Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on NCS’s The Situation Room, the place he made clear that House Democrats will oppose the partisan Republican spending invoice that continues the GOP healthcare disaster and can preserve combating for the well being, security and financial well-being of the American folks.
WOLF BLITZER: I’m joined now by the House Democratic Leader, Hakeem Jeffries. Leader Jeffries, thanks a lot for becoming a member of us. What are you listening to about when the House will vote on this invoice to reopen the federal authorities?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, good morning. Great to be with you, Wolf. Great to be with you, Pamela. Great to be again on The Situation Room. Let me first simply say we categorical our heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to all of our veterans, our women and men who’ve worn the uniform, grateful for his or her service, their sacrifice and persevering with to present us the liberty that we cherish right here on this nation. It’s our expectation that the House will vote in some unspecified time in the future tomorrow and House Democrats will strongly oppose any laws that doesn’t decisively tackle the Republican healthcare disaster. We need to reopen the federal government. We’ll proceed to face by our hardworking federal workers and civil servants. But we now have a duty to be sure that we lengthen the Affordable Care Act tax credit in order that tens of hundreds of thousands of Americans don’t expertise dramatically-increased healthcare prices that’s going to forestall them from having the ability to see a physician after they want one.
WOLF BLITZER: As , the invoice that will likely be on the House flooring would fund the federal authorities till the top of January, some key companies by means of the top of subsequent 12 months. What do you see taking place on January thirtieth?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, I believe what’s going to be vital over the subsequent few weeks, as soon as this subject is resolved relative to this explicit piece of laws, is that on December thirty first, the Affordable Care Act tax credit expire and dozens of House Republicans have been claiming over the previous couple of weeks that they know that’s one thing that must be addressed. And now we’re going to must see some motion or whether or not it was simply speak from these House Republicans as a result of Democrats are going to proceed to remain within the area because it pertains to coping with the healthcare disaster that Republicans have visited on the American folks. Understand that this 12 months, Republicans have enacted the biggest reduce to Medicaid in American historical past. This is after Donald Trump promised in late January to ‘love and cherish Medicaid.’ And we all know that hospitals and nursing houses and community-based well being facilities are closing all throughout the nation. And now due to the Republican refusal to increase the Affordable Care Act tax credit, there’s a danger over the subsequent few weeks that tens of hundreds of thousands of Americans won’t be able to afford their healthcare. We’re speaking about working-class Americans, middle-class Americans and on a regular basis Americans. That’s why Democrats are persevering with to combat exhausting on their behalf.
WOLF BLITZER: But as within the Senate seven Democrats and one Independent who caucuses with the Democrats, they really broke ranks to advance the funding invoice, a 60 to 40 vote. They wanted 60 votes, they acquired the 60 votes. The Republicans with one exception all voted for it. We spoke with a type of Democrats who caucuses—with a type of Democrats Angus King about why he determined to just accept the Republican plan.
RECORDING OF SEN. KING: Quite a lot of collateral harm was taking place. People’s lives have been being damage. If the tactic isn’t working, and there have been no prospects that it was going to work, then let’s transfer on, not make loads of different folks endure with a purpose to get a purpose that wasn’t attainable.
WOLF BLITZER: Angus King of Maine, he’s an Independent, as Leader Jeffries, however he caucuses with the Democrats. What’s your response to his remark and his vote?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, the struggling that has been visited upon the American folks during the last a number of weeks may be very in line with, sadly, the struggling that Donald Trump and Republicans have visited upon the American folks since day certainly one of his presidency, the place we’ve seen these Republicans unleash excessive ranges of aggressive conduct that doesn’t make life higher for these Americans. It makes life worse. And we’ve seen it—an all-out assault on the economic system, an all-out assault on healthcare, an all-out assault on dietary help, an all-out assault by these Republicans on veterans and farmers and law-abiding immigrant households and the American lifestyle and, in fact, democracy itself. And so our combat clearly goes to proceed by means of no matter occurs this week as a result of as House Democrats we’re dedicated to driving down the excessive value of, to fixing our damaged healthcare system and on the similar time period cleansing up the corruption that exists in Washington D.C within the Congress, on the Supreme Court and, in fact, with the Trump administration, probably the most corrupt administration in American historical past, so we will really ship a rustic of the folks, by the folks and for the folks.
WOLF BLITZER: I simply need to be exact. You say the Supreme Court has been corrupt. Is that what you’re saying?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Yeah, what I’m saying is that the outrageous conduct by particular person Justices like Clarence Thomas and Justice Alito and the failure to have an moral code of conduct is corrupt. These are the one folks within the nation who can function above the regulation. And so what I’m suggesting is that as we concentrate on delivering a rustic that truly works for working-class Americans, we’ve acquired to be sure that each single department of presidency is working in a way in line with lifting up the standard of lifetime of on a regular basis Americans and holding themselves to the identical requirements that working-class Americans are anticipated to dwell by, work exhausting and play by the foundations.
WOLF BLITZER: The Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer voted in opposition to the deal final night time, however he’s being severely criticized for not having sufficient management over his Caucus to cease these eight from defecting. Your colleague, Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna of California, says the time has come for a change. Listen to this.
RECORDING OF REP. KHANNA: He’s the Leader of the Senate. This deal would by no means have occurred if he had not blessed it. It’s time for him to get replaced. He will not be assembly the second. He’s out of contact with the place the social gathering’s base is.
WOLF BLITZER: What do you suppose, Leader Jeffries, do you agree with Ro Khanna? Do you suppose Schumer needs to be changed?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Leader Schumer didn’t bless this settlement. He voted in opposition to it. And, in fact, Senate Democrats who voted no have made that clear. And what we’ve seen from Senate Democrats during the last seven weeks has been a part of a valiant combat that we now have waged collectively to face up in protection of the well being, the security and the financial well-being of the American folks. And we all know Senate Democrats voted down the partisan Republican spending invoice that gutted the healthcare of the American folks 15 or 16 totally different occasions. And pay attention, it’s unlucky that you just had eight or so Democrats, seven Democrats, who made the choice to vote differently than the overwhelming majority of the Senate Democratic Caucus and what you’ll see from the overwhelming majority of House Democrats when the invoice comes over to us, however they’re gonna have to elucidate themselves. This combat continues, and during the last a number of weeks, we now have efficiently elevated this healthcare subject such that the American individuals are demanding motion. And now, it’s going to be on Mike Johnson and House Republicans to show, are they keen to really do one thing for somebody aside from the rich, the well-off and the well-connected? And there’s a chance to do it by ensuring that the Affordable Care Act tax credit are prolonged. Every single Democrat stands behind that proposition within the House. Let’s see what the Republicans determine to do tomorrow.
PAMELA BROWN: Well, let’s take heed to Speaker Johnson for himself as a result of he was requested about that by our Jake Tapper final night time and right here’s what he stated.
RECORDING OF JAKE TAPPER: So you’re not committing to citing a invoice that offers with the Obamacare subsidies earlier than they expire?
RECORDING OF SPEAKER JOHNSON: I’m not committing to it or not committing to it. What I’m saying is that we do a deliberative course of. It’s the best way this all the time works and we now have to have time to do this. And we are going to, in a bipartisan trend.
PAMELA BROWN: So how do you see this taking part in out?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well let’s perceive, this is similar group of people that rushed again to Washington in early July to enact their One Big Ugly Bill—the biggest reduce to Medicaid in American historical past, ripping medical health insurance away from about 14 million Americans. At the identical time period, they enacted a $186 billion reduce to dietary help. These folks actually ripped meals from the mouths of hungry kids, seniors and veterans. And all of this was performed—the assault on healthcare and the assault on SNAP—all of this was performed so they might reward their billionaire donors with huge tax breaks that they made everlasting. Yet they haven’t discovered the time to even hassle contemplating extending the Affordable Care Act tax credit in order that tens of hundreds of thousands of working-class Americans, middle-class Americans and on a regular basis Americans don’t expertise dramatically elevated healthcare prices in an atmosphere the place the price of residing is already too excessive. Perhaps one of many explanation why they’re not coping with this with any diploma of urgency is as a result of their chief, their puppet grasp Donald Trump, apparently believes that the affordability disaster on this nation is all made up. And possibly that’s why we’re not seeing any motion from Republicans—as a result of they’re simply taking orders from their boss.
PAMELA BROWN: Well, we now have had Republican Congress[woman] Marjorie Taylor Greene on who really has expressed the priority about affordability in America and the continuation of these ACA subsidies. As , she has been a fierce defender of President Trump, however lately she’s run counter to the White House message, and her change of tone has not escaped the President’s discover. I need to take a take heed to this.
RECORDING OF REP. GREENE: I actually imagine that’s an utter failure. And you may’t anticipate folks to point out up and be obsessed with voting for you once you’re not even going to work, they usually’re going to work each single day and struggling to pay their payments. I believe home coverage needs to be an important subject that the President and the Republican-controlled House and Senate are engaged on. And that confirmed up within the election on Tuesday.
RECORDING OF PRESIDENT TRUMP: I don’t know what occurred to Marjorie. She’s a pleasant girl, however I don’t know what occurred. She’s misplaced her method, I believe. So when any individual like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who’s now catering to the opposite aspect, I don’t know what, , I suppose she’s, , acquired some type of an act going, however I’m stunned at her. But when any individual like Marjorie goes over and begins making statements like that, it exhibits she doesn’t know.
PAMELA BROWN: Do you suppose she’s misplaced her method?
LEADER JEFFRIES: I believe Marjorie Taylor Greene has appropriately indicated that Donald Trump and Republicans have spent extra time targeted on bailing out their right-wing dictator buddy in Argentina—they discovered $40 billion to bail out Argentina, however can’t discover a dime to make life extra reasonably priced for the American folks. Yeah, that’s an issue. It’s an issue that in the midst of this authorities shutdown—the longest Trump-Republican shutdown in American historical past—Donald Trump has spent extra time on the golf course than he has really speaking with Members of Congress or Democrats on Capitol Hill who characterize half the nation as a part of an effort to do what we’ve been saying from day one we needs to be doing, which is reducing the excessive value of residing. Donald Trump, in reality, promised on day one to decrease the excessive value of residing, however in America prices aren’t taking place, prices are going up. Housing prices underneath Republican insurance policies by means of the roof. Grocery costs by means of the roof. Electricity prices by means of the roof. And now, tens of hundreds of thousands of individuals dealing with these unprecedented dramatic will increase in medical health insurance prices. And Republicans don’t give a rattling about it.
WOLF BLITZER: The Democratic Minority Leader within the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries. Leader Jeffries all the time good to have you ever within the Situation Room. Thanks very a lot for becoming a member of us.
PAMELA BROWN: Thank you.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Thank you.
Full interview might be watched here.
###