House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi says Democrats will “strive for bipartisanship” when they take over the majority next year after wresting control of the House in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Pelosi, who is expected to run for a second stint as speaker, said Democrats “have a responsibility to seek common ground where we can,” adding: “Where we cannot, we must stand our ground.”
Pelosi says she worked productively with President George W. Bush when she was speaker a decade ago and would like to do so again with President Donald Trump. She said, “We’d like to work together so our legislation will be bipartisan.”
Still, Pelosi said Democrats weren’t elected to be “a rubber stamp” for Trump and said Democrats would act as a “check and balance” on the Republican president.
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Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says she has no regrets about discouraging Democratic candidates from engaging with President Donald Trump on immigration issues during the midterm elections.
She says it was important “not to take the bait like the president was putting out there.”
Pelosi spoke to reporters Wednesday, a day after Democrats won control of the House for the next two years.
She says immigrants come to the U.S. with values such as determination, courage and optimism, and that they make the country more American. She says other presidents saw that, but “this president used it in fearmongering. I just don’t think that’s right.”
But she says that in order to get into a position to fight Trump on the issue, Democrats had to first win on issues affecting the financial security of working families.
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House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi says she’s confident she will win enough support to be elected speaker of the House next year.
The California Democrat says she is the “best person” for the job and the person most capable of unifying Democrats now that they have won the majority.
Speaking to reporters at the Capitol, Pelosi says her pitch for another turn with the gavel is about the future. She says, “it’s not about what you have done, it’s about what you can do.”
Democrats won the House majority on Tuesday evening, securing the 218 seats needed for the majority. Pelosi was speaker when Democrats last held the majority in 2010.
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