champion facing down President Trump and Speaker Ryan.
When the American people are faced with a plan to end the Medicare guarantee, repeal the Affordable Care Act, roll back the rights of workers, and hand massive new tax giveaways to the wealthiest, House Democrats must step forward with our strongest possible leadership. If we don’t, Americans in the heartland have as much to lose as Americans on the coasts.
Nancy Pelosi has led our Caucus through some of our hardest votes and our greatest victories. She is tested, tenacious and tireless. Today, we need her as House Democratic Leader more than ever before.
