WEBVTT - United States Senator Gary Peters (D) Talks Government Shutdown

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<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio News.

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<v Speaker 2>Joining me now live from Capitol Hill is Democratic Senator

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<v Speaker 2>Gary Peters of Michigan. He's the ranking member of the

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<v Speaker 2>Senate Homeland Security Committee, also member both the Senate Appropriations

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<v Speaker 2>Committee and the Commerce Committee. Senator, thank you very much

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<v Speaker 2>for the time, and let's start with what we heard

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<v Speaker 2>there from the House Speaker about Democrats and Republicans needing

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<v Speaker 2>to come together. I note that Lisa Murkowski, the Democratic

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<v Speaker 2>senator where the Republican Democrats had a center from Alaska

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<v Speaker 2>speaking on the floor calling upon colleagues to forego their paycheck.

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<v Speaker 2>She said she'd be willing to do that, indicating that

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<v Speaker 2>the Congress should not go out of session until all

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<v Speaker 2>of this is handled. How likely is that. What's the

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<v Speaker 2>quality of conversations that you're having among Democrats and Republicans

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<v Speaker 2>on Capitol Hill.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, there's no question we have to come together. We

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<v Speaker 1>got to have a substantive of conversations. I find it's

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<v Speaker 1>interesting you have the speaker saying we have to come together,

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<v Speaker 1>and yet none of his members are here in Washington.

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<v Speaker 1>They're basically all back home on vacation. Very difficult to

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<v Speaker 1>have conversations when none of the House members are here

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<v Speaker 1>working I can say in the Senate. You know, I've

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<v Speaker 1>been actively engaged in conversations with many of my Republican

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<v Speaker 1>colleagues along with Democratic colleagues. So we're going to continue

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<v Speaker 1>to have those conversations. But quite frankly, we need to

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<v Speaker 1>have leadership involved, and quite frankly, you're going to need

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<v Speaker 1>Donald Trump. He's going to have to get engaged. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>I've worked with Republicans in the prior administration and currently,

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<v Speaker 1>and even if you're negotiating with Republicans, unless Donald Trump

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<v Speaker 1>signs off on it, they're not going to support things

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<v Speaker 1>even if they agree to it with us. I saw

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<v Speaker 1>that in the last Trump administration, we had an agreement

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<v Speaker 1>on border security legislation. Republicans said they agreed, and literally

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<v Speaker 1>an hour before the vote came up on the Senate floor,

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<v Speaker 1>Donald Trump said he wasn't for it, and all of

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<v Speaker 1>the folks who shook my hand and said they were

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<v Speaker 1>for it were no longer for it. So we've got

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<v Speaker 1>to make sure that we can negotiate in a way

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<v Speaker 1>with someone who can actually deliver when we come together

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<v Speaker 1>to make sure that Americans have access to quality, affordable healthcare.

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<v Speaker 2>You've been back in Michigan, you're now returned to Washington,

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<v Speaker 2>d C. Carrying with you. I imagine comments and worries

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<v Speaker 2>from your constituents about this shutdown. What are your constituents

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<v Speaker 2>say to you about how it's affecting them in the

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<v Speaker 2>prospects for them if this continues.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, certainly people no one likes a shutdown. I don't

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<v Speaker 1>like a shutdown. I think we should never have a shutdown.

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<v Speaker 1>We should come together. And certainly, if you're the majority party,

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<v Speaker 1>if you have the presidency, you have the Senate, and

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<v Speaker 1>you have the House, you should do everything you can

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<v Speaker 1>to bring people together to make sure that we can

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<v Speaker 1>keep the government open. But I think folks also are

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<v Speaker 1>very concerned about increases in healthcare cost. It is becoming

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<v Speaker 1>increasingly unaffordable for more and more Americans. And we know

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<v Speaker 1>the Affordable Care Act, with these tax credits, which have

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<v Speaker 1>already expired, impact people. They're going to see it starting

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<v Speaker 1>November first, when they get their bills. Some people are

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<v Speaker 1>going to see a doubling, a tripling of their cost

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<v Speaker 1>that's simply unafford We know that people are now going

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<v Speaker 1>to have to go without insurance. And we also know,

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<v Speaker 1>when people lose their insurance and they don't get on

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<v Speaker 1>a plan, that ends up actually costing everybody because then

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<v Speaker 1>the cost of insurance goes up for folks. And we

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<v Speaker 1>look at the people who are likely to lose insurance

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<v Speaker 1>because of this large increase that we could avoid, which

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<v Speaker 1>is what we want to do as Democrats. Avoid these

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<v Speaker 1>large increases in premiums. They tend to impact younger folks,

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<v Speaker 1>and you've got to have younger folks in the insurance

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<v Speaker 1>pool to keep the insurance affordable for everybody. So this

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<v Speaker 1>is a critical situation. Health insurance is something that I

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<v Speaker 1>believe has to be affordable. It should be a right

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<v Speaker 1>for Americans to be able to have the peace of

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<v Speaker 1>mind to know that they have that kind of coverage.

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<v Speaker 1>And all we're asking the Republicans has come for let's

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<v Speaker 1>talk this through. In fact, it's curious that if you

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<v Speaker 1>look at the areas that are actually most impacted, the

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<v Speaker 1>people who are going to see the largest increases in

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<v Speaker 1>these healthcare costs tend to be Republican congressional districts and

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<v Speaker 1>republic in states. So if they don't want to stand

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<v Speaker 1>up for their own people, I know it's difficult to

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<v Speaker 1>get them to stand up for others, but they're not

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<v Speaker 1>even standing up for their own folks in their own

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<v Speaker 1>districts in states.

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<v Speaker 2>Sata, let me ask you to change the subject here

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<v Speaker 2>about what we've seen off the coast of South America.

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<v Speaker 2>You were in the Navy and you've watched as the

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<v Speaker 2>gerald Ford has been dispatched down there, is making its

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<v Speaker 2>way to to South America. As I said, you said

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<v Speaker 2>in the Armed Services can be how do you process

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<v Speaker 2>what's happening with this military movement, this military maneuvering. What

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<v Speaker 2>is it signal to you? And what questions do you

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<v Speaker 2>have about the administration's objectives here?

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<v Speaker 1>Well, we have all sorts of questions. So, as you mentioned,

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<v Speaker 1>I serve in the Navy. I also serve on the

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<v Speaker 1>Armed Services Committee. We have been asking for our briefing

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<v Speaker 1>as to what is going on down there. We know

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<v Speaker 1>that they have ensroying boats, what is engaged? Who is

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<v Speaker 1>being engaged? How do you know who is on those boats?

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<v Speaker 1>How do you know where they're going? You know, I'm

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<v Speaker 1>the ranking member on Homeland Security. I want to stand

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<v Speaker 1>firm to make sure that we don't allow illegal drugs

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<v Speaker 1>into our our country. That stuff is poisoned we have

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<v Speaker 1>to do everything we can to keep it out of

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<v Speaker 1>our country, but we have ways to do that. I

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<v Speaker 1>work closely with the US Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security,

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<v Speaker 1>but we always get information about those operations and what

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<v Speaker 1>we need to do in order to keep our country safe.

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<v Speaker 1>Right now, the administration has been radio silent. We don't

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<v Speaker 1>know what is happening here. It's hard to comment. And

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<v Speaker 1>when you go in and destroy a bote and kill

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<v Speaker 1>folks and we don't know who those people are or

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<v Speaker 1>how they were identified, it raises a lot of serious questions.

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<v Speaker 1>The part of the moral authority we have as the

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<v Speaker 1>United States is that we believe in the rule of law.

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<v Speaker 1>We are a country of laws, and I believe that

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<v Speaker 1>we have to continue to be a country based on

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<v Speaker 1>the rule of law. And part of that is having

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<v Speaker 1>the information to understand exactly what that military force is

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<v Speaker 1>being used for. Congress has to be engaged in that.

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<v Speaker 1>We know that Congress has the power under the United

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<v Speaker 1>States Constitution to declare war, but in order to declare war,

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<v Speaker 1>we have to understand exactly what that war is going

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<v Speaker 1>to involve, what the purposes are, and how it's being

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<v Speaker 1>carried out and We're completely unable to do that right

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<v Speaker 1>now because we have not received the information that quite frankly,

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<v Speaker 1>the Constitution demands of the executive to provide to the

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<v Speaker 1>Congress and.

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<v Speaker 2>Very quickly here ten seconds or so. Have you gotten

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<v Speaker 2>a response to requests for briefing from the administration.

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<v Speaker 1>Not yet. We've asked repeatedly and still have no response.

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<v Speaker 2>Gary Peters, the Democratic Senator from Michigan, thank you very

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<v Speaker 2>much for the time on this Monday afternoon. I really

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<v Speaker 2>appreciate it.