MIL USHOR-2b Engine

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

Speaker Johnson on Hostage Release: “This is a Day of Profound Hope and Joy for the Entire Free World”

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

WASHINGTON — This morning on Day 12 of the Democrat government shutdown, Speaker Johnson joined Shannon Bream on Fox News Sunday to discuss how Republicans have voted repeatedly to reopen the government and pay U.S. troops, air traffic controllers, and TSA agents. Speaker Johnson reminded the American people that it is Democrats — and Democrats alone — who hold the keys to reopening the government. 

“It requires 60 votes in the Senate to get this through. We only have 53 Republicans,” Speaker Johnson said. “We’ve got to have a handful of Democrats in the Senate who apply commonsense and agree to reopen the government so that we can continue all these discussions.”

Watch Speaker Johnson’s full interview here. 

On Democrat attempts to distract the American people from the fact they shut down the government:

The Republicans have already said we were going to have thoughtful conversations, deliberation, and debate about the COVID-era Obamacare subsidies, but they don’t expire until December 31. They’re trying to pretend like that’s a September issue. It never was. The President himself offered to Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries in the Oval Office, when I and Leader Thune were sitting next to him, that thoughtful debate, which is for tomorrow, as soon as we get the government open so that everybody can come in and do that, there’s hundreds of ideas on how to do it. It was not appropriate or possible for that to be resolved in a continuing resolution.

And again, what they’re saying right now, the reason they’re talking about health care is because they’re trying to create a distraction. We have voted eight times to pay the troops, pay TSA agents, border patrol agents, everybody serving in the federal government and to make sure these services are provided for veterans and the elderly, the disabled who need them so much. Eight times now, Democrats in Congress have voted to close the government. We’re on Day 12. It’s a real pain for real people, and they seem not to care.

On Democrats voting eight times to keep the government closed and not pay U.S. troops: 

The House has already voted to pay the troops on September 19. We have a chart that we used at our press conference showing every time the Republicans have voted to pay the troops and the Democrats every time voted no. We did it in the House on September 19, over three weeks ago, sent it to the Senate. And now seven different times the Democrats in the Senate, all but three, have voted not to pay the troops. So, the ball is in the Senate’s court; the House has done its job.

On Republicans as the party to improve our health care system and drive down costs:

The rural hospitals that are in trouble right now are not because of Republican policies. This is the legacy of what has happened under Obamacare. And you just heard the leader of the Democrats in the House acknowledge that Obamacare is unaffordable. When they passed it into law in 2010, they promised us it was going to make health care more affordable. They put it in the name of the law. It did exactly the opposite. Premiums have risen exponentially since 2010, and they’re not affordable. It was never designed to be affordable. 

Republicans are the party that are fixing health care. We just demonstrated that in the One Big Beautiful Bill, the Working Families Tax Cut. We put in reforms to Medicaid, as I mentioned, that cut out fraud, waste, and abuse that got ineligible recipients off of the program. And it’s brought down the cost and made the resources spread more broadly to the people who actually need it — U.S. citizens, who are the disabled, the elderly, and young pregnant women, those kinds of folks. Folks who are the people who are intended for that program to help. We are shoring up the program. We’re fixing health care. Obamacare is what broke it. 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Donald Norcross (1st District of New Jersey)

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01) led a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Chief Executive Officer of The GEO Group, Inc., David Donahue, condemning the inhumane and unsafe conditions for visitors at the Delaney Hall Detention Center in Newark, New Jersey. Representatives Frank Pallone (NJ-06), Robert Menendez (NJ-08), LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), and Nellie Pou (NJ-09) also signed onto the letter. 

“Visitation plays a vital role in correctional settings by supporting family bonds and sustaining community relationships,” wrote the lawmakers. “The treatment of visitors should reflect this importance. Forcing families, friends, and community members to endure dangerous weather conditions while exercising their right to visitation undermines the values of compassion, fairness, and respect that should guide any institution charged with the care and custody of human beings.” 

Full text of the letter sent to Secretary Noem and Mr. Donahue can be found below and here. 

Dear Secretary Noem and Mr. Donahue,

We are writing to express our deep concern and condemnation over the treatment of visitors at the Delaney Hall Detention Center in Newark, New Jersey, as well as the reports of poor conditions within the facility itself. It has come to our attention that individuals visiting their loved ones have been routinely subjected to inhumane and unsafe conditions while waiting for entry into the facility.

Most recently, on September 6, 2025, visitors were forced to wait outside along a metal fence during thunderstorms, that included torrential rain and lightning, without shelter or consideration for their safety. It is both shocking and deeply irresponsible to line people up against a metal fence during an active lightning storm, a situation that poses obvious and severe risks of electrocution. Reports have also surfaced of visitors left standing for hours in the heat of the summer sun, exposed to extreme temperatures and health risks. These conditions are unacceptable and reflect a profound disregard for the dignity, wellbeing, and basic rights of those who come to visit individuals who have been detained. 

Visitation plays a vital role in correctional settings by supporting family bonds and sustaining community relationships. The treatment of visitors should reflect this importance. Forcing families, friends, and community members to endure dangerous weather conditions while exercising their right to visitation undermines the values of compassion, fairness, and respect that should guide any institution charged with the care and custody of human beings.

We urge Delaney Hall to immediately provide humane accommodations for visitors, including:

• Adequate indoor or covered waiting areas protected from inclement weather 
• Consistent visiting hours and reasonable timeframes for processing and entry to avoid excessive delays
• Clear communication and fair procedures to ensure transparency and accountability
• Reliable access to restrooms 
• Adequate access to parking
• Onsite access to cover-up garments for dress code violations

No one should have to risk their safety simply to see their loved one. We urge you to take corrective action without delay to address these unacceptable practices and request a written response detailing the steps your facility will take to ensure that visitors are treated with dignity and respect by October 16, 2025.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Donald Norcross (1st District of New Jersey)

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01) and Congressman Herb Conaway (NJ-03) announced that they received a response letter from the Department of Defense after requesting more information on the Trump Administration’s intent to house undocumented immigrants at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.

“We are deeply disappointed in the Trump Administration’s failure to respond in a timely manner to our questions and concerns regarding housing undocumented immigrants at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst,” the lawmakers said. “The response we received this week did not answer any of our questions and provided no new information about how this plan would be executed. We will be requesting an in-person briefing on this matter as soon as possible so that we can receive answers and ensure undocumented immigrants who may be housed at the joint base receive humane treatment.”

After learning about the Trump Administration’s intent to house undocumented immigrants at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, the Congressmen visited the joint base to conduct their congressional duty of oversight and sent a letter to Secretary Hegseth, Secretary Noem, and Acting Director Lyons, demanding clarification and expressing opposition to the plan. The deadline for the federal agencies to respond to the letter was August 15, 2025. The Department of Defense is the first and only agency to respond.

On Monday, Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs, M. Roosevelt Ditlevson, sent a letter to the Members in response to the letter they sent to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in July. The letter can be read here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Robin Kelly IL

CHICAGO – U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02) gathered with community violence intervention (CVI) leaders and gun safety advocates to decry President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard. Following the recent decision by a federal judge to temporarily block National Guard activity in Illinois, Rep. Kelly remains vigilant against President Trump’s attacks on Chicago.

Rep. Kelly called out President Trump’s hypocrisy for sending the National Guard, allegedly due to crime levels, while rescinding $16 million in funds dedicated to Chicago CVI organizations.

“President Trump has actively made gun violence and crime worse by stealing funds from CVI organizations that have successfully reduced crime in Chicago,” said Rep. Kelly. “I have stood by and supported these community heroes for years, and I refuse to watch their progress erased by this administration. Deploying the National Guard to Chicago is a waste of taxpayer dollars – in the middle of Republicans’ government shutdown, nonetheless – and a clear abuse of power. President Trump’s unlawful attempts to intimidate and harass immigrant communities will not be tolerated.”

Watch the full press conference here

Rep. Kelly’s press conference was held on the south side of Chicago at Kids Off the Block, a community-based organization that offers safer alternatives to gang violence.

“In my service to young people and their families, I’ve learned that we need more ‘doers’ more than ‘sayers.’ Congresswoman Kelly has proven time and time again to be just that,” said Diane Latiker, founder of Kids Off the Block. “She has supported us in our mission to uplift our community, continued to advocate on our behalf regarding gun violence and been a partner on many issues that we care about, including the health and wellbeing of those she serves. Personally, I’m glad to know that she’s there working for all of us!” 

“Let’s be clear, Chicago is still dealing with a Gun and Violence problem,” said Father Michael Pfleger, a pastor at St. Sabina Church. “But Donald Trump has no clue, intention, interest or desire to solve it. He cuts funding for what is working to spend millions on a band aide and political theater. He is a wannabe dictator with power and no plan.”   

“The ones closest to the problem are closest to the solution. As a survivor and a mother, I believe deeply in serving the community. When we call for resources and support, those calls must be answered,” said Maria Pike, gun violence survivor and member of Moms Demand Action. “Instead of militarized responses, we need real investment in the proven solutions that save lives. What we need is the ATF and FBI focusing on gun trafficking. What we need is to fund CVI programs, youth clinical services, mental health care, and victims’ support victims’ support—and for those resources which had been funded to the tune of $811 million to be promptly disbursed. The mobilization of thousands of people from the community, churches, schools, gun violence prevention groups, and community-based programs is the main reason crime has gone down. We don’t need to be invaded—we need to be supported.” 

Watch the full press conference here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Robin Kelly IL

CHICAGO – U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (IL-02) led a letter with members of the Illinois delegation demanding ICE accountability to the Offices of Inspector General at the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security. Since the launch of President Donald Trump’s “Operation Midway Blitz,” raids by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have surged drastically, seemingly without strategy, justification, or due process.

“Over the past few months, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has conducted unprecedented raids throughout the nation, including within our home state of Illinois, frightening and injuring community members,” the members wrote. “We write to request the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Inspector General (OIG), and the DHS OIG conduct full and independent investigations of those enforcement actions and report to Congress about the status of those investigations.”

The letter specifically demanded the Offices undertake a full and independent investigation of the raid of a South Shore apartment, the fatal shooting of Silverio Villegas Gonzalez by an ICE agent, and another shooting by a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Brighton Park.

“These incidents, among numerous others, and the recent deployment of National Guard Troops leave us feeling deeply concerned about the lack of transparency and oversight within DHS and their immigration enforcement tactics,” the members wrote.

In addition to Rep. Kelly, U.S. Reps. Jesús G. “Chuy” García (IL-04), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Brad Schneider (IL-10), Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Eric Sorensen (IL-17), Bill Foster (IL-11), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Sean Casten (IL-06), and Mike Quigley (IL-05) signed the letter.

Read the full letter here. 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Don Bacon (2nd District of Nebraska)

Dear friend,

Two weeks ago, House Republicans did our job by passing a clean, bipartisan Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government. This gave both chambers plenty of time to process it. However, all of the Democrat Senators but three voted against the CR.  I want to thank Democratic Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, and Sen. Angus King of Maine, an Independent who caucuses with Democrats, for choosing our country over party. The passed CR is no different than the 13 passed during the Biden Administration, and I joined them for all but one.

The proposed CR would have saved the government from shutting down.

This clean CR will:

• Deliver paychecks for our troops, Border Patrol agents, TSA agents, and Air Traffic Controllers.
• Prevent delays processing new applications for Social Security and Medicare. 
• Give veterans the healthcare they deserve without delays. 
• Keep National Parks open.
• Continue vital food inspections. 

One issue that I think we can negotiate on is the extension of the COVID-era Obamacare Tax Subsidies, which are set to expire on December 31, 2025. These were enacted to help those who lost their incomes during the pandemic. Some of my Republican colleagues and I believe we can negotiate on this during the regular appropriations process. To do that, we need a clean CR to pass the Senate.

Although the pandemic is over, we recognize that people are facing increased premiums, and lower- and middle-class earners will be particularly affected by them. However, under the current COVID-era subsidies, income limits went away, and instead, a percentage of income was used. Personally, I don’t think someone making $500,000, or even $300,000 needs a subsidy for their Obamacare insurance. My colleagues and I would like to examine income caps to consider extending them.

Thanks, and as always, it is a pleasure to serve the 2nd District of Nebraska. We have updated our website with information on what is open or closed. You can access that information here.

Sincerely,

Rep. Don Bacon

Member of Congress

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

Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on Fox News Sunday, where he emphasized that Democrats are ready at any time to negotiate a bipartisan government funding bill that puts an end to the Republican healthcare crisis and shutdown of the government.

SHANNON BREAM: Mr. Leader, welcome to Fox News Sunday. Good to have you this morning.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Great to be with you.

SHANNON BREAM: Okay, so let’s start here. On Friday, your Senate counterpart, the Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, said this, ‘Every day gets better for us,’ talking about the optics of the shutdown we’re all in now. So what’s your message to the American people? Do you agree with his view?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, House and Senate Democrats have taken a principled position in defense of the American people to protect their healthcare. We’re dealing with a cost of living crisis in this country right now, and we’re dealing with a healthcare crisis. We have repeatedly made clear that we will sit down with anyone, anytime, anyplace, go back to the White House, to have a bipartisan discussion about reopening the government, reaching a spending agreement that actually improves the quality of life of the American people and addresses the healthcare crisis that threatens tens of millions of people across the country, including in rural America.

SHANNON BREAM: But do you agree that the optics of this are, quote, ‘working in your favor’ or good for you as a party at this point?

LEADER JEFFRIES: This is not about party. This is about the American people. We’re dealing with a situation where, as a result of the One Big Ugly Bill that Republicans passed earlier this year, we have the largest cut to Medicaid in American history. Hospitals, nursing homes and community-based health centers are closing all across the country. If Republicans continue to refuse to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, then tens of millions of people are about to experience dramatically increased premiums, co-pays and deductibles that will result in health insurance costs doubling or tripling or quadrupling. People are going to face thousands of dollars of additional cost, including in the state that is represented by Speaker Mike Johnson. In fact, in his own district, I believe premiums may increase by about 380%.

SHANNON BREAM: Okay, so I want to get to that, but in a minute. First, let’s talk about the continuing resolution that Democrats are voting against. It’s been repeatedly voted against in the Senate. We’re now, I think, eight votes into this. So the New York Times describes the bill this way. They say ‘Democrats have misused budget jargon to assail the Republican budget proposal as dirty, but the bill is considered clean,’ meaning all it does is extend current funding levels for, I believe, about seven weeks is what the Republicans are proposing. Now Democrats say you want to undo part of what Republicans call the Big Beautiful Bill, that you want to add money back for things like NPR and that’s at the cost of funding the troops, funding air traffic controllers, funding SNAP benefits. So what’s the message to the American people about why you won’t vote for this clean measure, where you can continue to negotiate these things instead kind of holding it hostage, in Republicans’ verbiage, to these other interests that are partisan in nature.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, Republicans control the House, the Senate and the presidency, and unfortunately, they’ve made the decision to take a my way or the highway approach. We’ve repeatedly made clear we want to sit down, reopen the government and negotiate a bipartisan path forward—

SHANNON BREAM: But it’s important to make clear too that they need Senate votes. They do control all of those bodies, but they do need Senate votes from Democrats. And they’ve had some in order to move something there.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Which is why there should be a bipartisan negotiation. Now, my friends on the other side of the aisle, they seem to believe that healthcare is an extraneous issue. We don’t believe it’s an extraneous issue. It’s a central issue. This is the wealthiest country in the history of the world, and people throughout this country should be able to afford to go see a doctor when they need one for themselves, their family, their children. We’re fighting for couples, which in this particular moment in time—for instance, a couple that makes $88,000 a year, currently receives tax credits connected to the Affordable Care Act, pays about $8,000 a year, which is already too expensive. But if we allow the Affordable Care Act tax credits to expire, their costs will triple to $24,000 a year. That’s unacceptable. And by the way, the states that are most affected are all states that Donald Trump has won. In fact, I think it’s the top five states are West Virginia, Wyoming, Alaska, Mississippi and Tennessee. So this is not a partisan fight for us. We’re fighting for everyday Americans, working-class Americans and middle-class Americans, by the way, who are also dealing with a cost of living crisis in this country cause costs are far too high. Life has gotten more expensive this year, not less, despite the Republican promise that they were going to lower costs on day one.

SHANNON BREAM: So a couple of things. If Republicans say, listen, as part of the CR that’s not the conversation to have. That issue comes up later in the year. Are you, would you be willing to vote on a CR moving forward with assurances that you would address the subsidies at some point, because a number of Republicans say they agree with you that they’re going to need to do that. So what deals do you need right now to be a yes vote on a clean CR?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, first of all, we don’t view the current bill as anything other than a partisan Republican spending bill that continues to gut the healthcare of the American people—

SHANNON BREAM: But isn’t the issue—it’s at levels that you guys have already agreed to. A number of Democrats voted for this extension back in March. It’s not adding or detracting anything. It’s just continuing the levels of spending that currently exist.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Actually, it’s not at levels that we agreed to. Democrats strongly opposed this legislation in the House because in our view, it gut veterans healthcare, gut funding for women, infants and children programming, gut funding for affordable housing. And we know we know we have a housing crisis in this country—

SHANNON BREAM: Just to be clear—

LEADER JEFFRIES: Housing costs are too high. And it gut funding for healthcare—

SHANNON BREAM: Just be clear, though. It’s not—it’s not changing current levels. Nothing’s getting cut. It’s at levels that you may not like, but it’s about extending levels as they currently exist. Fair?

LEADER JEFFRIES: No, we agree that current spending levels are unacceptable. And it also incorporates massive cuts that have occurred over the last several months and cuts funding for local law enforcement grants to support police officers by $500 million. So there’s a variety of different challenges that we have with respect to this partisan Republican spending bill. But the main one is that we’re facing this healthcare crisis. Open enrollment starts on November 1st. Tens of millions of Americans are receiving notices right now that their premiums, co-pays and deductibles are about to explode, which is why we need to address it. Even Marjorie Taylor Greene agrees that we have to address this health insurance crisis right now.

SHANNON BREAM: Okay. So let’s talk about an analysis of these enhanced Obamacare subsidies and where we are because you mentioned a number of figures there. They were passed, of course, under the Biden administration in ’21, extended in ’22. They were about being a temporary measure to help us through the COVID emergency. So here’s what an analysis over at The Federalist says. Now, this is based on data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, which tracks all this healthcare stuff. They say if the enhanced subsidies go away, the federal government would still pay for the vast majority of premium costs. The federal government would fund, quote, ‘only 78% of the premiums, as opposed to 88% of the total premium under the enhanced subsidy.’ So that means taxpayers will still be footing nearly 80% of the cost of the premiums. Should we be having a broader conversation about the fact that Obamacare was supposed to make everything more affordable, and yet that is the U.S. taxpayer, you and me and everybody who goes to work out there, who is footing nearly 80% of the cost of these premiums, even if the subsidies expire?

LEADER JEFFRIES: More than 70% of the American people agree that we need to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits because they are making a meaningful difference in the lives of the American people. We do need to have a broader conversation about fixing our broken healthcare system, and we want to do that in a bipartisan way. It’s unacceptable, in our view, that legislation was passed by Republicans earlier this year that is actually triggering the closure of hospitals and nursing homes and community-based health centers throughout the country, disproportionately in rural America. We also need to talk about the fact that hundreds of thousands of veterans rely on the Affordable Care Act tax credits in order to ensure that they have access to a doctor when they need one for themselves, for their children and for their families. We also need to lower the high cost of living. I agree entirely. Costs are way too high. America’s too expensive. Housing costs are too high. Grocery costs are too high. Electricity bills are through the roof all across America. And now you’ve got people who are facing dramatically increased healthcare costs because of the refusal of some of my friends on the other side of the aisle to even have a conversation about extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits. That’s not acceptable in this moment.

SHANNON BREAM: We will take up the conversation there with the Speaker. Mr. Minority Leader, thank you for your time. We appreciate it.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Thank you.

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 MSNBC’s The Weekend, where he emphasized that while Republicans remain on vacation, Democrats are ready to negotiate a spending agreement that ends the Republican government shutdown and healthcare crisis.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Joining us is House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of the great state of New York. Leader Jeffries, thank you for coming to The Weekend. So votes have been canceled for Tuesday through Friday. Speaker Johnson is not bringing the House back to order, not having Republicans come back to town. Is he making a tactical mistake by keeping Republicans out of the House? Wouldn’t it put pressure on you and the Democratic Caucus if they were in Washington and putting the screws to you guys to come to the table and either negotiate or push you to give him the votes, give Republicans the votes they need to get that CR over the finish line?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, the pressure continues to be on Republicans, because this is a Trump-Republican shutdown. And Democrats, from the very beginning, have made clear that we will sit down with anyone, anytime, anyplace, including on Capitol Hill, or go back to the White House, in order to reopen the government, in order to enact a spending agreement that actually meets the needs of the American people and to address the Republican healthcare crisis that is devastating people from all across the country. House Republicans canceled votes last week, canceled votes this week and now they’ve canceled votes next week. They’re running scared. They don’t know what to do. They’re unwilling to address the crisis that they’ve created. Largest cut to Medicaid in American history. Hospitals, nursing homes, community-based health centers all across the country closing because of what Republicans did in their One Big Ugly Bill. And now they are refusing to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, which means tens of millions of Americans are going to experience dramatically increased premiums, co-pays and deductibles, paying thousands of dollars per year more for their health insurance, which they will not be able to afford.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Leader Jeffries, just to follow up, a minute ago, you said, you know, that you guys are there ready to meet anytime, anywhere, you’re willing to go back to the White House. You and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer did go to the White House with Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Thune to meet with the President. I’m just wondering, when you were in that meeting, did you get the sense that President Trump was eager to or would make a deal with you when it comes to at least extending the Obamacare subsidies?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Initially, there was an acknowledgment that something needed to happen with respect to addressing the healthcare of the American people. Now, Republicans didn’t accept the blame for the crisis that they have visited on everyday Americans, and we were very clear this is a Republican-created crisis. But there was some acknowledgment that there was a need to deal with the issue around the Affordable Care Act tax credits in some way, shape or form. Now, the Republicans in that meeting suggested that they had all the time in the world to do something, and that they didn’t need to act now. And our view was that open enrollment starts on November 1st, and notices are going out right now to people all across the country, indicating that their health insurance costs are about to skyrocket in ways that will make things unaffordable for them to be able to even go see a doctor when they need one for themselves, their children and their family. That’s why our position has been clear from the very beginning, House and Senate Democrats holding strong, that we need to address this Republican healthcare crisis, and we need to do it with the fierce urgency of now.

JACKIE ALEMANY: Leader Jeffries, I want to ask you about a refrain that we have heard from Republicans over these past few weeks, that the premiums go to people who are making between $130,000 and $600,000, and that, at the end of the day, that $600K is just too high of a number. Now, look, I have heard, from people who are worried and have already heard from their insurance companies about—who make very minimal income and are worried about losing their healthcare. But what about those families who are making $600,000? I mean, do you agree with some of these Republicans that that max should come down a little bit? Is this a handout to insurance companies?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, that’s a stone-cold lie that Republicans have been telling, and it’s belied by the facts. 93% percent of the people who benefit from the Affordable Care Act tax credits make $63,000 or less, right. Those are working-class Americans, everyday Americans and middle-class Americans. For instance, a couple that makes about $88,000 per year and currently receives Affordable Care Act tax credits—their health insurance is $8,000 a year. That’s already too high. But they can at least afford it, barely, as a result of the Affordable Care Act tax credits. If they go away, those tax credits, that same couple, which makes $88,000 a year, would have to pay $24,000 for health insurance. They can’t afford that. That will medically bankrupt them. Those are the type of people who we are working hard to protect their healthcare.

JACKIE ALEMANY: But Leader, that might be the average, but that doesn’t mean that people who make up to $600,000 a year, that those families who make that kind of money aren’t eligible to receive these premiums.

LEADER JEFFRIES: No, it’s not the average, it’s the overwhelming majority, when you’re talking about 93% of the people make $63,000 or less. That’s the overwhelming majority.

JACKIE ALEMANY: But do you think Democrats could still negotiate to potentially come down on that maximum?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, what we’ve said is that we’re open to evaluate anything that is presented in good faith in terms of adjustments that may be proposed, potentially that come out of the Senate in a bipartisan way. The challenge that we have in the House is that Mike Johnson has basically made clear—we have no interest in doing anything about the healthcare of the American people. In fact, in that White House meeting, he said that healthcare is extraneous. No, healthcare is not extraneous, I pointed out in that White House meeting. It’s central to the well-being of everyday Americans. That’s why Democrats have raised it as an issue that needs to be addressed.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Yeah, so central that even Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is out there saying something needs to be done about this. But you know, Congressman, speaking of good faith, one of the other sticking points that you and other Democrats have made in all of this, healthcare being issue bold number one. But a secondary issue is rescissions and how that is still on the table. Yesterday, Semafor reported about the press, a call that was done between the House Freedom Caucus with the press and I want to read this. On this press call with the House Freedom Caucus, Johnson tells reporters, quote, ‘we worked on rescissions and there will be more of that we expect in the days ahead.’ Leader Jeffries, how can you negotiate with anyone who might agree with you on something on Monday and then by Monday afternoon, once it’s all firm and signed and official, gives the White House the ability to snatch it all back. Is that good faith?

LEADER JEFFRIES: It’s not good faith. At all. And this is part of the challenge as well that we confront at this moment. Now, we’ve said we’ll sit down and try to find a bipartisan path forward to reach a spending agreement that actually improves the quality of life of the American people. But part of that means that there’s got to be enforceability once an agreement is reached that is actually followed by the administration, by the White House and by the Congress. And that’s why in the continuing resolution that was introduced by Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee in the House, and her partner Senator Patty Murray, it also includes language to make sure that if we agree upon how taxpayer dollars should be spent to make life better for the American people, then those taxpayer dollars should be spent in that way.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Leader Jeffries, one more question before we have to let you go. New York State Attorney General Letitia James indicted on bank fraud charges. Just your reaction to that and whether this indictment will successfully lead to the prosecution of the state’s chief law enforcement officer.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, Attorney General Tish James, who I’ve known for more than 20 years, is an incredible public servant. She’s strong. She’s brilliant. She’s talented. She’s hardworking. And she’s got great integrity. This indictment is not worth the paper that it is written on. It’s a malicious prosecution, and I believe that it’s going to be dismissed in short order once this case is actually in a court of law. And what this also illustrates is that Donald Trump has spent more time on this revenge tour then on actually driving down the high cost of living that he’s making worse here in the country. He promised to lower costs on day one. Costs aren’t going down. They’re going up. That’s why Democrats are fighting to lower the high costs of living in terms of healthcare or groceries or housing and electricity bills. But instead, Donald Trump is focused on the wrong things. It’s chaos. It’s confusion. It’s crisis. It’s corruption. All day, every day. And that’s why the American people know that under Trump and Republican policies, the country is moving in the wrong direction.

JACKIE ALEMANY: Leader Jeffries, we’re gonna have to leave it there. Thank you so much for joining us and we hope you will come back.

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 PBS NewsHour, where he emphasized the need for Republicans to negotiate toward bipartisan legislation that successfully reopens the government while protecting Americans’ healthcare.

GEOFF BENNETT: Leader Jeffries, welcome back to the NewsHour.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Thanks for having me on.

GEOFF BENNETT: When you were on this program nine days ago, you said there’d been no communication from either the White House or Republican leaders in the House or the Senate about ending this shutdown. It doesn’t appear that that’s changed, has it?

LEADER JEFFRIES: It has not changed, unfortunately. This is day 10 of the Trump Republican shutdown. Clearly, they don’t want to reopen the government. As Democrats, we’ve made clear we’ll sit down with anyone, any time, any place, to have a bipartisan negotiation about enacting a spending bill that makes life better for the American people, reopens the government and addresses the Republican healthcare crisis. Unfortunately, House Republicans, who canceled votes last week, canceled votes this week and have now canceled votes next week, remain on vacation, missing in action, and Donald Trump has shown no interest in actually trying to resolve this situation.

GEOFF BENNETT: What do you make of these Republican proposals to partially reopen the government, funding select agencies while leaving other ones shuttered?

LEADER JEFFRIES: I think it’s important for us to make sure that we actually pay our men and women in uniform in a manner consistent with what has been done in prior shutdowns. That should be priority number one at this moment. More than 1.3 million people who are on active duty and have been asked to work without pay because of the Republican refusal to address this issue. And so I think we need to take that step forward and then evaluate whatever other proposals come forward relative to reopening the government. But we have to reopen the government in a way that also addresses the Republican healthcare crisis and the Republicans’ continued refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, which is going to have a devastating impact on premiums, copays and deductibles for tens of millions of Americans all across the country.

GEOFF BENNETT: As we speak this afternoon, the OMB Director, Russ Vought, tweeted moments ago, ‘The RIFs have begun,’ making good, apparently, on the threat of mass layoffs by the Trump administration. An OMB spokesperson says that the layoffs will be significant. Do you have a sense of which agencies would be affected, how many people would be affected? And beyond that, this is a clear power play by the administration to force the hand of Democrats. Does this play any role in your decision-making?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Donald Trump and his corrupt administration have been engaging in mass firings and layoffs of federal employees since January 20. They’ve been targeting hardworking federal employees, pressuring them, dismissing them without justification and violating the law. So this is just a continuation of the chaos, the crisis and the confusion that we’ve seen during the entirety of the Trump administration. We’re going to continue to stay the course as Democrats—that’s what House and Senate Democrats have done together—to address the situation that Republicans have created. Largest cut to Medicaid in American history. Hospitals, nursing homes and community-based health clinics closing all throughout America, particularly in rural parts of this country. The fact that Republicans refuse to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, resulting and dramatically increased healthcare premiums for tens of millions of Americans that will cost double, triple, or quadruple what they are currently paying. Some will face medical bankruptcy. Many others will be unable to get the insurance and the access to the doctors that they need. And on top of all of that, they’re targeting the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control in ways that are going to undermine the public health infrastructure in the United States of America. This has been an all-out Republican assault on the healthcare of the American people, which is why it needs to be decisively addressed right now, because it impacts everyone.

GEOFF BENNETT: When you talk about Democrats and Republicans working together on healthcare, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who, as you well know, no fan of Democrats, not typically aligned with Democrats, says she supports preserving the ACA subsidies, in large part because she says the insurance premiums of her adult children are set to skyrocket. Does that signal any real opening for bipartisan cooperation?

LEADER JEFFRIES: I think what it signals is a growing recognition amongst my Republican colleagues that we have a healthcare crisis. Unfortunately, it’s a healthcare crisis that they’ve created, and it needs to be decisively addressed. House Republican leaders continue to bury their heads in the sand, unfortunately, and they’re joined by Senate Republican leadership that continues to force vote after vote on their partisan Republican spending bill that Democrats aren’t supporting because that partisan Republican spending bill continues to gut the healthcare of everyday Americans. And that’s not an acceptable situation in this country, the wealthiest country in the history of the world.

GEOFF BENNETT: I want to ask you about the politics of all this, because just the other day, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, he said that Democrats have the momentum, and he said, ‘Every day gets better for us.’ Republicans are seizing upon that, including the Senate Majority Leader, John Thune, who was on this program last night, and they’re accusing Democrats of politicizing the shutdown. Do you worry that a moment like that, a statement like that undercuts what you see as Democrats having the moral high ground?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, House Democrats and Senate Democrats, led by Leader Schumer, are in this fight to make life better for the American people, to lower healthcare costs, to address the Republican healthcare crisis, to cancel the cuts, and to save the healthcare of the American people. That’s the reason why we’re in this fight.

GEOFF BENNETT: For federal workers who risk missing a paycheck, for military families facing uncertainty, for everyday Americans who want to visit a national park, they are all wondering, ‘When will this shutdown end?’ What would you tell them?

LEADER JEFFRIES: We need Donald Trump and Republicans to come to the negotiating table. We want to reopen the government. We want to reopen it now. We want to reach a bipartisan agreement in a way that spends taxpayer dollars that actually improve the quality of life of the American people, that addresses the cost-of-living crisis that we’re confronting in this country. You know, Donald Trump and Republicans promised that costs would go down on day one, but costs aren’t going down under Republican control of government here in Washington. Costs are going up, inflation is going up. The Trump tariffs are making life more expensive for millions of Americans who are paying thousands of dollars in additional expense per year. And now, we’re on the brink of this massive increase in premiums, copays and deductibles because of a Republican refusal to sit down and negotiate an extension around the Affordable Care Act tax credits. We stand by our hard-working federal employees. We will continue to support them. We stand by the American people, and we want to bring this to a close, but we need good-faith partners on the other side of the aisle to sit down and negotiate a bipartisan path forward.

GEOFF BENNETT: House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, thanks again for your time. We appreciate it.

Full interview can be watched here.