The Dems’ 100 Hour Punch List

Steven Horsford (0:03)

So, we better get this message right as Democrats. It was a repudiation of Donald Trump and Republicans who over the last two years in Congress refused to stand up to him.

Peter Hamby (0:20)

Welcome to The Powers That Be Daily, Puck's podcast focused on the intersection of Wall Street, Washington, Silicon Valley and Hollywood, and the players who run it all. I'm Peter Hamby.

It's Saturday, November 14th. Today on The Powers That Be, we're bringing you my colleague, Leigh Ann Caldwell's conversation with Nevada Democratic Congressman Steve Horsford. The two of them sat down this week in Washington at a Puck Power Breakfast presented by the Solana Policy Institute. Horsford previewed what House Democrats planned to do in their first 100 hours. He warned that midterm voters were rejecting Republicans and not quite embracing Democrats, and Leigh Ann pressed him on whether a Democratic Congress will prioritize crypto legislation. Here's their conversation.

Leigh Ann Caldwell (1:19)

All right, Congressman Horsford, thank you so much for being here.

Steven Horsford (1:22)

Thank you for having me. It's great to be with you.

Leigh Ann Caldwell (1:25)

I'll do a little introduction. Congressman Horsford is from, represents Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, my hometown, Las Vegas. So this is an honor to be sitting with you today. You were elected in 2016?

2018 The second time, that's right. So for the second time, you came back in 2018 with a big freshman class then.

You are on the Ways and Means Committee. And you have been a frontline chair at the DCCC to help the most battled members win their re-election. So thank you so much for being here today on the aftermath of these massive Democratic wins. Just take me, did you think that this was going to be so big and so blue?

Steven Horsford (2:20)

Of course.

Leigh Ann Caldwell (2:22)

Yeah, hindsight is 2020

Steven Horsford (2:25)

It's like it was so apparent. Well, first, it's great to be with all of you this morning. Thank you for the invitation, both Puck News and the work that's being advanced around digital assets and crypto, which I know we'll talk more about. So you're right, it was a big win a week ago. I believe there's still 20 districts that have yet to be called, and as of this morning, according to the chair of the DCCC, the meeting we had last night with her, House Democrats won.

We're going to be at 260 and more, potentially. There's still more districts to count, and that was not what the prediction was at the moment. It was something around plus 15 was the goal, and because of our speaker, the next Speaker of the House, Hakeem Jeffries, the work of Susan DelBainey, the chair of the DCCC, and a lot of hardworking candidates and members, and ultimately, the people who I think this was more than a message. It was a repudiation of the policies over the last two years, and the fact that voters decided that they want real change, not status quo change, not modest change. They want fundamental change, and they sent well over 150 new members to the House of Representatives, the People's House, to ensure that there's a clear message from the people, that the change is on the horizon.

Leigh Ann Caldwell (4:13)

Did voters vote against Republicans in their policies, or for Democrats?

Steven Horsford (4:22)

So we better get this message right as Democrats.

It was a repudiation of Donald Trump and Republicans, who over the last two years in Congress, refused to stand up to him, refused to protect the Article 1 branch, to ensure that Congress had a check and balance on everything from tariffs to war powers, to economic policies. Obviously, the affordability crisis that people in my district are facing, people all across the country are facing is the issue that won Democrats the majority. Why? Because we were disciplined on our message. Yes, in the House of Representatives with now leader Jeffries, ensuring that we focused on health care and housing and child care, on gas prices, on grocery prices, these tariffs that are taxes that we have paid as American consumers, businesses, small businesses in particular, many of whom in my district closed as a result of these tariffs because they could not keep up with the cost. That ultimately is what won us the election. But it's not as if these voters have now suddenly shifted and believe that Democrats are the ones with all of the answers.

And we're going to have to do a lot of work continuing to listen to what the voters want, to lift up their priorities. And on day one of the 120th Congress, focus on what they sent us to Congress to deliver on these new members. And that is to address the affordability crisis.