Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)
WASHINGTON — On Day 41 of the Democrat Shutdown, Speaker Johnson delivered remarks after eight Senate Democrats voted last night to break the filibuster and begin the process of voting to reopen the government.
“It appears to us this morning that our long national nightmare is finally coming to an end, and we’re grateful for that. At least some Democrats now finally appear ready to do what Republicans and President Trump and millions of hardworking American people have been asking them to do for weeks,” Speaker Johnson said. “As we said from the beginning, the people’s government cannot be held hostage to further anyone’s political agenda. That was never right, and shutting down the government never produces anything. It never has if you study history. And so, here we are.”
Read Speaker Johnson’sfull remarks as delivered below:
Good morning, everybody. I’m very thankful to see you all this morning. I’m thankful to welcome you to what appears to be the beginning of the end of the longest government shutdown in US history. As shameful as that is, I don’t think it’s coincidental, you know how I think. But after 40 days of wandering in the wilderness and making the American people suffer needlessly, some Senate Democrats finally have stepped forward to end the pain.
It appears to us this morning that our long national nightmare is finally coming to an end, and we’re grateful for that. At least some Democrats now finally appear ready to do what Republicans and President Trump and millions of hardworking American people have been asking them to do for weeks.
As we said from the beginning, the people’s government cannot be held hostage to further anyone’s political agenda. That was never right, and shutting down the government never produces anything. It never has if you study history. And so, here we are.
I want to remind everybody this morning of another critical point that you’ve heard me repeat over and over, over the last several weeks. It’s something that I and leader John Thune and President Trump and every Republican leader have all said repeatedly from the beginning: we have always been open to finding solutions to reduce the oppressive cost of health care under the Unaffordable Care Act. We just made clear that we would not and should not ever do that, and that is negotiate as hostages.
And I’ve also reminded you here every morning that Republicans have not just been talking about reducing costs and fraud and abuse in so many areas in health care, we’ve been actually passing new laws to accomplish that urgent mission for the people. And we will continue to do so.
So, here’s where we are. By way of schedule, just so you know and you’re following. If you’re not at home, if you’re waking up to this good news this morning, the Senate’s vote late last night of 60 to 40 opens the door.
Now the Senate is moving forward on an amended House CR that will reopen the government until January 30. Added to that are provisions to fully fund SNAP through the end of the next fiscal year, which is September 2026, guaranteed back pay for all federal workers who have been made to endure these hardships over the last several weeks. And it also includes passage of three appropriations bills, which we’re grateful to be moving through the process. That is the Military Construction-Veterans Affairs bill. It’s the Agriculture bill and the Legislative Branch bill.
The Senate will be back in session this morning to finish their job. And we’re certainly praying that they do. They’ll need unanimous consent from all Senators to fast track their final vote. As you know, there’s some procedural hurdles that one or more could throw in the way, but we certainly hope that they won’t do that because so many people across this country are desperate for the government to reopen.
At the very moment that they do that final vote; I will call all House Members to return to Washington as quickly as possible. We’ll give a 36-hour formal and official notice so that we can vote as soon as possible to pass the amended CR bill and get it to the President’s desk. As you all know, and he said as recently as last night, I was with him, and he told the press, he said, we want to get the government open. He’s very anxious to get the government reopened and to end the Schumer Shutdown. We all are.
With regard to the travel challenges, I spoke yesterday at some length with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, my former colleague and good friend. And he lamented the serious situation that we have with air travel in the US. He’s bent over backwards as all members of the Administration and the Cabinet have done in all their areas of jurisdiction to try to keep the government working for the people and to mitigate the pain and the harm.
But the problem we have with air travel is that our air traffic controllers are overworked and unpaid, and many of them have called in sick. That’s a very stressful job, and even more stressful exponentially when they’re having trouble providing for their families. And so, air travel has been grinding to a halt in many places.
And as of Sunday, nearly half of all domestic flights and US flights were either canceled or delayed. And it’s a very serious situation. So, I’m saying that by way of reminder, I’m stating the obvious to all my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats in the House. You need to begin right now returning to the Hill. We have to do this as quickly as possible.
Now, we look forward to the government reopening this week so Congress can get back to our regular legislative session. We have a lot of business to do, as you all know. And we will be working in earnest. There’ll be long days and long nights here for the foreseeable future to make up for all this lost time that was imposed upon us.
I want to close with something that’s important. I think it’s important to say, this is genuine. I mean, this sincerely. We applaud the seven Senate Democrats and one Independent Senator who did the right thing. They decided to put principle over their personal politics.
And my urgent plea of all my colleagues in the House, and that means every Democrat in the House, is to think carefully and finally do the right thing and help us to bring an end to the pain of the American people. This has gone on too long. Too many people have suffered, and it’s long overdue.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Paul Tonko (Capital Region New York)
Tonko Vows NO Vote on GOP Budget that Fails to Address Rising Health Care Costs
Senate spending bill fails to reestablish Affordable Care Act benefits that provide millions with health care
Albany, November 10, 2025
ALBANY, NY — Congressman Paul D. Tonko (NY-20) released the following statement pledging to vote down the latest Republican budget that fails to address rising health care costs for Americans:
This so-called deal in the Senate is a betrayal of everything we’ve fought for over the last 40+ days and of all those we’ve asked to fight alongside us.
Nothing in this deal will address skyrocketing health care costs for millions of Americans. Nothing in this deal will address the rampant lawlessness of the Trump Administration.
I’m a hell no on this deal and will do all in my power to stop it in the House.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman John Garamendi – Representing California’s 3rd Congressional District
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA-08), senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, slammed Secretary of Transportation Pete Duffy for potentially excluding private jets from the agency’s 10% flight cuts at 40 major U.S. airports.
“President Trump, we know you and your colleagues really love private jets, but most Americans travel commercial,” said Garamendi “But right now as families face hours-long security lines and canceled Thanksgiving flights, President Trump and Secretary Duffy better make certain that flights aren’t cancelled so billionaires can fly uninterrupted in their private jets,”
“Congress hasn’t seen the actual plan behind the 10% cut, and the Trump administration’s lack of transparency is frustrating, though not surprising. What’s equally frustrating, but again, not surprising, is that several individuals—from Kristi Noem to Kash Patel, and potentially even Secretary Duffy himself—allegedly have been using American tax dollars to purchase private jets or fly privately while the rest of us face commercial flight cancellations.”
“Private jets make up one in six flights handled by our already over-burdened air traffic controllers. There were 348,000 private jet departures in October alone, with 70% originating from the United States. Letting luxury travel continue while working families struggle confirms the truth: Trump and Duffy serve billionaires, not the American people.”
“I demand the Department of Transportation and FAA immediately ground all non-essential private jets for the duration of the flight cuts. If Trump and Duffy want to prove me wrong, release the plan, share the data with Congress, and let families fly home.”
In light of the Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration’s unprecedented decision to cancel 10% of flights at 40 airports across the country, I urge immediate action to ensure that all luxury private jet operations are suspended before any reductions for commercial air travel are implemented. Working Americans cannot be asked to carry the brunt of this burden while the ultra-wealthy fly as if the rules don’t apply to them. If the federal government reduces flight operations in the name of safety, these reductions must first apply to the billionaire class.
As I send this letter, more than 2,000 commercial flights have been cancelled or delayed. This number will only continue to grow throughout the weekend, creating confusion, frustration, and uncertainty for commercial airline travelers. American taxpayers already heavily subsidize private jet travel. Private jet travelers pay just two percent of the taxes used to fund the Federal Aviation Administration, despite making up one in six flights handled by FAA’s air-traffic controllers. This October alone saw 348,000 private jet departures, with the United States accounting for 70% of these departures. Potentially allowing luxury travel for the over 15,000 private jets in the country to proceed while working families struggle to get to their destinations sends a clear and unacceptable message: that the wealthy are playing by different rules.
Recent reports that the Department of Homeland Security purchased two private jets for Secretary Noem and other senior Department officials, at the cost of $172 million, underscore this outrageous double standard. When public servants and federal workers are making sacrifices, it is unacceptable for government officials or private individuals to use taxpayer-supported aviation resources for personal convenience.
Essential aviation workers are already stretched thin. It is unconscionable that they be asked to facilitate private jet operations for the ultra-wealthy while these critical employees are reporting to duty without pay. Luxuries for the billionaire class should never come at the expense of the safety of the American public or our aviation workforce.
I demand that the Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration take immediate steps to ground all private jet operations – excluding aircraft used for agricultural, emergency, or other essential public service purposes – before implementing commercial airline reductions. Every available resource within the Federal Aviation Administration should be dedicated to maintaining safe, equitable air travel for the public, not preserving convenience for the ultra-wealthy.
This is a matter of basic fairness and responsible governance. Working Americans should not suffer while the privileged few glide above the consequences. The Department of Transportation has an obligation to demonstrate that America’s aviation system serves the public interest, not private luxury. I request an immediate response outlining what steps you will take to ensure that private aviation does not remain a loophole for the ultra-wealthy during this period of national disruption.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA)
LAFAYETTE, LA – Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) delivered a second letter to social media executives following online posts celebrating the killing of conservative leader Charlie Kirk. The letter requests additional details on how the platforms are determining which posts merit the user’s removal from the platform and ban from creating new accounts.
This message follows a letter Congressman Higgins wrote to the same executives on September 15, 2025, that urged for the immediate removal of posts and accounts that celebrated Kirk’s assassination. This letter continues a fact-finding investigation to reveal how social media leaders use policies to discourage political violence and the celebration of death on their platforms, with specific regard to repeat offenders.
“I appreciate the responses from your platforms regarding content moderation policies and community guidelines in place to eliminate the celebration, incitement, and glorification of the assassination of Mr. Charlie Kirk. Although your platforms have these terms in place, it has not stopped the proliferation of content that has celebrated murder,” Congressman Higgins wrote.
“I request the methodology your companies follow to determine posts that warrant removal from the platform, specifically for individuals with repeat offenses,” Congressman Higgins continued. “Repeat offenders should absolutely not be allowed to remain on your platforms and post celebration of death.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23)
House Democrats are fighting to secure bipartisan legislation to fund our government and prevent an unfolding health care coverage calamity that will financially crush tens of millions.
Today, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schutlz (FL-25) released the following statement:
“House Democrats are fighting to secure bipartisan legislation to fund our government and prevent an unfolding health care coverage calamity that will financially crush tens of millions.
The Senate proposed bill critically fails to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits and leaves future healthcare funding in jeopardy for veterans exposed to deadly toxins. This proposal will not solve the healthcare mess Donald Trump and Republicans foisted on the American people. Costs will soar. Basic healthcare and access to doctors will be pushed out of reach for millions.
House Democrats will not give up our fight to make life less expensive for families, seniors and veterans. And we will continue to oppose this economic trainwreck that Donald Trump and Republicans own. When it’s finally debated in the House, we will hold Republicans accountable and go to the mat for a vote on legislation to prevent millions of Americans’ health care costs from skyrocketing. We will demand Mike Johnson swear-in Congresswoman-elect Adelita Grijalva and explain why he allowed this healthcare and shutdown catastrophe to mushroom into a full-blown crisis, while Republicans enjoyed a two-month, taxpayer-funded vacation.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Pete Aguilar (31 CD Ca)
Rep. Pete Aguilar released the following statement:
“House Democrats have been clear from day one: we need a bipartisan deal that funds the government and addresses the health care crisis Republicans created with their Big Ugly Law.
“The bill the Senate is taking up does not fix the health care crisis or make life more affordable for Americans across the country. That’s why I’m voting no.
“At a time when Americans are facing affordability and health care crises, we need a real solution that will address the rising cost of health care.
“Donald Trump and Republicans are to blame for this disaster and because of their cruel, corrupt and costly policies, millions of Americans will suffer. They prioritized permanent tax cuts for billionaires but are refusing to fund just one year of Affordable Care Act tax credits to make insurance more affordable, all the while finding $40 billion to bail out Argentina.
“Democrats will continue to fight for quality, affordable health care for the American people.”
Rep. Barragán’s Statementon Senate Republicans’ Spending Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Barragán (CA-44) released the following statement on Senate Republicans’ spending legislation:
“The fight to lower healthcare costs for Americans continues, with the same level of commitment and fight that Americans deserve. At a time when Americans have received notices of their skyrocketing healthcare premiums, they continue to ask that I fight to lower their cost. I join House Democrats in that fight.
Trump and Republicans in Congress have created a health care crisis, and the Senate Republicans’ bill fails to extend the health care tax credits to lower costs for Americans. These credits are critical for millions of American families to get health insurance so they can see a doctor, fill prescriptions, and get critical health care. Republicans continue to put the health and lives of tens of millions of Americans at risk as they ignore their health care crisis, at the expense of the American people.
The Senate bill fails to meet the moment to bring costs down to ensure affordable health care for all Americans.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)
Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries released the following statement:
House Democrats have consistently maintained that bipartisan legislation that funds the government must also decisively address the Republican healthcare crisis.
For seven weeks, Democrats in the House and Senate have waged a valiant fight on behalf of the American people.
It now appears that Senate Republicans will send the House of Representatives a spending bill that fails to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. As a result of the Republican refusal to address the healthcare crisis that they have created, tens of millions of everyday Americans are going to see their costs skyrocket. Many will not be able to afford a doctor when they or their children need one.
America is far too expensive. We will not support spending legislation advanced by Senate Republicans that fails to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. We will fight the GOP bill in the House of Representatives, where Mike Johnson will be compelled to end the seven week Republican taxpayer-funded vacation.
Donald Trump and the Republican Party own the toxic mess they have created in our country and the American people know it.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)
Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on CNN’s First of All, where he made clear that Democrats remain ready, willing and able to find a bipartisan spending agreement that protects the healthcare of the American people and ends the Trump-Republican shutdown.
VICTOR BLACKWELL: Joining us now live, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Leader Jeffries, thank you for being with me.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Good morning, great to be with you.
VICTOR BLACKWELL: So let me start here with the news overnight. And I’ll get to the machinations there in Congress, but your reaction to this hold on the administration being required to immediately pay out full SNAP benefits.
LEADER JEFFRIES:Donald Trump and his administration have made the decision to weaponize hunger, to withhold SNAP benefits from millions of people, notwithstanding the fact that two lower courts, both the District Court and the Court of Appeals, made clear that those SNAP benefits needed to be paid immediately. The administration chose to go begging before the United States Supreme Court to put a halt on that because they want to withhold SNAP benefits from children, from veterans, from seniors, from American families, and it’s shameful.
VICTOR BLACKWELL: Hungry children, Leader Jeffries, don’t know if they’re not being fed because of a lack of SNAP benefits or a lack of their parents’ federal salary. And so when Democrats voted yesterday to not pay federal workers, is that something you would have supported?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, from the standpoint of the votes in the Senate, I think what’s become clear is that, as Democrats, we are ready, we’re willing, we’re able to sit down with our colleagues on the other side of the aisle, find a bipartisan path forward to reopening the government, to enacting a spending agreement that actually meets the needs of the American people and also, at the same time, decisively address the Republican healthcare crisis, particularly as it relates to the need to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, which are going to trigger, in the absence of doing that, dramatically increased premiums, copays and deductibles on working-class Americans. The legislation yesterday, Victor, would have actually given the Trump administration the discretion to do what it wants to do relative to which federal employees it pays, which federal employees it doesn’t pay, how to maneuver through the offices that they’ve been shutting down for months, even prior to the start of the Trump-Republican government shutdown, so it wasn’t a credible effort by Republicans to try to resolve this challenge.
VICTOR BLACKWELL: Alright, let’s talk about efforts to resolve this. Do you fully support the proposal that the Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer proposed yesterday, a one-year extension of the ACA tax credit, the subsidies that expire at the end of the year, and then open the government and discuss everything else after that?
LEADER JEFFRIES: I think that the proposal was offered in good faith by Leader Schumer and supported by Senate Democrats. And our view has been that we would consider anything as House Democrats that is arrived at in a bipartisan way, that emerges from the Senate, that reopens the government, that provides us with a path toward decisively addressing the Republican healthcare crisis, beginning with the extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits. We haven’t had an opportunity as a Caucus to sit down and evaluate the specifics of the proposal. We’ll do that as House Democrats in short order—
VICTOR BLACKWELL: But how about the headline? How about the headline?
LEADER JEFFRIES: —but it was a strong, reasonable step in the right direction.
VICTOR BLACKWELL: So you would—you call it a reasonable step in the right direction for a one-year extension to get the government back open. Let me play for everyone what you said in October, this October 7th, about a one-year extension when it was proposed then.
VIDEO OF LEADER JEFFRIES: A one-year extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits is not acceptable. It’s a non-starter. It’s a non-starter. Like, what world are these MAGA extremists living in right now to think that Democrats are going to go along with a one-year extension from a group of people, meaning the Republicans, who just permanently extended massive tax breaks for their billionaire donors. It’s a laughable proposition. It makes no sense.
VICTOR BLACKWELL: Makes no sense, laughable, non-starter then. Now it’s reasonable and it’s the Democratic starting point. What changed?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, let me compare the two things. What I was responding to was a proposal by a handful of House Republicans who put forward the notion that they are up to extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits by a year, who have zero credibility on the issue. They hadn’t even been able to convince their own House Republican leaders, beginning with Speaker Johnson, to even put the legislation on the floor to House. It wasn’t a serious proposal being put forward by these random House Republicans.
VICTOR BLACKWELL: The legislation that’s sponsored by—but it’s also some House Democrats who support that legislation as well. It’s a bipartisan piece of legislation.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Yeah. Well, and—it’s a bipartisan piece of legislation—and those House Democrats are proceeding in good faith. That said, if you look at the Schumer proposal, the Schumer proposal is a one-year extension of the tax credits, as is, and a step toward a multi-year extension because there’s a recognition by the Senate Democrats that, of course, simply taking the step toward a year without any further process moving forward beyond that leaves us back in the same situation. So, the Senate proposal is definitively different than what was being floated out there by House Republicans.
VICTOR BLACKWELL: Leader Jeffries, there are some people who don’t know what a clean CR is and don’t care. They just need to be able to pay their rent and feed their children. I want you to listen to some of the people who are going without now on day 39. And then I want your reaction and response.
VIDEO OF ASHLEE TARR: I was born with a mild form of cerebral palsy, so I’ve been disabled since birth. So I rely on Food Stamps and Social Security to survive. I’ve been struggling. It’s been really hard. I’ve literally been eating spaghetti for four days because it’s all I have in my apartment.
VIDEO OF ONITA MORRIS: Rather than myself having like a full plate of food along with my kids, I’m making sure that they have a full plate of food and their bellies are full and I may have either less or I may not eat what they are eating just for the sake that they are getting enough. I just don’t understand how we’ve come to a point where we’re using food in politics and being essentially political pawns.
VICTOR BLACKWELL: What do you say to the people and maybe listen, some of them might even support your end goal, but they have to feed their children this morning and tomorrow morning and the morning after that. What do you tell them?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Thatthe administration has the funds to pay every single SNAP beneficiary right now, and that the administration’s decision, a decision made by Donald Trump, supported by his so-called Attorney General, and House and Senate Republicans, is to weaponize hunger. And the refusal to pay SNAP benefits has nothing to do with the fact that Republicans also shut the government down. Keep in mind, Victor, that in July, in connection with their One Big Ugly Bill, Republicans, in addition to the largest cut to Medicaid in American history, cut $186 billion out of SNAP. They literally ripped food out of the mouths of hungry children, seniors and veterans, and they did it so they could reward their billionaire donors with massive tax breaks that they then made permanent. And now, as we are in the midst of this ongoing Republican-Trump shutdown, they are intentionally withholding SNAP benefits from people all across the country. 42 million Americans, 16 million children, 8 million older Americans and over a million veterans. It’s outrageous. There’s no justification for it. And those SNAP benefits, as ordered by two different federal courts, should be paid immediately.
VICTOR BLACKWELL: I’ll point out that there are people in the same food line for help that are not getting their SNAP benefits, who are federal workers as well who are not getting their salaries. And we talked about the vote yesterday in the Senate against paying those employees. Leader Hakeem Jeffries, thank you so much for your time.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)
Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press, emphasizing that Democrats remain ready to sit down with Republicans to end their government shutdown and protect the healthcare and nutritional assistance of the American people, but Republicans must come to the negotiating table.
KRISTEN WELKER: Joining me now is the House Democratic Leader, Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Leader Jeffries, welcome back to Meet the Press.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Good morning. Great to be with you.
KRISTEN WELKER: It’s great to have you here. Let’s start on the government shutdown, now the longest in US history. Leader Jeffries, do you believe that your colleagues in the Senate are close to reaching a deal and ending this shutdown?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, we need to end the Trump-Republican shutdown, the longest shutdown, of course, in American history. And as Democrats, we’ve repeatedly maintain that we will sit down anytime, anyplace, with anyone in order to reopen the government, to find a bipartisan path forward to enacting a spending agreement that actually meets the needs of the American people, which means trying to drive down the high cost of living because America under Donald Trump and Republican policies has become far too expensive, while at the same time dealing with the Republican healthcare crisis that threatens to drive up premiums, copays and deductibles to levels that will be unaffordable for working-class Americans because of the Republican refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits.
KRISTEN WELKER: Well, Leader Jeffries, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer did make a new offer, effectively saying let’s extend Obamacare subsidies for one year in exchange for reopening the government for one year. You have said that you would support that proposal, but just last month you said this. Take a look.
RECORDING OF LEADER JEFFRIES: A one-year extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits is not acceptable. It’s a nonstarter. It’s a nonstarter.
KRISTEN WELKER: So Leader Jeffries, what changed?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, the proposal that I was making reference to in October was something that was floated out there by a handful of rank-and-file House Republicans, and that was immediately rejected by House Republican leadership because they have no interest in driving down the high cost of living for everyday Americans. The Schumer proposal, of course, was offered in good faith. It’s both a one-year extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits. Now we’re already in the middle of the open enrollment period. Tens of millions of people are on the brink of facing dramatically-increased healthcare costs—costs that, in some cases, could be $1,000 or $2,000 per month. That is unaffordable for middle-class Americans, working-class Americans and everyday Americans. And the Schumer proposal also provides a path toward bipartisan negotiations for a multi-year extension, which would provide the type of certainty that the American people need.
KRISTEN WELKER: Well, as you know, Republican Leader John Thune has called it a nonstarter. Let me ask you, would you support a bill that would include a promise to vote on extending Obamacare subsidies? Is that something you could live with?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Let’s understand that these Republicans have tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act more than 70 different times over the last 15 years. They’re not acting in good faithas it relates to dealing with the healthcare crisis that they’re visiting on the American people. This is the same group of folks who just enacted the largest cut to Medicaid in American history as part of their One Big Ugly Bill. Hospitals and nursing homes and community-based health centers are closing all across the country, including in rural America, because of Republican policies. We’re faced with the possibility of a $536 billion cut to Medicare at the end of this year if Congress doesn’t act connected to what they did in the One Big Ugly Bill. And now they’re refusing to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits for even a year when they’ve just enacted massive permanent tax breaks for their billionaire donors. Does that seem reasonable? Is that the type of policy that the American people are screaming out for, as evidenced by what just happened with Republicans being wiped out in the general election last Tuesday?
KRISTEN WELKER: Leader Jeffries, just very quickly. Yes or no, do you rule out supporting a bill that would include a promise to vote on Obamacare subsidies? Yes or no?
LEADER JEFFRIES: I don’t think that the House Democratic Caucus is prepared to support a promise, a wing and a prayer, from folks who have been devastating the healthcare of the American people for years.
KRISTEN WELKER: All right. Let’s talk about the impacts, you mentioned them, of this government shutdown. They’re being felt across the country. Hundreds of flights, as you know, have been canceled this weekend across major airports. The lines are growing longer outside of food banks. And there’s a lot of uncertainty about food assistance programs, which currently hang in the balance right now, in limbo. Leader Jeffries, is it responsible for Democrats to continue to push for a better deal and to not reopen the government, given that people are suffering right now?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Republicans control the House, the Senate and the presidency. Donald Trump, from the very beginning of his term, has taken a my-way-or-the-highway approach. That’s not reasonable. It’s not reasonable for Donald Trump to withhold, intentionally, SNAP benefits from 42 million Americans, including more than a million veterans who are at risk of going hungry a few days from us honoring the veterans of this country who have sacrificed with their bravery and their courage. It’s not reasonable for Republicans to devastate the healthcare of the American people, to find $40 billion as they did a few weeks ago to bail out their right-wing dictator friend in Argentina, but can’t find a dime to make healthcare affordable for the American people? Listen, as Democrats, we want to find a bipartisan path forward. We want to reopen the government. We’re also fighting to drive down the high cost of living. Donald Trump promised to lower costs on day one. Costs aren’t going down, costs are going up. Housing costs through the roof. Grocery costs through the roof. Electricity bills are skyrocketing. And now we’re on the brink of healthcare insurance premiums dramatically increasing, devastating working-class Americans. None of that is acceptable. We need to find a viable path forward.
KRISTEN WELKER: But Leader Jeffries, for the people who are suffering right now and who are, quite frankly, concerned about how they are going to put food on the table over this holiday season, how long can they expect this shutdown to continue? Can you guarantee that you will reopen the government before Thanksgiving?
LEADER JEFFRIES: We need to resolve this immediately. And here are two things that can be done to get that accomplished—
KRISTEN WELKER: You think it’ll happen before Thanksgiving?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, one, Donald Trump—
KRISTEN WELKER: Do you think it’ll happen before Thanksgiving?
LEADER JEFFRIES: I hope so. Donald Trump needs to get off the golf course and get back to the negotiating table. He’s spent more time golfing over the last several weeks then he has talking to Democrats, who represent half the country, as part of an effort to find a bipartisan path forward. And by the way, we also know that House Republicans have literally cancelled votes for the last six weeks. They’ve been on vacation, and they have no plans to return next week. We’ll be in Washington as House Democrats ready, willing and able to reopen the government to make life better for the American people and to address the healthcare crisis that has been devastating the country.
KRISTEN WELKER: Leader Jeffries, President Trump floated what he believes is a potential solution to this online. Let me read it to you. He says, quote, ‘I am recommending to Senate Republicans that the hundreds of billions of dollars currently being sent to money-sucking insurance companies in order to save the bad healthcare provided by Obamacare be sent directly to the people so that they can purchase their own, much better healthcare.’ Would you ever support giving subsidies directly to the American people instead of Obamacare?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, we have a broken healthcare system. But the Affordable Care Act has been part of actually providing health insurance to tens of millions of Americans. Of course, there’s always opportunity to improve current policy that exists. But Republicans aren’t operating in good faith as it relates to doing anything to actually make healthcare more affordable. And we’ve seen that repeatedly over the last several weeks. Now, if Donald Trump is changing his tune and is actually willing to sit down and negotiate a bipartisan path forward, of course we are interested in doing that. We’ve been making that point for the last several weeks.
KRISTEN WELKER: What do you make of that proposal online, though? Does it sound like he’s interested in doing that?
LEADER JEFFRIES:I mean, it’s hard to take these online things seriously. There’s no actual legislation, there’s no text, there’s no policy documents to be able to review. If that exists,if that somehow materializes and manifests itself in the next day or so, we look forward to reviewing it in good faith.
KRISTEN WELKER: All right, Leader Jeffries, let’s turn now to Tuesday’s election results. Democrats had a clean sweep winning the New York City mayoral election, both gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia, as you know, a ballot measure in California. You are on track to potentially become the next Speaker if Democrats were to win back the House in 2026. How confident are you that that’s going to happen?
LEADER JEFFRIES:Democrats are definitely going to take back control of the House of Representatives, and we’re going to stay focused on the issues that matter—lowering the high cost of living, fixing our broken healthcare system and cleaning up corruption to actually deliver a country that works for working-class Americans, for everyday Americans and for middle-class Americans. As Democrats, you know, we believe in a country that has a strong floor and no ceiling. If you work hard and play by the rules, there should be no ceiling to the success that you can accomplish for yourself, for your family, for your children. At the same time, we also believe in a country that has a strong floor—that’s Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid and nutritional assistance, by the way, the things that Republicans are trying to devastate right now.
KRISTEN WELKER: Leader Jeffries, what about the Senate?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Listen, I think that the results on Tuesday, which were so decisive in the states that you mentioned, but also in Georgia, in Mississippi, in Pennsylvania, across the country, up and down the ballot, including in races that didn’t get the same level of attention, shows that there’s a real path, of course, to taking back control of the House of Representatives where we’re only 3 seats short right now—when we flipped the House in 2018, we were 24 seats short—but also a strong and viable path in the Senate. Because the American people have had enough and they want a government that actually puts them first, as opposed to what Republicans have been doing prioritizing the wealthy, the well-off and the well-connected.
KRISTEN WELKER: Two quick questions, lightning round. Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani won big in New York City. He’s just coming into City Hall having made ambitious promises. Let’s take a listen to what he said on election night.
RECORDING OF ZOHRAN MAMDANI AND CROWD: Together, New York, we’re going to freeze the rent. Together, New York, we’re going to make buses fast and free. Together, New York, we’re going to deliver universal child care.
KRISTEN WELKER: So frozen rent, free buses, universal child care. Do you believe that he can deliver on those promises very quickly Leader Jeffries?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well he’s going to have to work with the Rent Guidelines Board and, probably more importantly, with the Governor of the State of New York and the State Legislature in order to enact those proposals, but I do expect that the legislature, of course, and the Governor are going to meet him in good faith, try to negotiate a path forward. But it’s all centered around the notion of making New York City more affordable, which is, of course, what we have to do throughout America in a country that’s far too expensive. It is the wealthiest country in the history of the world. It’s unacceptable that far too many people are struggling to live paycheck to paycheck.
KRISTEN WELKER: Leader Jeffries, quickly, before I let you go. Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi announcing she will not seek reelection. If you do in fact become the next Speaker, will you model yourself after her?
LEADER JEFFRIES:Well, Nancy Pelosi is a legendary, heroic, historic, transformational figure. I’m proud to just stand on her shoulders, to serve with her and to have the benefit of her guidance, her wisdom, her mentorship and her insights.
KRISTEN WELKER: All right, Leader Jeffries, thank you so much for joining us on a very busy weekend. We really appreciate it.