Washington DC - Representative Ayanna Pressley delivered a speech on the House floor on Thursday demanding the next Congress advance "the people's agenda" as supporters urge to her to run for speaker.
"I rise today for every person who dreams of a better tomorrow, for every person who ran, voted, and organized to deliver a mandate for bold transformative change, from Massachusetts to Texas to Mississippi, for those who turned hope into action," Pressley said in her remarks.
"It is so important that we fight for a more just America. It is what we owe to every person who calls this country home."
The Massachusetts Democrat pointed to skyrocketing costs of living, the Black maternal mortality crisis, and disproportionate threats to Black men's lives as present injustices in need of remedy.
"Some say we're asking for too much, that we should work with the very Republicans who have used their power to exact harm, but incrementalism is a recipe for failure," Pressley insisted.
"If we moderate our aspirations, we cost people their lives and livelihoods," she warned. "Democrats, we must meet the people's cries with action."
Ayanna Pressley lays out priorities for next Congress
In a petition, Pressley has outlined her agenda for the next Congress, which includes passing Medicare For All, expanding abortion rights, stopping data centers, and abolishing ICE.
Over the summer, she called on Congress to take action on a Reparative Justice Legislative Agenda to address historic and ongoing harms to Black Americans.
"This is the people's house, and we must advance the people's agenda. And with this supermajority on the way, it's time we move exactly like that," Pressley declared on Thursday.
Pressley's speech came as calls mount for her to challenge current Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for the House speakership.
A Change.org petition supporting Pressley for the role has gained 83,798 signatures at the time of writing.
Pressley has not announced any plans to pursue the speakership. Jeffries so far has no official challenger, though he could face headwinds as a number of incoming progressives have refused to commit their support to him.