Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA) calmly tore into House Speaker Mike Johnson, belittling the embattled Louisiana lawmaker and characterizing him as a politician in over his head. Striking a condescending tone, Aguilar said that while Democrats “also believe in on-the-job-training, which is clearly where Speaker Johnson is right now,” the Congress has to work and the Speaker has to be able to do “two things at once.”
By two things, Aguilar was chiding Johnson for saying his alleged focus on the imminent appropriations deadlines made it too complicated to also bring the Senate security supplemental bill to a vote.
Drawing a stark comparison between Johnson and Aguilar’s fellow California Democrat Nancy Pelosi, who wielded the Speaker’s gavel effectively through both Republican and Democratic administrations, Aguilar asserted “Pelosi frequently did 12 things [at once].” Having inserted his dagger, Aguilar then twisted it saying: “I understand doing two is hard for [Johnson]. But that’s what the job entails.”
Aguilar: Democrats also believe in on-the-job training. That's clearly where Speaker Johnson is right now. You have to be able to do two things as once. Nancy Pelosi frequently did 12 things. I understand doing two is hard for him. But that's what the job entails. pic.twitter.com/rOCNjmfFaC
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 14, 2024
“We still have ample time on the floor that we can take up a national security supplemental,” Aguilar said, “if the Speaker was truly intent on delivering this…What we’re finding out is he just wants to carry Donald Trump’s water. We have to be able to multiple things at once here, but he’s shown [he’s] incapable of that.”
Aguilar, who has represented California’s 33rd district since 2015, was more measured in the rest of his talk, in which he welcomed back to the House Democrat Tom Suozzi, who won a special election this week to replace ousted Republican fabricator George Santos. The entire press conference featuring Aguilar and Congressman Ted Lieu (D-CA) is below.
2.14.24 Weekly Press Conference https://t.co/MXCq5qIIrM
— House Democrats (@HouseDemocrats) February 14, 2024
