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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Pete Aguilar (31 CD Ca)

Rep. Pete Aguilar joined KQED to talk about the ongoing Republican shutdown and how Democrats are fighting tirelessly to protect Americans’ health care
Recently, Rep. Pete Aguilar (CA-33) joined KQED’s Mina Kim to talk about the ongoing Republican shutdown, why Democrats are fighting to protect health care and how Republican cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act could harm the Inland Empire. You can listen to the full interview here and read an excerpt from Rep. Aguilar’s interview below:
Mina Kim: Joining us now is San Bernardino Representative Pete Aguilar, who’s also House Democratic Caucus Chair and sits on the Appropriations Committee. Congressman Aguilar, thank you so much for joining us.
Rep. Pete Aguilar: Thanks for having me.
Mina Kim: So we’re in a government shutdown, with thousands of federal jobs on the line and billions in federal aid being withheld. But the House is not in session, working with the Senate to end the shutdown. How do you explain this, Congressman?
Rep. Pete Aguilar: You know, I don’t really have an explanation, Mina, other than that the Speaker of the House doesn’t want to convene Members to come back to Washington, but I don’t know why. Clearly, he’s afraid of something. Maybe he’s afraid of Democrats and Republicans actually being around each other and forcing a solution.
The only way that we solve this government funding crisis is for Democrats and Republicans to come together. And Leader Jeffries has said House Democrats will go anywhere and negotiate at any point to avert this crisis.
But our position has been clear: we want to avert the health care crisis that they have created. Republicans created this crisis by passing the Big Ugly Law, and now they want Democratic votes to support them implementing this. That doesn’t make sense to us.
And today, by the way, the Administration just announced a $40 billion bailout to Argentina. So, they’re comfortable not working since September 19th, by the way, twenty-five days in a row—and bailing out Argentina to the tune of $40 billion. But letting fifteen million people lose their health care coverage. That’s not right for us.
Mina Kim: But then, what’s your message to those who are worrying about a prolonged shutdown? The effects of it are trying to come into focus, with hundreds of thousands of federal workers starting to miss their paychecks or receiving partial pay. There’s concerns about, you know, things like everyday, things like airport delays and so on. What is your message?
Rep. Pete Aguilar: Our message to our federal workers and people who utilize federal services is, you know, we support them. We lift them up. We support the work that they do, whether they work for the IRS or whether they work for FEMA or park rangers or TSA workers or air traffic controller – we support all of the work that they do, and we feel that they all are essential. Donald Trump has been trying to use them as political pawns, and he has been trying to fire them and dismantle our federal workforce since January 20th. This isn’t something that’s new for the government shutdown or new since October 1st. He maybe has a different reason. He has a few different talking points, but his attack on our federal workers has been very clear since he took his oath of office. And so our message to them is we’re fighting for you. We’re trying to help you. We want you to be paid, and we will ensure and we will fight to ensure that they get back pay, which has always been the case during government shutdowns. Donald Trump is the one who is saying he wants to pick winners and losers and pick favorites on who gets back pay and who doesn’t.
[…]
Mina Kim: How are you seeing the health care cuts affecting your district specifically?
Rep. Pete Aguilar: This is huge, Mina. Your listeners come from all over the state, but especially for areas like the Central Valley and the Inland Empire, these cuts could be devastating. We have a disproportionate amount of people on Medi-Cal, which out in our way is IEHP and Molina Health Care.
51,000 people in my district are at risk of losing coverage because of Republican cuts to Medicaid. That’s what’s at stake and what’s already happening. Now they want to let premium tax credits expire, and that’s going to raise the rates dramatically.
And let’s just say, for a family of four making $64,000 a year, their rate premiums could go up by $2,500 — that’s almost a 400% increase. Families are just trying to get by. The cost of living in the United States and in California is a lot. People are getting crushed by it. And so this is not the time for Mike Johnson, Donald Trump and House Republicans to raise the health care costs that people are paying. That’s exactly what they plan to do.
So, that’s what this is about. That’s why we’re trying to elevate this conversation. That’s why we’re fighting and pushing for them to come back to the table and to work with us.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Dina Titus (1st District of Nevada)

“The decision of the Trump administration to furlough 1,400 employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration puts our national security at risk. These critical employees oversee the development and maintenance of our nuclear stockpile. Without them, construction of modernized weapons and surveillance of the existing stockpile will grind to a halt, reducing our nuclear deterrence. This is a decision our enemies will welcome. It also demonstrates that President Trump will go to any lengths — including jeopardizing our national security — to achieve his political ends.”

Background

CNN: Federal agency overseeing US nuclear stockpile will furlough most of its workforce starting Monday

The federal agency responsible for overseeing and modernizing the US nuclear stockpile will furlough the vast majority of its staff Monday as the government shutdown drags on, according to the Department of Energy.

About 1,400 employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration, or NNSA, will receive furlough notices Monday, while fewer than 400 employees will remain on the job to safeguard the stockpile, Energy Department spokesperson Ben Dietderich told CNN.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright will speak about the shutdown’s impact on the US’ nuclear deterrent efforts Monday while visiting the Nevada National Security Site.

The NNSA Office of Secure Transportation, which oversees the transportation of nuclear weapons around the country, will be funded through October 27.

“Since its creation in 2000, NNSA has never before furloughed federal workers during funding lapses,” Dietderich said in a statement. “We are left with no choice this time. We’ve extended funding as long as we could.”

The furloughs will first impact NNSA sites that assemble nuclear weapons, such as Pantex in Texas and Y-12 in Tennessee, a source familiar with the situation told CNN. Because those facilities require large teams to manufacture weapons, furloughs will force those sites into safe shutdown mode.

“Contractors will continue doing very minimal work until they themselves run out of money,” another NNSA source said. “But the day-to-day rhythm of federal oversight, the approvals and monitoring of these contractors, keeping everything on track, will grind to a halt because the people responsible for oversight will be furloughed.”

Monday’s furloughs mark the first wave of disruption for the agency.

“Whatever minimal work contractors are able to continue to do as far as building weapons, enriching special nuclear material, stockpile surveillance, that will stop when the contractors run out of money,” the second source warned. “The earliest we could see that happen is around October 28.”

At that point, the agency would no longer be able to deliver weapons to the Department of Defense. “Everything would be locked up,” the second source said.

Shutting down mid-operation comes with its own complications.

“To stop in the middle of disassembling or building a nuclear weapon, there are several steps you must take to ensure everything is safe enough to leave and lock up,” the second source explained. “And then when you come back, you have to do all of that in reverse to restart. It takes time, it’s not like flipping a light switch.”

For now, both NNSA sources say, there is no immediate national security threat.

“The nuclear stockpile today is reliable and can accomplish what it’s designed to do,” the second source said. “But if we can’t continue our modernization, refurbishing, doing surveillance, then it’s the reliability of the stockpile that’s affected, and it’s going to take some time to play catch up on all of that work.”

Security staff guarding facilities with weapons and nuclear materials will remain on the job. However, ceasing operations at Pantex and Y-12 will stall modernization efforts for the US nuclear stockpile, the sources told CNN. The Department of Defense has been pushing the NNSA to produce new and modernized weapons on time, and a government shutdown could delay that schedule significantly — depending on how long it lasts.

“While the Energy Department and NNSA remain committed to ensuring the safety and security of America’s nuclear deterrent, the longer the shutdown lasts, the more damaging and dire the consequences will be for workforce retention and weapons modernization efforts critical to national security,” Dietderich said in the statement.

Inside the agency, frustration is high.

“There’s a lot of frustration and disappointment that Congress can’t get this done,” one source said. “Especially considering what’s at stake.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)

WASHINGTON — On Day 20 of the Democrat Shutdown, Speaker Johnson held a press conference alongside House GOP Leadership, House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, and Rep. Chip Roy to urge Senate Democrats — now that they have their political cover from the Far-Left — to do the responsible thing and vote to reopen the government.

“Now that Democrats have had their protests and publicity stunts, I just pray that they come to their senses and end this shutdown and reopen the government this week,” Speaker Johnson said. “Republicans are waiting. The American people are waiting. And we are ready to act.”

Watch Speaker Johnson’s full remarks here.

On Democrats creating the longest full government shutdown in U.S. history:

Since the Democrats recklessly shut down the United States government, the Democrats are making some very costly history here. Don’t lose that in all that’s happening. This is now the third longest shutdown in history. And when you look at it carefully, it is now already the longest full shutdown of all time. You had an example in 2018, and you had one back in 1995 that were longer, but they were partial shutdowns because they only affected a part of the federal government. This is everything. And it’s also important for us to note this is the first time in history that any party has had the audacity to shut down the government over a totally clean, nonpartisan continuing resolution. This is a political stunt, and it’s the first time it’s been done. It is the most costly, most selfish, most dangerous political stunt in the history of the United States Congress.

Because as we have stood here day after day after day, explaining about all the Americans who are being harmed by this nonsense, the Senate Democrats have zero shame about this. They don’t have any shame at all about the pain that they’re inflicting upon hardworking families, upon soldiers and law enforcement officers and veterans, the elderly and the disabled, women, infants, and children. Services to all those categories and paychecks to those folks are being stalled because Democrats are playing games today. Leader Thune in the Senate will once again bring the clean, nonpartisan CR to the floor for a vote. They will have another chance. Democrats will have their 12th opportunity to pass the bill. It is the same bill that they themselves supported just seven months ago. And Chuck Schumer gave impassioned speeches on the floor about how it was the only option. And don’t forget they did it 13 times under the Biden Administration.

On the great irony of the “No Kings” protests:

Something’s changed over the weekend. We saw what it was all about; the Democrats made crystal clear that this is about politics. The politics were on full display. The spectacle is what the mobs, the crowds, the rallies this week were all about. It was quite ironic though. The irony was very glaring. They called it the “No Kings” rally. But the great irony, of course, that we pointed out over and over, was if President Trump was a king, the government would be open. If President Trump was a king, he would’ve closed the national parks and the National Mall so they couldn’t have had the rally out here. By the way, that’s what President Obama did during the shutdown in 2013, closed all the parks and the National Mall.

Here in Washington, you had Senators Bernie Sanders and Chris Murphy and Cory Booker and others marching in the streets. Now, these are the same Senators who voted over and over to shut down the legislative branch and hand the reins to President Trump. They’re decrying the situation that they themselves created. This has always been about the spectacle. Chuck Schumer and himself joined the spectacle in New York City. And it’s interesting to note his activities there. He was standing side by side some of the most radical groups that maybe ever assembled on our soil. They openly advertised as co-sponsors of the event in New York City, the Communist Party USA, the Democratic Socialists of America, the Freedom Socialist Party, the Young Communist League of New York. Many others. Do we need any further evidence? They’re not hiding this. They’re out in the open. They’re not shy about it, because this is the core constituency of the modern Democrat Party.

On Democrats being in disarray:

You’ve got a few reasonable Democrats who know shutdowns hurt the people and they’ve already voted for our bill. They want to keep the government open. Then you’ve got others desperate to prop up the failures of Obamacare with no reforms whatsoever to make the program more affordable. That’s what we’re fighting for. You’ve got AOC calling for her own negotiations on live TV, and you’ve got Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries still unable to articulate what it is they need to reopen the government.

It illustrates the point once again; this was never about a solution. It was about creating an issue. Now that Democrats have had their protests and publicity stunts, I just pray that they come to their senses and end this shutdown and reopen the government this week. Republicans are waiting. The American people are waiting. And we are ready to act.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23)

Our constituents are already facing a healthcare affordability crisis, higher prices due to tariffs and economic uncertainty, and a higher net tax burden due to the Republican Big Ugly Law. We urge you to abandon unilateral changes to Social Security disability eligibility and refocus your attention on ensuring that all Americans can access their earned benefits.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28)

Laredo, TX – Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar, Ph.D. (TX-28) released a new update showing that Texas’ 28th Congressional District is a powerhouse in clean energy production – pairing renewable power with traditional oil and gas to lower energy costs for families and strengthen the local economy. As a base for economic growth, the district ranks among the top in Texas for new energy projects, with Webb and Starr Counties leading the way in generation and development.

“I’ve always said that South Texas doesn’t have to choose between oil and gas and clean energy,” said Congressman Cuellar. “We can do both – and that’s exactly what we’re doing. Our district is producing more energy, creating more jobs, and generating more local tax revenue than ever before. This growth keeps costs down for every household in South Texas while ensuring reliable power for years to come.”

He continued, “When I talk with families in places like Laredo, Zapata, or Rio Grande City, I hear the same thing: people just want steady work, affordable energy, and a better future for their kids. That’s what these projects bring — not slogans, but results. They mean paychecks, progress, and pride for our communities.”

Powering Local Communities

Texas’ 28th District is home to 30 active clean energy projects, generating 3,548 megawatts (MW) of power across six counties — with 18 more projects planned that will add another 3,062 MW of new capacity in the coming years.

County Highlights:

• Webb County: Over 1,800 MW of solar and wind power

• Starr County: Over 1,000 MW of solar and wind power

• Zapata County: Over 400 MW of solar and wind power

• Bexar County: Over 100 MW of solar and wind power

• Jim Hogg County: 78 MW of wind power

• Guadalupe County: 4.9 MW of solar power
  Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA 860M)

Investing in Reliability and Jobs

Construction is underway on new battery storage projects in Bexar, Webb, Atascosa, Guadalupe, Jim Hogg, and Zapata Counties, which will hold up to 2,375 MW of stored energy to make the grid more reliable. In addition, new solar farms in Atascosa, Webb, and Zapata Counties will soon bring another 686 MW of clean power online.

“These projects mean more than numbers on a page,” Cuellar said. “They mean a young technician in Jim Hogg County can build a career close to home. They mean that a small business owner in Zapata can keep her lights on when the grid is stressed. They mean that South Texas — our workers, our families, our values — are shaping the future of American energy.”

He added, “We’re proving that economic growth and environmental responsibility don’t have to be at odds. We’re showing the country that if you believe in hard work, innovation, and community — you can build something that lasts.”

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Congressman Henry Cuellar, Ph.D. is a senior member of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee. He previously served as a Texas State Representative and Texas Secretary of State.
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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)

WASHINGTON — On Day 19 of the Democrat Shutdown, Speaker Johnson joined Jon Karl on ABC News’ This Week and Peter Doocy on Fox News’ The Sunday Briefing to discuss the stark contrast between Republicans and Democrats and the ongoing “split screen” between the two parties.

“Think of the split screen. What’s happening right now? President Trump and Republicans reduced taxes, reduced regulations to get the economy going again, ended the crime crisis, ended the border crisis. He’s resolving wars and conflicts around the globe,” Speaker Johnson said. “What have Democrats done? They shut the government down.”

Watch Speaker Johnson on ABC News here, on Fox News here. 

On Congressional Democrats dragging the government shutdown into a fourth week:                                                                                     

I will tell you that the President takes no pleasure in this. I know this, Peter, because when we were in the Oval Office before the shutdown began in mid-September, he pleaded with Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries not to go down this road because he knew that that good, faithful, hardworking American citizens would suffer great harm because of this. And you see that. You know, the paychecks for troops, while we got it done middle of this month because of the President’s heroic efforts, that is not guaranteed going forward. He found a temporary pot of money to pay the troops, but it’s going to run out. And you have border patrol and TSA agents and air traffic controllers and all the rest, veteran services, health services, nutrition services to mothers and infants. The Democrats have now voted 11 times to block all of that, to shut down the government, and they have no good reason for doing so. Chuck Schumer’s doing it for political cover. President Trump is governing, and they’ve been dealt this situation, dealt this hand by Chuck Schumer, and they have to make the most of it. They have to triage federal spending because Schumer and the Democrats turned off the revenue streams. That’s just a reality of where we are.

I sent them a totally clean CR. It had zero Republican policy priorities attached to it. It’s merely maintaining the status quo, keeping the lights on so that we can continue all our work and get government appropriations finished up. They denied that and they’ve now voted 11 times to block paychecks for troops. And what they filed as the counter proposal, let’s never forget, is absolute madness. They want to spend instead $1.5 trillion. They want to give healthcare back to illegal aliens, paid for by taxpayer dollars to at tune of about $200 billion. They want to claw back the money that we set aside for rural hospitals, and they want to spend on all sorts of wasteful nonsense around the globe. They want all that to come back. We can’t do it. They know we’re not going to do that. And it’s not a good faith effort on their part.

On the irony of Democrats embracing the “No Kings” protest:

We congratulate them on an apparently violent-free, free speech exercise. I was a first amendment lawyer for 20 years. We defend that right. But the irony of the message is pretty clear for everyone. If President Trump was a king, the government would be open right now. If President Trump was a king, they would not have been able to engage in that free speech exercise out on the mall, by the way, which was open because President Trump hasn’t closed it. In the 2013 shutdown, President Obama closed the National Mall. He closed all the national parks, didn’t allow people to engage in all this. They needed a stunt. They needed a show. Chuck Schumer needs cover right now. He’s closed the government down because he needs political cover. And this was a part of it. 

On the relationship between Congress and the White House:

We have unified government. The American people put Republicans in charge of the White House, the Senate, and the House, and we are delivering for the people. You can make an argument, the first nine months of this Congress and this administration were the most successful, most productive in history. Think of the split screen. What’s happening right now? President Trump and Republicans reduced taxes, reduced regulations to get the economy going again. Ended the crime crisis, ending the border crisis. He’s resolving wars and conflicts around the globe. What have Democrats done? They shut the government down.

Congress is more than a check on the executive branch. We’re the Article I body in the Constitution. We have a preeminent responsibility, and I take that seriously. I’m a lifelong constitutional attorney and somebody who’s been a jealous advocate of it. The President and I talk all the time about policies and decisions and all of that. We do that behind closed doors, because that’s what party leaders do when you’re in the same party. It’s called unified government. The reason we’ve been so productive is because we do that so well and we’re delivering for the American people. 

On the Democrat Shutdown blocking further work on bipartisan appropriations:

The House has already passed the 12 appropriations bills through committee. They don’t need a committee hearing to do that. We need to get them off the floor. But it’s been stopped by the Democrats in the Senate. And why? Because Chuck Schumer is afraid that one of these Marxists is going to run against him in his next reelection, and he has to get political cover. When he did the right thing in March, and he voted for the nearly identical CR, he took massive heat from the far left. Many of the groups that were out there protesting yesterday, he can’t face them again. 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on ABC’s This Week, where he highlighted how Democrats remain committed to reaching a spending agreement that actually improves the quality of life of the American people, while Republicans are focused on stunts and extending their taxpayer-funded vacations.

JONATHAN KARL: I am joined now by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Leader Jeffries, thank you for joining us this morning. And I want to start right with what we heard from Senator Thune. He has offered Democrats, to Democratic Leader Schumer, that they would have a vote on extending those Obamacare subsidies and negotiations if they agree to open the government. Is that something that Senator Schumer should accept?

LEADER JEFFRIES: I think what we need is decisive action. We have repeatedly made clear—Leader Schumer, myself, Democrats in the House and the Senate—that we want to sit down, find a bipartisan path forward to enacting a spending agreement that actually makes life better for the American people, as opposed to gutting the healthcare of everyday Americans. We need to reopen the government, stand by our hardworking federal civil servants, but we also, of course, have to decisively address the healthcare crisis that Republicans have visited upon the American people. We’re talking about the largest cut to Medicaid in American history. Hospitals, nursing homes and community-based health centers are closing all across America because of what Republicans have done with their One Big Ugly Bill. And now they refuse to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, and tens of millions of Americans, as a result, are about to experience dramatically increased premiums, co-pays and deductibles that will either bankrupt them or prevent them from having the ability to go see a doctor when they need one.

JONATHAN KARL: But what Senator Thune is offering there is to have a vote on a Democratic or bipartisan plan to extend those—those subsidies so people’s premiums don’t go up, as they will now, dramatically in January, if the Democrats simply agree to vote to have that temporary funding extension. Is that something you would be willing to agree with? You get your vote on healthcare, but you also reopen the government.

LEADER JEFFRIES: I think what we’ve said is that we will not support a partisan Republican spending bill, which is the bill that they continue to bring before the Senate and that emerged from the House, if that bill guts the healthcare of the American people. And that’s the reality. Now listen, there have been votes on the Affordable Care Act tax credits in both the House and the Senate throughout the year, and Republicans have repeatedly voted against extending those tax credits because they care more about George Santos and freeing him than they do about providing healthcare to everyday Americans. That’s the unfortunate reality that we confront. That’s why we need a change in position to actually decisively address the healthcare crisis that’s impacting the American people, and at the same time, by the way, deal with the cost-of-living crisis that Donald Trump and his policies have made worse. These people promised to lower costs on day one. Costs haven’t gone down. They’re going up. Inflation is going up. The Trump tariffs are costing everyday Americans thousands of dollars more in expense per year. And now, because of their refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, people are confronting premiums that will double, triple or in some cases quadruple in amount.

JONATHAN KARL: So President Trump, by the way, was asked about the healthcare issue, and I want to play what he said. Take a listen to this.

VIDEO OF KAITLAN COLLINS: Would you make a deal with them on the ACA subsidies?

VIDEO OF PRESIDENT TRUMP: If we made the right deal, I’d make a deal.

JONATHAN KARL: So, I mean, that’s what he said. The President said he would make a deal, you know, reopening the government for something on the Obamacare or American—the Affordable Care Act subsidies. Have you tried to call President Trump directly on this? I do know he picks up that phone pretty regularly. Have you tried to call him directly?

LEADER JEFFRIES: We have repeatedly and publicly and privately made clear to our colleagues on the other side of the aisle that we will sit down with them anytime, anyplace, with anyone, either at the Capitol or back at the Oval Office, to reopen the government, find a bipartisan path toward enacting a spending agreement that actually improves the quality of life of the American people while at the same time decisively addressing the Republican healthcare crisis that’s devastating people throughout the country. Working-class America, rural America, urban America, small-town America, the heartland of America and, of course, Black and brown communities throughout America. But we haven’t heard anything from Donald Trump or the Republicans over the last few weeks. They have gone radio silent since the Oval Office meeting. In fact, we know Donald Trump has spent more time on the golf course over the last few weeks during this painful government shutdown than he has speaking to Democrats on Capitol Hill to try to find a bipartisan resolution. And, as you pointed out earlier with Speaker Johnson, House Republicans are now heading into their fourth week of vacation. They continue to cancel votes. They have no interest in doing the business of the American people, and that’s unfortunate.

JONATHAN KARL: I want to also ask you, obviously, we’re getting closer to that New York mayor’s race. You still haven’t endorsed Zohran Mamdani, have you?

LEADER JEFFRIES: I have not.

JONATHAN KARL: And why is that?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, as I’ve indicated, I expect to have a conversation with him at some point this week in advance of early voting, which begins next weekend in New York City and will certainly have more to say about the mayor’s race and about our Democratic nominee prior to early voting beginning.

JONATHAN KARL: What is it, though, that has held you back? I mean, usually—this is somebody that won a Democratic primary—you know, we usually wouldn’t be that much of a question whether or not, you know, a Congressman from the City of New York, the Democratic Leader, would endorse him. What’s giving you pause?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, we’ve had very good conversations over the last few months in advance of the government shutting down that were forward-looking, that were community-based, that were focused on, in particular, his efforts to make New York City more affordable. That’s the right issue to focus on. It’s why he decisively won the primary, and I look forward to continuing that conversation next week.

JONATHAN KARL: All right, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, thank you very much for joining us this morning. Really appreciate your time.

Full interview can be watched here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on CBS Miami’s Facing South Florida with Jim DeFede, where he reiterated that Democrats will continue to fight to protect the American people from the healthcare crisis Republicans have created and to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits that millions of Floridians and people across the country depend on.

JIM DeFEDE: Florida is a red state, but Jeffries is willing to take the fight over the shutdown to South Florida because South Florida is ground zero in this battle. We spoke early Thursday evening.

LEADER JEFFRIES: There are hundreds of thousands of people in South Florida who are at risk of seeing their premiums, copays and deductibles skyrocket by thousands of dollars a year in ways that will make it unaffordable for them to be able to go see a doctor if the Affordable Care Act tax credits are allowed to expire. Unfortunately, Republicans like Representative Gimenez, Representative Salazar and Representative Diaz-Balart refuse to sit down to negotiate an extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits. And they have no interest in addressing the healthcare crisis that they’ve created. We are ready, willing and able to sit down in a bipartisan way to reopen the government, to enact a spending agreement that makes life better for the people of Florida and beyond, but that also deals with this healthcare crisis that is central to the quality of life of the American people in an environment where the cost of living in Florida and throughout America is already too high. Grocery prices are too high. Electricity bills are skyrocketing. Housing costs are too high. The cost of insurance is unaffordable generally. And now the availability of healthcare is at risk because of the Republican refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits.

JIM DeFEDE: Well, the Republicans would argue that they’re willing to have a negotiation, but only after the government is reopened. So it becomes almost a chicken and egg issue here. You know, Democrats say they want the negotiations to take place now during the shutdown. Republicans are arguing that they are happy to have negotiations on extending those tax credits, those tax benefits for the ACA, the subsidies, but only after the government is reopened. And why not reopen the government if basically the Obamacare subsidies don’t expire until the end of the year?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Open Enrollment starts on November 1st. And right now, people throughout the state of Florida and across the country are going to begin to receive notices from their health insurance companies indicating that their premiums are about to skyrocket by thousands of dollars per year. That’s unacceptable. And it’s a crisis that Republicans have caused, and it needs to be addressed right now. We want to do it in a bipartisan way. We want to open up the government immediately. Unfortunately, House Republicans have literally been on vacation for the last three weeks. They canceled votes two weeks ago, canceled votes last week and canceled votes this week. In fact, since the end of July, House Republicans has worked only 15 days during the last several months, uninterested in doing the business of the people of the great state of Florida and everyday Americans all throughout the country. We can reopen the government, but we need Republicans to get back into town to do their jobs, as opposed to refusing to even show up for work at the same time when they’ve shut the government down, furloughed federal employees or are forcing our law enforcement officials and others to work without pay.

JIM DeFEDE: Representative Diaz-Balart makes the argument that these subsidies, these increased subsidies for Obamacare during the pandemic were always intended to be temporary. And that he says, and I’ll read a quote to you from him, ‘what it does prove is that Obamacare that was supposed to lower rates, keep rates really, really low and make it accessible to anybody and everybody was an absolute lie and a sad joke on the American people.’ He’s arguing that if these rates are going to dramatically increase without the extension of the subsidies, that the problem was, the underlying problem is Obamacare itself, not the disposition of the subsidies.

LEADER JEFFRIES: The healthcare system in this country needs to be dramatically improved. The problem is Republicans have shown no interest in making those improvements. Instead, they continue to attack the healthcare of the American people. Largest cut to Medicaid in American history. They are possibly triggering a $536 billion cut to Medicare if Congress doesn’t act at the end of the year because of what Republicans just did, like Representative Diaz-Balart, Representative Gimenez and Representative Salazar, in voting for the One Big Ugly Bill. Of course, hospitals and nursing homes and community-based health centers are closing all across the country. And they are now refusing to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. So this is an all-out assault on the healthcare of the American people that of course requires decisive action. Republicans have tried to repeal the Affordable care Act now more than 70 different times over the last 15 years. That’s extraordinary. And they have no credibility when it comes to addressing the healthcare of the American people yet and still, we want to sit down with my Republican colleagues when they return to work to negotiate a bipartisan path forward toward reopening the government, enacting an enlightened spending agreement and addressing the healthcare crisis that Republicans have created.

JIM DeFEDE: How confident are you that Democrats will remain united, particularly in the Senate? Democrats have seen a history of this where the tough talk slowly fades and then suddenly some Democratic Senators get a little weak-kneed and suddenly the entire thing collapsed. Why should Democrats believe that this is going to be any different?

LEADER JEFFRIES: House and Senate Democrats have been strongly united over the last several weeks, and in fact, over the several months, in standing up to lower the high cost of living for the American people, fixing our broken healthcare system and we also, of course, know that we’ve got to clean up corruption in Washington, D.C. I met earlier with Leader Chuck Schumer, thanked him and Senate Democrats for continuing to stand strong in their defense of the quality of life of the American people. And that’s what’s driving us right now. That’s what unifies us because this is a fight on behalf of working-class Americans, middle-class Americans, older Americans and everyday Americans.

[…]

JIM DeFEDE: I ask, of all the issues Democrats could have decided to fight over, the mass firings, the use of federal troops in cities, the alleged abuses by ICE, why draw the line on healthcare?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, it’s important for us to push back on a whole range of issues, including the Trump tariffs, which are increasing the cost of living for people all across the country by thousands of dollars per year. And, of course, the fact that Donald Trump and his administration have unleashed extremism on law-abiding immigrant communities in ways that are breaking up families and in some cases, targeting young children who are American citizens. That’s completely and totally unacceptable. And I know the pain of that extremism is being felt by so many families down in South Florida and that is extraordinary and is something that cannot be allowed to stand. At the same period of time, the healthcare crisis is ever-present. It’s overwhelming the American people. And dealing with the expiration of the Affordable Care Act tax credits has to be addressed with the fierce urgency of now, which is why we have raised the issue as something that requires immediate action.

JIM DeFEDE: I did want to raise one other issue with you as it’s a critical issue. It’s sort of local for us, even though it’s an international issue, dealing with Venezuela. We see the President’s aggressive actions in terms of striking boats off the coast of Venezuela. We now learn that he’s also authorized lethal force by the CIA inside of Venezuela. How do you view this right now and what role is Congress supposed to be playing in terms of being briefed? I know you’re part of the Gang of Eight, so you should be receiving those briefings. I don’t know if you are, but where do—give me your overall impression of what’s happening right now between the United States and Venezuela?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, it’s incredibly important that Donald Trump brief Members of Congress so that we can stay in close touch with the people across America that we’re privileged to represent. That is the role of the United States Congress. And unfortunately, what we’ve seen from Donald Trump and his administration continues to be a go-it-alone, my-way-or-the-highway approach. We have called for the administration to brief the Congress immediately. It’s my expectation that that should happen sooner rather than later, so that we can be fully informed about Donald Trump’s intentions, what he’s been doing. Are these legitimate targets, or is he potentially driving us into a war that I’m convinced most Americans do not want to see happen?

JIM DeFEDE: Mr. Leader, I appreciate your time and I don’t mean to catch you off guard, but literally while we were sitting here talking, it appears that John Bolton has been indicted by a grand jury. I realize you don’t know the facts surrounding that case, but this is now the third indictment against perceived enemies of the President. Do you have a general reaction that you want to share?

LEADER JEFFRIES: There are many people who live in South Florida now, enjoying the freedom of the United States of America, who know what it is to deal with a government that turns against its own people and unleashes extremism and authoritarianism. And it’s unfortunate that what we’ve seen is the weaponization of the Department of Justice by Donald Trump and his administration against people who are perceived to be adversaries of his. And that is unpatriotic, unacceptable and un-American.

Full interview can be watched here.

###

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on MSNBC’s Velshi, where he highlighted that Democrats will continue to stand up for the healthcare of the American people and support everyday Americans in our continued fight against the extremism being unleashed by the Trump administration.

ALI VELSHI: Joining me now is the New York Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, he’s the Democratic Minority Leader in the House of Representatives. Leader Jeffries, good morning to you. Thank you for being with us. It’s 10:30 in the East. 7:30 in West. There is still time for people to get out and participate in what may be one of the biggest political rallies in American history. It’s not just Democrats. It’s everybody who’s concerned about democracy. I just want to play for you what, I know you’ve heard this already, what Karoline Leavitt, the White House Press Secretary, had to say about the Democratic Party in this context.

RECORDING OF KAROLINE LEAVITT: The Democrat Party’s main constituency are made up of Hamas terrorists, illegal aliens and violent criminals. That is who the Democrat Party is catering to. Not the Trump administration and not the White House and the Republican Party, who is standing up for law-abiding Americans not just across the country, but around world.

ALI VELSHI: Your take on that.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, the so-called White House Press Secretary is an unhinged disgrace. If she’s opening her mouth, it means that she’s lying. And clearly, we’ve seen that in this context. The protests that are going to take place today, the peaceful expression of dissent is entirely consistent with the American way. In fact, it’s as American as motherhood, baseball and apple pie. It’s what the framers of this Constitution envisioned. You know, in this country, when the people fear the government, there is tyranny. But when the government fears the people, there is liberty. And it’s important for everyday Americans of every political persuasion to continue to express peaceful dissent with the out-of-control policies of the Trump administration and the fact that Republicans continue to unleash extremism on the country in ways that are deeply harmful.

ALI VELSHI: The Republicans have been pretty effective in their message discipline, where they decided to call this the Hate America Rally, Pro-Hamas, Antifa and Marxist and whatever else they’ve been using. What’s your message to people about what these demonstrations should be?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Donald Trump and Republicans have unleashed this unprecedented extremism on the American people from the very beginning of the time in office that he’s had. We’re talking about an assault on the economy, an assault on healthcare, an assault on law-abiding immigrant families, an assault on the rule of law, an assault on the American way of life and an assault, of course, on democracy itself. And so, the American people understandably have decided to express, in a way consistent with what patriotism means, dissent with these policies that actually aren’t helping everyday Americans. They are designed to help Republican billionaire donors. That’s what we saw with the One Big Ugly Bill. And now, of course, as we are in day 18 of the Trump-Republican shutdown, Republicans have shown zero interest in reopening the government and zero interest in actually extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits, which is going to result in tens of millions of people experiencing dramatically increased healthcare premiums, copays and deductibles. It’s all consistent with the Trump administration that continues to hurt the American people and unleash cruelty, which apparently is the point of them being in office.

ALI VELSHI: Except a whole bunch of people with whom you don’t normally agree, including Marjorie Taylor Greene, are saying that the phone calls that are coming into their offices are about healthcare costs rising and healthcare premiums rising. This is, in theory, going to hurt a whole lot of people in Donald Trump’s base.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Without question. In fact, I think the five states that rely the most on the Affordable Care Act tax credits are all states that Donald Trump won. We’re talking about West Virginia, Wyoming, Alaska, Tennessee and Mississippi. 45% of the people who benefit from Affordable Care Act tax credits are Republicans, 35% are Democrats and the rest are Independents. So this is an American issue. And the assault on healthcare that has been unleashed on the American people hurts everybody. People in rural America, urban America, small-town America, the heartland of America, working-class America and, of course, Black and brown communities all across America. So, what Democrats are fighting for is to stand up for Medicaid, stand up for Medicare, for the Affordable Care Act, stand up to push back against this effort to close our hospitals, our nursing homes and our community-based health clinics. We’re standing up for the principle that in America, the wealthiest country in the history of the world, access to high-quality healthcare shouldn’t simply be a privilege just available for the wealthy and the well-off. It should be a right available to all Americans.

ALI VELSHI: Leader Jeffries, Adelita Grijalva is becoming famous. She was elected into a seat that was held by her father in Arizona 24, 25 days ago. She hasn’t been sworn in. There’s a whole lot of gaslighting going on about why she hasn’t been sworn in. Let’s listen to some of it from House Speaker Mike Johnson.

RECORDING OF SPEAKER JOHNSON: I thought Hakeem was a better attorney than that. It’s a publicity stunt by a Democrat Attorney General in Arizona who sees a national moment and wants to call me out. She has nothing whatsoever to do with what’s happening in Congress. I would say to Rep. Grijalva, if her Democrat colleagues in leadership have not informed her, you can be serving your constituents right now. You have an office. She’s hired 16 employees.

ALI VELSHI: That’s a little bit of gaslighting. She is in office, she has hired employees, but she’s not been sworn in as a Member of Congress. And there’s no prohibition in a shutdown about her not being sworn in.

LEADER JEFFRIES: There’s absolutely no prohibition. She should have been sworn in weeks ago. The fact that she hasn’t been sworn is a big tell. Mike Johnson and the Republicans clearly are trying to hide the Epstein files from the American people because they’ve been ordered to do so by their boss Donald Trump. And the challenge is, they don’t want to swear in someone like Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva, who understands that as Members of Congress, we don’t work for Donald Trump. We don’t for JD Vance. We don’t work for their billionaire donors. We work for the American people.

ALI VELSHI: Leader Jeffries, good to see you. Thank you for joining us this morning.

Full interview can be watched here.