PHILADELPHIA — After a turbulent start to House Democrats’ retreat in Philadelphia, top lawmakers voiced a sense of optimism that the party is more unified and ready to fight to keep the majority on the final day of the conference.
While the first scheduled day of the retreat was canceled due to a divide within the party over a pandemic-relief-related provision in a massive spending bill that delayed votes on the must-pass legislation until late Wednesday evening, lawmakers said despite initial skepticism over whether the event could get back on track, they were able to reset and engage in productive conversations on strategy.
House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries of New York asserted that members have made progress on crafting their policy and political agenda as they face a heated battle to retain control of the lower chamber.
“I’m not sure if it’s day two or three of the Democratic Issues Conference, but I can tell you it’s going to be another good day. Another good day because House Democrats have been gathered together here as a family continuing to discuss how we’re building a better America for the people, fighting to continue to strengthen the economy, lower costs, create millions of good-paying jobs,” Jeffries said Friday morning, noting it is the one-year anniversary of the American Rescue Plan being signed into law.
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“We still have challenges that we are working to resolve but making progress for the American people.”
During the course of the retreat, lawmakers participated in breakout sessions and heard from top administration officials, concluding with President Joe Biden on Friday afternoon. The conference came as the GOP has stepped up their attacks over inflation numbers, gas prices, and the administration’s handling of the pandemic and crises abroad, with Republicans expressing confidence in their odds of flipping the House in November.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer acknowledged members’ initial frustrations after arriving in the City of Brotherly Love at roughly 2:30 a.m. Thursday morning, telling reporters that the moods shifted in a positive direction after some initial hiccups.
“I think everybody was sort of wondering how is this going to go. And we call it a retreat, but I call it resolving that we will continue to work on behalf of the people,”
He added, “And very frankly, the American people in this country and the world received a gut punch from the pandemic, and we have responded with vigor and with effectiveness to that gut punch, which is why we are confronting an economy that’s one of the fastest-growing economies that we’ve seen in many decades.”
Sean Patrick Maloney, a New York Democrat who heads House Democrats’ campaign arm, argued that the party is well prepared and continues to work on its election strategy despite facing hurdles including retirements and historical gains for the minority party when the majority holds control of both chambers and the White House. Maloney, who represents a competitive district, said he feels good about the candidates they’ve recruited and the way redistricting has played out thus far.
“We’re proud of our record and happy to stack it up against the other team’s absence of a vision,” he said. “We have incumbents and candidates who will win in tough districts, and I look forward to the rest of the year to do this work, and our argument is if you give us another two years, we’ll keep working for you and your family, and the other side will keep working for themselves.”
Speaker Nancy Pelosi argued that the conference should not be referred to as a retreat, telling reporters, “Cross off the word retreat. We do not retreat,” asserting that they were there to “hone our message so that we can win the election.”
While the Right has made the president’s approval ratings a central point in their messaging strategy in hitting Democrats, Pelosi defended his agenda and handling of key issues, including his move to end trade relations with Russia and the economy, which she feels will help them retain seats next fall.
“So much of what we talked about last night we talked about Ukraine. And so much of what we have been addressing has been about Ukraine, and I’m so pleased that the president will be announcing soon what’s in the public domain already so I don’t preempt him: the lifting of most every nation status known as normal trade relations with Russia,” she said.
Rep. Chuy Garcia, an Illinois Democrat, told the Washington Examiner he felt the opportunity for members to huddle outside Washington was productive, particularly in terms of messaging strategy.
“I think the session on messaging was quite helpful, especially to our front-line members and members that will be facing tough races,” he said. “[The message] that we need to have simplicity in our messaging, that we’ve got to convey that our vote might be good but sometimes people don’t understand exactly the contents of things that we are enacting in Congress and that we’ve got to be able to tell people that as we go into the stretch of the midterm elections, that was very useful.”
Garcia added that he was appreciative of Biden taking the time for “some practical questions about how to overcome political polarization. How to convey to the American public that we truly care was also quite insightful as we gear up for the midterms.”
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Rep. Dean Phillips, a Minnesota Democrat, said he felt lawmakers being able to convene without the pandemic restrictions that were in place this time last year helped provide an opportunity for members to better come together.
“After two years of distance and masks, it was a productive and reinvigorating couple days. Gives me hope that the country will start feeling a boost as COVID recedes and summer returns,” he said.
