Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative James E (Jim) Clyburn (6th District of South Carolina)
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA — Congressman James E. Clyburn (SC-06) released the following statement on the shootings at South Carolina State University on Saturday, October 4:
“I offer my sincere condolences and heartfelt empathies to the victims of the shootings that took place at South Carolina State University. As a ‘loyal son’ and proud alumnus of SCSU, this incident is a horrific tragedy to many of us who celebrated homecoming this weekend.
“Homecoming is about students, their friends and families, none of whom should be subjected to such senseless acts. The epidemic of gun violence exacts far too high a toll on our communities – and we experienced it happening right here in South Carolina and Montgomery, Alabama this past weekend.
“None of the victims, or currently identified perpetrators, are South Carolina State students. But these shootings call into question “open carry” laws that make the lives of college administrators difficult and put the lives of innocents at risk.
“But we know something fundamental needs to change to protect South Carolinians from these kinds of tragedies. The scourge of violence must end, and it is incumbent upon all of us to do what is right to safeguard our communities.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)
Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke at a press conference with members of the New York Congressional Delegation at City Hall, where he emphasized that House Democrats will continue working to protect the healthcare of the American people and end the Republican-caused, reckless government shutdown.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Good morning, everyone. It’s an honor and a privilege to be here. I’m certainly so thankful for the friendship and the leadership and the partnership of Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, who has brought us together here today. Of course, it’s an honor and a privilege to stand with the mighty New York City Congressional delegation—Congressman Greg Meeks, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, Congresswoman Grace Meng. Tremendous leaders in the Congress, of course, led by Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, joined, of course, by both Ken Raske, representing the great hospitals of New York City, as well as SEIU 1199, our great healthcare heroes.
This is an all-hands-on-deck effort in defense of the healthcare of the people of New York City and everyday Americans all across the country. House Democrats have made clear we will sit down with anyone, at any time, at any place, in order to try to find a bipartisan path forward to reopen the government, to enact a spending agreement that meets the needs of the American people and to address the Republican healthcare crisis. Here’s what we will not do. We will not support a partisan Republican spending bill that continues to gut the healthcare of the American people.
What Republicans have unleashed in terms of this healthcare crisis that they have created is unprecedented, unconscionable and un-American. The largest cut to Medicaid in American history. Hospitals, nursing homes and community-based health centers closing all across the country and at risk of continuing to shut down because of what Republicans have already done in their One Big Ugly Bill. Republicans have refused to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, and as a result of that, tens of millions of people, including many right here in New York City, are about to experience dramatically increased premiums, co-pays and deductibles that will put them on the verge of medical bankruptcy and deprive them of the ability to get the coverage that they need for themselves, their children and their families. This is an unprecedented Republican healthcare crisis, and it must be addressed with the fierce urgency of now. That’s why House Democrats and Senate Democrats are standing up for the healthcare of everyday New Yorkers, of working-class folks, of the middle class and of hardworking American taxpayers. And we’re not going to bend. We’re not going to break. We’re going to do what’s necessary to deliver a spending agreement that actually meets the needs of the American people, as opposed to hurting the American people.
And Mike Johnson and House Republicans need to get back into town. Do your jobs. Democrats will be present. Democrats are ready to get the job done, to reopen the government, to pass an enlightened spending agreement and to address the Republican healthcare crisis.We’re on duty. It’s a shame that House Republicans remain on vacation.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)
Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press, reiterating that Democrats are ready to negotiate bipartisan spending legislation to end Donald Trump’s government shutdown and protect the American people from the Republican healthcare crisis.
KRISTEN WELKER: Leader Jeffries, welcome back to Meet the Press.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Good morning. Great to be with you.
KRISTEN WELKER: Well, it’s great to have you here on a very busy morning. I do, of course, want to get to the shutdown. But first I have to ask you about these developments in the Middle East. Of course, Hamas saying that it will, in fact, turn over the hostages. Leader Jeffries, let me ask you, do you support President Trump’s 20-point peace proposal?
LEADER JEFFRIES:Well, I support a path toward a just and lasting peace. And that needs to involve making sure that every single hostage and the remains of those hostages still in Gaza are released immediately. Of course, we need to surge humanitarian assistance into Gaza so we can alleviate the immense suffering of Palestinian civilians who have been in harm’s way through no fault of their own, in a theater of war. And, of course, we need to make sure that Hamas lays down its arms and that we have a governance structure that is put into place that allows for normalized relations between the Palestinian people and Israel.
KRISTEN WELKER: All right. Well, let’s turn to the big news here in Washington, of course, which is the shutdown. Before lawmakers broke for the weekend, House Speaker Mike Johnson said the House would not return to Capitol Hill this week or until Leader Schumer reopens the government. When is the last time you spoke with Republican leadership?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, the last time there was a conversation with Republican leadership was in the White House meeting last Monday. And, unfortunately, since that point in time, Republicans, including Donald Trump, have gone radio silent. And what we’ve seen is negotiation through deepfake videos, the House canceling votes and, of course, President Trump spending yesterday on the golf course.That’s not responsible behavior. As Democrats, our view is that we will find bipartisan common ground with our Republican colleagues to reopen the government, to actually pass a spending bill that meets the needs of the American people, but we have to decisively address this Republican healthcare crisis that is devastating hardworking American taxpayers.
KRISTEN WELKER: You know, Democrats are demanding an extension of Obamacare tax credits, which expire at the end of the year, as well as other healthcare benefits for the funding bill. Here is what the Vice President said about that this week. Take a look.
RECORDING OF VICE PRESIDENT VANCE: It’s a lie told by the Democrats that they’re not trying to give healthcare benefits to illegal aliens. It’s a lie that is obviously untrue if you just look at the text that they gave us.
KRISTEN WELKER: He says that Democrats are lying. What is your response to that?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, unfortunately, Republicans are lying because they’re losing in the court of public opinion as it relates to what’s going on right now. We are standing up for the healthcare of hardworking American taxpayers, of working-class Americans, of middle-class Americans and everyday Americans, who have seen over the last several months Republicans pass their One Big Ugly Bill. Largest cut to Medicaid in American history. Hospitals and nursing homes and community-based health clinics are closing all throughout the country, including in rural America. If Republicans continue to refuse to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, tens of millions of American taxpayers are going to experience dramatically increased premiums, co-pays and deductibles. And that information from their insurance companies is going out right now. Now, federal law clearly prohibits the expenditure of taxpayer dollars to provide healthcare to undocumented immigrants. Period, full stop. And no Democrat on Capitol Hill is trying to change that law.
KRISTEN WELKER: Leader Jeffries, let me ask you, because as you just mentioned, you are also calling for a complete rollback of the Medicaid cuts, which Republicans just passed. They say it’s a nonstarter. Why include that? Why not just focus on your argument that you want to see those Obamacare tax credits extended, which expire at the end of the year?
LEADER JEFFRIES: This Republican healthcare crisis is all-encompassing, and it has been devastating to the well-being of the American people. We’re talking about people in rural America, working-class America, urban America, small-town America, the heartland of America and Black and brown communities all throughout America. Now, we have made clear that in terms of what’s immediately in front of us, there, of course, is an urgent need to address the Affordable Care Act and the Republicans’ refusal to extend these tax credits. What we’re talking about here is a dramatic impact on real, everyday Americans. A married couple of two, for instance, that makes $88,000 a year, a modest amount, currently pays about $8,000 a year in their healthcare insurance. That’s already too much. But if these Affordable Care Act tax credits expire, that same couple will be forced to pay $24,000 a year. It’s unaffordable. It will bankrupt them. It will leave them without coverage. And those are the people who we’re fighting for.
KRISTEN WELKER: But let me ask you because you think this is a Republican shutdown, but it’s Democratic Senators who are withholding their votes on what is called a clean resolution. That means no strings attached, which is something, quite frankly, Leader, that you and other Democrats have advocated for in the past. Take a look.
RECORDING OF SPEAKER EMERITA PELOSI: You do not use the threat of shutting down government to try to advance your policy agenda.
RECORDING OF FORMER MAJORITY LEADER REID: First thing that the House has to do is pass a clean six-week CR.
RECORDING OF LEADER JEFFRIES: A continuing resolution that is at the fiscal year 2023 levels is the only way forward.
KRISTEN WELKER: Why not fund the government and debate extending Obamacare tax credits after the fact? They don’t expire till the end of the year.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, what we’ve called for is a bipartisan negotiation where Democrats and Republicans can sit down in good faith, reopen the government, pass a spending bill that actually improves the quality of life for the American people in an environment where the cost of living is already too high. Republicans promised to lower costs on day one. Costs aren’t going down. They’re going up. And if these Affordable Care Act tax credits are allowed to expire, premiums and healthcare costs are going to skyrocket. And America is already too expensive for the American people because of the Trump failed policies, the Trump tariffs and this will make things worse. So we just want a bipartisan negotiation that addresses the healthcare crisis at the same period of time, with the fierce urgency of now.
KRISTEN WELKER: Let me ask you because the administration has personally targeted you with memes throughout this negotiation. We’ll show a screenshot of one of the videos. This was put out by the President. The President also called the Democrats the party of, quote, ‘hate, evil and Satan.’ Is the President someone you still feel like you can negotiate with? Do you have that relationship with him?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, that behavior is outrageous, it’s unhinged, it’s unreasonable and it speaks for itself. The American people deserve better than lies, than attacks, than deepfake videos, than the President spending all of his time on the golf course. We need serious leadership, and we will continue to make clear, Leader Schumer, myself, that we will sit down anytime, anyplace, with anyone to address this issue with the seriousness that it deserves to stand up for the American people in addressing this cost of living crisis and this healthcare crisis that Republicans have visited upon the country.
KRISTEN WELKER: All right, Leader Jeffries, thank you so much for joining us. We really appreciate it.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)
WASHINGTON — Democrats have chosen a government shutdown over the American people. Instead of joining Republicans in passing a clean, responsible continuing resolution to keep the government open, Democrats are siding with their far-left base — demanding $1.5 trillion in new partisan spending and nearly $200 billion in taxpayer benefits for illegal aliens. The result is a costly, self-inflicted shutdown that most Americans oppose, and that even some Democrats admit will hurt working families across the country.
According to the New York Times/Siena Poll, 65% of Americans say Democrats should NOT have shut down the government over partisan demands. Even among Democrats, less than half support their own party’s strategy. Independents oppose it nearly 2-to-1.
As Senate Democrats continue voting to prolong the shutdown, even some of their own colleagues admit it is wrong and will inflict real pain on the American people:
Sen. John Fetterman: “I think it’s the right thing to extend those health care and things, but it is absolutely the wrong reason the wrong thing for a lot of reasons that we’re going to shut our government down.”
Fetterman: “It’s a sad day for our nation. Our government shuts down at midnight. I voted AYE to extend ACA tax credits because I support them—but I won’t vote for the chaos of shuttering our government. My vote was for our country over my party. Together, we must find a better way forward.”
Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-N.M.): “That’s why I cannot support a costly shutdown that would hurt Nevada families,”
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.): “No sane person wants to see a government shutdown, people are going to be hurt and that bothers me very very much.”
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.): This is the third time during my nearly 13 years in the Senate that I have been involved in a shutdown… And they’re horrible. The consequences on those affected, whether they be federal workers or the citizens who need services, are horrible, and no one relishes that in this body.”
House Democrats are openly admitting the shutdown is about serving their base, not the American people:
Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine): “This government shutdown is the result of hardball politics driven by the demands far-left groups are making for Democratic Party leaders to put on a show of their opposition to President Trump. The shutdown is hurting Americans and our economy, and the irony is it has only handed more power to the president.”
Anonymous House Democrat: “Obviously the base of the party wants to see that we’re not going along… Maybe in the very beginning they thought there was more we could do… Now they thoroughly understand we don’t have those levers and buttons, except this button.”
ICYMI: Democrats once condemned shutdowns. Watch here:
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)
Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on NBC’s The Today Show, making clear that while House Republicans have canceled votes and are nowhere to be found, Democrats are ready to negotiate a bipartisan spending agreement that meets the needs of the American people and protects their healthcare.
CRAIG MELVIN: With us now, here in the studio, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Leader Jeffries, good morning to you, sir.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Good morning.
CRAIG MELVIN: First week where a lot of folks aren’t going to be getting their paychecks. We’ve got hundreds of thousands of livelihoods hanging in the balance. Democrats could end this, as you know, and you could just actually extend funding levels for seven weeks. Kick the can down the road. Why not?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, it’s very unfortunate that Donald Trump and Republicans have decided to shut the government down because they’re unwilling to provide healthcare to working-class Americans. We’ve said from the very beginning we’ll sit down with anyone, anytime, anyplace in order to reopen the government, find a bipartisan agreement that actually meets the needs of the American people. We need a spending agreement that improves the quality of life of everyday Americans, that doesn’t hurt everyday Americans. And we also need to address this Republican healthcare crisis that is hurting people all across the country—rural America, working-class America, urban America, small-town America, the heartland of America and Black and brown communities all throughout America.
CRAIG MELVIN: So Mr. Leader, again, longest shutdown was during the first Trump presidency. This is what you said at the time about that particular shutdown. Here it is.
RECORDING OF LEADER JEFFRIES: We are willing to take what Senate Republicans have done in order to reopen the government so that we no longer are holding 800,000 federal workers hostage.
CRAIG MELVIN: That’s exactly what you’re doing right now. Hundreds of thousands of workers are being held hostage. What’s changed from then to now?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, actually, Donald Trump is the President. Republicans control the House, the Senate and the presidency. They can reopen the government if they chose to. The reality is—
CRAIG MELVIN: Well they would have to change the rules to be fair.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well that’s correct, which they’ve done multiple times, including using that particular type of process to pass their One Big Ugly Bill, which started this whole Republican healthcare crisis. Largest cut to Medicaid in American history. Ripped food out of the mouths of children. And they did it so they could reward their billionaire donors with massive tax breaks. All we’re saying is we need a spending agreement that actually meets the needs of the American people, working-class Americans, middle-class American and everyday Americans, as opposed to what they’ve done throughout this year which is to reward their billionaire donors.
CRAIG MELVIN: Again, the majority of folks certainly don’t want their healthcare premiums to go up. And I think a lot of folks are watching this and they’re wondering, why fight this battle now? Why not reopen the government and still have these conversations and negotiate over the next few months?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Yeah, it’s a really good question, but the time is now to address this healthcare crisis—
CRAIG MELVIN: But why now?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, absolutely. The enrollment period opens on November 1st. Notices have already started to go out indicating that premiums, co-pays and deductibles for tens of millions of Americans all across the country are going to dramatically increase. You know, for example, a couple that makes $88,000 a year currently, which receives the Affordable Care Act tax credits, pays insurance of about $8,000 per year. That will triple to $24,000 a year. Right now. That’s what people are facing right now, which is why we need to address it.
CRAIG MELVIN: President Trump did say yesterday that he wants to, quote, ‘fix the ACA subsidies.’ Is that an opening?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well he also mentioned that in the White House meeting that we had last Monday. Unfortunately, the White House and Republican leaders have gone radio silent ever since then.
CRAIG MELVIN: So you guys haven’t even talked since last Monday?
LEADER JEFFRIES: We have not talked, but they have my number. We’re willing to sit down. We want to meet—
CRAIG MELVIN: But do you recognize how ridiculous it sounds that the Leader of the Democratic party—
LEADER JEFFRIES: That’s correct—
CRAIG MELVIN: The President of the United States. But no one’s even talking about reopening the government and people won’t get paychecks this week.
LEADER JEFFRIES: It makes no sense, which is why we’re gonna be in Washington all week. Unfortunately, Republicans have actually canceled votes because they want to keep the government shut down.
CRAIG MELVIN: All right, Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Mr. Leader, thank you so much.
Source: United States House of Representatives – CONGRESSMAN JIM HIMES (4th District of Connecticut)
Connecticut Congressional Delegation Slams Trump Cancellation of Clean Energy Projects | Press Releases | Congressman Jim Himes
Hartford, CT – Today, the Connecticut Congressional delegation released a statement on the Trump Administration’s cancellation of $53 million of grants to Connecticut organizations working on clean energy projects.
“These cancellations are a craven and illegal attempt by the Trump Administration to bully blue states like Connecticut, and we have one simple message for them: it’s not going to work. All this reckless and shortsighted announcement does is cut good paying jobs for people in Connecticut, raise energy costs for families, and hurt our economy. While Trump and his cronies make life harder for Americans, we are fighting as a delegation to lower household utility bills and to invest in energy independence,” the delegation said in a statement.
The full list of Department of Energy projects that were terminated, including the 12 in Connecticut, are available here.
On Wednesday, Director of the United States Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought, announced on X that the Department of Energy had cancelled $8 billion worth of projects for clean energy projects. A press release from DOE issued late Wednesday confirmed the termination of the projects, but did not list the affected projects or provide any useful information. Additionally, Connecticut awardees were not notified by DOE that their funds were cancelled at the time of Vought’s announcement or the DOE press release.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jimmy Gomez (CA-34)
LOS ANGELES, CA — Congressman Jimmy Gomez (CA-34) today hosted a community Passport Fair in Los Angeles’s Koreatown, providing on-site passport application and renewal assistance to residents who need reliable access to federal services close to home. The event helped serve over 200 residents, including many first-time applicants, seniors, and families with urgent travel needs.
“Government should meet people where they are,” said Congressman Jimmy Gomez. “Today in Koreatown, we helped our neighbors submit passport applications, renewals, and photos without taking a day off work or navigating long lines across town. I’m grateful to our partners and volunteers who made this possible, and we’ll keep bringing these services directly to our communities.”
The fair featured trained passport agents, document pre-check, on-site photos, and multilingual assistance. Constituents received guidance on processing times, fee waivers where applicable, and options for urgent or expedited travel.
This is the fourth passport fair Congressman Gomez has hosted this year.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (7th District of Washington)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Mark Pocan (WI-02), and Jared Huffman (CA-02) are leading a letter to President Trump, expressing grave concerns regarding his executive order Designating Antifa as a Domestic Terrorist Organization and the related memorandum Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence, also known as NSPM-7, and demanding they be immediately rescinded.
These directives dangerously conflate constitutionally protected speech and political dissent with terrorism. The memo specifically targets ideologies such as “anti-capitalism,” “anti-Christianity,” and “hostility toward those who hold traditional American views,” raising serious First Amendment, due process, and civil liberties concerns.
The letter is currently circulating with House offices, but excerpts are below.
“While protecting public safety and countering genuine threats are essential responsibilities of government, the sweeping language and broad authority in these directives pose serious constitutional, statutory, and civil liberties risks, especially if used to target political dissent, protest, or ideological speech,” the Members wrote.
“Your memo uses ideologically charged language (e.g., “hostility toward those who hold traditional American views on family, religion, and morality”) that invites enforcement based on an individual’s personal opinions or political beliefs rather than any objective concern for public safety,” the Members continued. “This approach threatens our constituents’ civil liberties. Regardless of whether the President agrees with someone’s political views, the Constitution guarantees their right to speak and assemble peacefully.
“The memo also characterizes ‘anti-capitalism’ as a hallmark of violent behavior without explaining the term,” the Members go on to say. “This omission allows officials to potentially treat Americans as domestic terrorists for something as routine as organizing a local boycott or operating an employee-owned business. That lack of clarity threatens to chill lawful activism and punish economic alternatives.
“Additionally, the memo’s inclusion of “anti-Christianity” as a concern implies that criticism of Christian doctrines or institutions may qualify as violent behavior,” the Members continued. “This framing conflicts with the Constitution’s guarantee of religious freedom and its prohibition against government favoritism toward any faith. Non-Christian religious communities, secular groups, and individual dissenters all have the right to express disagreement with religious doctrines without being treated as threats…Labeling criticism as “anti-Christian” would silence their voices and deter Americans from exercising their rights. This risk becomes especially acute if enforcement shifts from protecting religious freedom to penalizing dissent from certain traditions.
“While the threat of political violence demands vigilance, your administration must not use this moment to undermine the very constitutional and democratic principles we are sworn to uphold. These actions are illegal, and we demand you immediately rescind both the memorandum and the executive order. We stand ready to take legislative action should you fail to do so,” the Members concluded.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Johnson (LA-04)
WASHINGTON — On Day Five of the Democrat government shutdown, Speaker Johnson joined Meet the Press on NBC and Face the Nation on CBS to further debunk Democrat lies about their own counterproposal and remind liberal media hosts that it is Senate Democrats who bear responsibility for keeping the government closed.
“The reason the government has closed is because Chuck Schumer and 43 of his Democrat colleagues in the Senate have decided now to vote multiple times to keep the government closed,” Speaker Johnson said. “We need them to turn the lights back on so that everyone can do their work. The House did our work.”
On Chuck Schumer’s refusal to reopen the government:
Well, the only person who can answer that question is your next guest, and that’s Chuck Schumer, because the House did its job. The reason that House Republicans are home working in their districts, and I suspect House Democrats should be as well, is because we did that. We passed a bipartisan, very clean, continuing resolution a couple of weeks back now and sent it to the Senate. It’s very important to note what was in that. It was only 24 pages in length, Margaret; it was a good faith effort to keep the government open for seven more weeks so that Republicans and Democrats in a bipartisan fashion could work together to fund the government with the appropriations process.
Chuck Schumer always voted for those in the past. In fact, he did it 13 times during the four years of the Biden Administration, but now suddenly he’s commanding his Democrats in the Senate not to do it, and there’s one simple reason why. They need political cover from the far-left corner of the base. He’s afraid, Chuck Schumer individually, ask him about it. He’s afraid he’s going to get a challenge from the Marxist left in his party, because that’s the new wave in New York. That’s what this is about. Chuck Schumer is trying to show a fight against the President and Republicans, and real Americans are being harmed in the process of this political game.
On Democrats conflating the September government funding deadline with an unrelated December policy issue:
Let me just start by saying, I listened to my friend Hakeem there, and when we used to do debate competitions in high school, they taught us to watch out for the red herring. The red herring is a distraction. Literally everything my friend just said there was unnecessary because what he’s trying to talk about is a December funding issue, the health care provision, some of these Obamacare subsidies that expire December 31. He is looking over entirely the fact that we have to keep the government open in order to have those bipartisan debates and discussions that he just referenced. The simple CR that we passed in the House more than two weeks ago does exactly that. It is a clean CR. It’s only 24 pages in length. It’s the simplest thing that’s ever been done in. It’s exactly what Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries and all the rest of them said must be done. You saw the tape. We could roll that tape for hours of all of them saying this passionately as recently as earlier this year, that we had to keep the government open in order to do our jobs.
On Republican efforts to drive down costs and improve health care quality:
I commit to what Republicans have always done and what we’ve already proven this year in the Working Families Tax Cuts, Republicans are the ones in Congress working to improve health care access, quality, and make it cheaper. We want to bring the cost down of healthcare. Premiums are too high, but it’s not because Republican policies, it’s because Obamacare is not working. We are trying to fix it. We’ve just shown in the One Big, Beautiful Bill, the Working Families Tax Cut, those reforms we made to Medicaid are not cuts to Medicaid. Medicaid will continue to grow. It’s just growing at a slower pace. Why? Because we got illegal aliens and able-bodied young men without dependents off of Medicaid. They were never planned to be there in the first place. And what the Democrats are demanding right now to keep the government open is we put them all back on there. We’re not doing that.
What the Democrats are demanding is that illegal aliens, that care for them in an emergency room, should be reimbursed at a higher rate…to the hospitals, than for American citizens, young pregnant women. They want to pay more for illegal aliens than for U.S. citizens. And we are against that. The reason it’s illegal right now for illegal aliens to receive taxpayer funded benefits is because Republicans wrote it into the law on July 4. Don’t take my word for it. Look at page 57, Section 2141 of Chuck Schumer’s counterproposal. It’s on my website at Speaker.gov. Everybody go look, don’t take my word for it. Read that section. They want to reverse those changes.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)
Dear Colleague:
I write in connection with the ongoing Republican healthcare crisis and Donald Trump’s shutdown of the federal government. Over the past four days, Republicans have made it clear that the only thing they are serious about is taking away the healthcare of the American people. Now, instead of meeting to find a bipartisan agreement to end the shutdown, the President is playing golf, Speaker Johnson cancelled votes next week and House Republicans remain on vacation. The American people deserve better.
The stakes are high. Republicans have set in motion a healthcare crisis that has ended Medicaid as we know it and ripped coverage away from millions of hardworking Americans. Hospitals, nursing homes and community-based health centers are closing. People will die. If the Affordable Care Act tax credits are not renewed in short order, millions will lose their healthcare coverage, and the cost of premiums, co-pays and deductibles will skyrocket.
We are in this fight to win this fight for the American people. To that end, the House Democratic Caucus will meet virtually on Monday, October 6 at 6 p.m. ET. Republicans have announced that Members will be given 48 hours notice in advance of any votes that will require travel back to Washington. Thank you for continuing to hold events throughout the country that emphasize our fight to cancel the cuts, lower the cost and save healthcare. We must also continue to stand by hardworking federal employees and civil servants who have been abused by the Trump administration since the beginning of the President’s term.
We are ready to sit down at any time, with anyone and at any place to negotiate a bipartisan spending agreement, reopen the government and address the Republican healthcare crisis. House Democratic leadership will continue to maintain a robust presence in Washington throughout next week. We remain on duty while Republicans remain on vacation.