Washington, DC – Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke at a rally hosted by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) where he emphasized that House Democrats will continue to stand with America’s hardworking civil servants. 

Leader Jeffries: Is AFGE in the house right now?

Are you ready to push back against Elon Musk’s unconstitutional and unlawful orders?

Are you ready to protect and respect the right to collectively bargain?

What an honor and a privilege to be here with all of you. Let me first just thank President Kelley. So appreciative of his leadership and his partnership, his strength and his resilience for such a time as this. Now, after he finished his remarks, I was tempted to get up here and say, “Let the church say amen.” Because he’s brought a word on today.

We are standing in solidarity with each and every one of you during this incredibly fragile time. I wanted to make sure I crossed the street to make it clear that the attack on you, the attack on the civil service is unacceptable, unconscionable, un-American and we are going to stand with you until each and every one of those unlawful executive orders are fully and completely reversed, buried in the ground, never to rise again.

Now, I stand here with all of you having grown up, been born in Brooklyn Hospital, raised in a working-class neighborhood in central Brooklyn, grew up in a union household. Both my parents, public employees throughout their entire lives. My mom, 45 years working for the City of New York. My father, 30 years working as a substance abuse counselor for the state of New York. And so, I stand here today not just as a Member of Congress, but as a member of your family, the family of public employees who serve this country well.

You should be respected, not rejected.

You should be lifted up, not torn down.

You should be embraced, not discarded.

And we will stand with you until you get the dignity and respect that you deserve.

And we’re going to do everything that we need to do. It’s an all-hands-on-deck effort. We’re going to fight on your behalf in the Congress, we’re fighting on your behalf in the courts and we’re going to make sure we do what we need to do in the community. Because they want us to step back, we’re here to push back. We’re here to push back on your behalf. We’re thankful for your dignity, thankful for your determination. thankful for all that you do for the children of America, the families of America, the seniors of America, the Social Security recipients of America, the Medicare recipients of America, the veterans of America and so many others. We will not abandon you in your hour of need because we are you and you are us, the American people.

And so let me just end by saying, even though we’ve got these out-of-control, unelected billionaires trying to turn back the clock, we’re not going back. We’re gonna keep moving forward. We’re not going to let them unwind the progress that you and others have fought to accomplish. Hard work, civil rights, labor rights, organizing, all of the progress that has been made. We’re not going to let them turn back the clock.

Now I know things are turbulent at this moment. I’m reminded of the aftermath of the Montgomery Bus Boycott in those early days, began in December of 1955. The situation seemed hopeless in the heart of the Jim Crow South. Didn’t have an army, didn’t have the law enforcement establishment behind them, the KKK was very active, the situation seemed hopeless. Dr. King, just a few months after the start of that Montgomery Bus Boycott, he actually spoke to a group of people, not unlike those who are gathered here today and he said, “Notwithstanding the odds being against us, that we’ve got to at all times press on and keep pressing.” He said, if you if you can’t fly, run. If you can’t run, walk. If you can’t walk, crawl. But at all times, press on. And so I just stopped by to let you know that we’re going to press on. Press on for you. Press on for the union. Press on for everyday Americans. Press on for civil service. Press on for collective bargaining. Press on for our democracy. Press on.

Full remarks can be watched here. 

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