1 00:00:02,520 --> 00:00:07,080 Speaker 1: Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio News. 2 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:09,639 Speaker 2: We're lucky to be joined now by one of those 3 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:12,880 Speaker 2: members of Congress who is currently out of session but 4 00:00:13,039 --> 00:00:16,320 Speaker 2: joins us now from Capitol Hill. That's Congressman Brian's Style, 5 00:00:16,440 --> 00:00:21,319 Speaker 2: Republican representing Wisconsin's first district. Congressman. It's good to see you, 6 00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:24,840 Speaker 2: and thanks so much for joining. I've loved your opinion 7 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:27,960 Speaker 2: on this. The Senate majority leader suggesting it's time for 8 00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:30,080 Speaker 2: the House to come back into session. Do you think 9 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:30,880 Speaker 2: that's a good idea. 10 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:34,200 Speaker 3: Well, it's time for the Senate to pass the clean 11 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:38,960 Speaker 3: cr We're in this situation because the Senate Democratic leadership 12 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:42,120 Speaker 3: under Chuck Schumer refuses to vote for a clean CR. 13 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:45,279 Speaker 3: This used to be a non controversial vote here on 14 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:48,560 Speaker 3: Capitol Hill. In fact, Democrats have voted time and again 15 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:52,080 Speaker 3: in favor of clean crs, most recently in the spring. 16 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:55,720 Speaker 3: What changed is the politics for Democrats in the United 17 00:00:55,720 --> 00:00:58,360 Speaker 3: States Senate. So the House has done our job, We're 18 00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:01,440 Speaker 3: all waiting for the Senate to do their job. Chuck 19 00:01:01,480 --> 00:01:03,960 Speaker 3: Schumer is beholden to his radical base. A lot of 20 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:06,320 Speaker 3: us are frustrated. It's time for us to move on 21 00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:10,120 Speaker 3: because there's really important negotiations in front of us, including 22 00:01:10,120 --> 00:01:13,480 Speaker 3: fiscally your twenty six appropriations, as well as other priority 23 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:16,720 Speaker 3: policy priorities that you mentioned Congress. 24 00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:19,080 Speaker 1: But it's good to see Kevin Hassett had suggested yesterday, 25 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:21,479 Speaker 1: maybe there's capitulation this week and this whole thing comes 26 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:24,200 Speaker 1: to an end. But every time the Senate votes on this, 27 00:01:24,319 --> 00:01:28,120 Speaker 1: it's the same two Democrats an independent who break ranks here. 28 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 1: So I mean, at some point we could be bumping 29 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:33,160 Speaker 1: up against November twenty first, what do we do then? 30 00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:35,600 Speaker 1: Do you wait forever for Senate Democrats? We just stay 31 00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:39,319 Speaker 1: shut down until Chuck Schumer changes his tune. 32 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:44,080 Speaker 3: Well, the consequences of the Schumer shutdown continue to build. 33 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:48,240 Speaker 3: President Trump has done a great job taking some extraordinary 34 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:51,800 Speaker 3: actions to make sure that the consequences aren't felt by 35 00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:54,640 Speaker 3: our troops, for example, But many of these are one 36 00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:57,760 Speaker 3: time actions, and so the consequences will continue to build. 37 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:00,480 Speaker 3: The pressure will build, and I do believe at some 38 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:03,360 Speaker 3: point the Senate will come to the table and recognize 39 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:06,320 Speaker 3: that their action to close the federal government and put 40 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:09,840 Speaker 3: at risk, for example, payment to our troops, the men 41 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:12,600 Speaker 3: and women wearing the United States military uniform, was the 42 00:02:12,639 --> 00:02:15,600 Speaker 3: wrong bet the sooner we come out of the shutdown 43 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:19,519 Speaker 3: and begin the substantive negotiations on fiscally your twenty six 44 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:22,679 Speaker 3: approaches as well as other policy priorities, the better off 45 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:23,000 Speaker 3: we are. 46 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:26,720 Speaker 2: Well the White House has come to the table on 47 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:29,560 Speaker 2: some of these really critical issues, like military pay, pay 48 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:33,280 Speaker 2: for the Coastguard, also finding that supplementary funding for that 49 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:37,360 Speaker 2: key federal nutrition assistance program that helps women and children. 50 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:40,120 Speaker 2: But Congressmen, we hear from Democrats that they want President 51 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:42,600 Speaker 2: Trump to come to the negotiating table when it comes 52 00:02:42,639 --> 00:02:46,480 Speaker 2: to the policy stances at stake here, particularly related to healthcare. 53 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:49,760 Speaker 2: We know he had this luncheon today with Senate Republicans, 54 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:52,000 Speaker 2: but do you think President Trump should be getting more 55 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:54,120 Speaker 2: involved as this shutdown drags on? 56 00:02:55,440 --> 00:02:57,880 Speaker 3: Well, I think again, the challenge here is we put 57 00:02:57,960 --> 00:03:00,760 Speaker 3: forward a clean CR now, as you not weeks ago 58 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:04,200 Speaker 3: passed in the House. We're three weeks into a shutdown. 59 00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:07,920 Speaker 3: We should be three weeks into the CR utilizing the 60 00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:11,960 Speaker 3: time that we're burning right now to negotiate those policy priorities. 61 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:16,320 Speaker 3: Many of these have year end deadlines, appropriate conversations for 62 00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:18,240 Speaker 3: us to be having, but we should be doing that 63 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:21,600 Speaker 3: in the context of an open and operational government. Again, 64 00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:24,840 Speaker 3: the House did our job. The Senate is running into 65 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:28,680 Speaker 3: filibuster challenges. Center Fetterman is even calling now and saying, 66 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:31,679 Speaker 3: maybe we have to overcome that because a minority of 67 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:34,120 Speaker 3: United States Senators are standing in the way, under the 68 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:36,960 Speaker 3: leadership of Chuck Schumer, from reopening the federal government. 69 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:42,080 Speaker 1: You've seen what's going on with the premiums here, Congressman, 70 00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:45,200 Speaker 1: and I know that you're careful not to conflate this 71 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:49,320 Speaker 1: debate with that of government funding. But we saw a 72 00:03:49,320 --> 00:03:51,880 Speaker 1: couple of states this morning in Georgia, where I know 73 00:03:52,200 --> 00:03:55,000 Speaker 1: Congressoman Marjorie Taylor Green has been making some noise here, 74 00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:58,880 Speaker 1: Obamacare premiums could rise as much as four times. They 75 00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:02,520 Speaker 1: could quadruple in main plans. We'll see premiums up in 76 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:06,360 Speaker 1: average of twenty four percent. In Michigan, could surpass eighteen percent, 77 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:09,920 Speaker 1: and that's before factoring in the expiration. What would it 78 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:14,480 Speaker 1: mean for people looking at their subsidies rise in Wisconsin. 79 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:18,400 Speaker 3: Well, I think what we see as the data continues 80 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:21,239 Speaker 3: to come in that the Affordable Care Act was anything 81 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:25,080 Speaker 3: but affordable for the American people. The program the Democrats 82 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:28,240 Speaker 3: put in place, and again the Democrats set the sunset 83 00:04:28,360 --> 00:04:31,440 Speaker 3: date themselves. This was a Democrat decision to sunset it 84 00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:34,839 Speaker 3: at the end of the year. But what we continue 85 00:04:34,880 --> 00:04:37,839 Speaker 3: to see is challenges inside the structure of the program. 86 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:40,080 Speaker 3: There is plenty of evidence of the waste, fraud, and 87 00:04:40,120 --> 00:04:44,080 Speaker 3: abuse inside this Democrat created program. There's a Treasury report 88 00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:48,400 Speaker 3: that came out under President Biden that identifies as significant 89 00:04:48,440 --> 00:04:52,440 Speaker 3: flaws inside these premium credits that go back to insurance 90 00:04:52,480 --> 00:04:55,600 Speaker 3: companies as to why it's structurally unsound. So at an 91 00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:58,560 Speaker 3: absolute minimum, we would need to make meaningful and substantive 92 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:01,600 Speaker 3: reform in the program. But again, these are the conversations 93 00:05:01,600 --> 00:05:03,480 Speaker 3: and the debates that we should be having right now 94 00:05:03,520 --> 00:05:07,599 Speaker 3: on Capitol Hill. Instead, we're shut down all because Chuck 95 00:05:07,600 --> 00:05:09,839 Speaker 3: Schumer and Democrats in the Senate refused to open the 96 00:05:09,839 --> 00:05:13,040 Speaker 3: government with a clean cr to allow these negotiations and 97 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:14,120 Speaker 3: debates to take place. 98 00:05:15,520 --> 00:05:18,200 Speaker 2: Well, Congressman Joe just outlined one of the potential impacts 99 00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:22,040 Speaker 2: for constituents. Another has to do with economic assistance for farmers. 100 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:26,040 Speaker 2: A senior Administration official tells me that's currently been delayed 101 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:29,240 Speaker 2: because of this ongoing shut down. I looked up the 102 00:05:29,279 --> 00:05:33,000 Speaker 2: stats the USDA estimates Wisconsin farmers produced one point three 103 00:05:33,160 --> 00:05:36,200 Speaker 2: billion dollars worth of soybeans each year. This is, of 104 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:39,039 Speaker 2: course at the center of this issue, as China hasn't 105 00:05:39,040 --> 00:05:42,040 Speaker 2: imported any US soybeans so far this harvest season. I'm 106 00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:45,279 Speaker 2: wondering if you're in any discussions with the administration on 107 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:48,279 Speaker 2: what this aid package might look like. Are they talking 108 00:05:48,320 --> 00:05:50,680 Speaker 2: with Congress on this and any update on when it 109 00:05:50,680 --> 00:05:51,560 Speaker 2: could be ruled out. 110 00:05:52,640 --> 00:05:55,240 Speaker 3: I had a long conversation with two soybean farmers from 111 00:05:55,240 --> 00:05:59,039 Speaker 3: Wisconsin yesterday talking about this exact challenge. The short term 112 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:01,440 Speaker 3: fix may be that type of a subsidy, but the 113 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:04,280 Speaker 3: long term fix is getting trade agreements in place and 114 00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:08,799 Speaker 3: having China once again purchasing US soy The US soy 115 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:12,000 Speaker 3: exports are heavily dependent on the Chinese markets. The broader 116 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:15,440 Speaker 3: trade negotiations that we're having is causing concern. I'm of 117 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:17,560 Speaker 3: the view that we have a huge opportunity here to 118 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:21,120 Speaker 3: work with our allies, hold China accountable, and then strike 119 00:06:21,160 --> 00:06:23,560 Speaker 3: the trade deal. I think President Trump's in a position 120 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:26,760 Speaker 3: to do that. The short term fix may be providing 121 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:29,719 Speaker 3: some level of assistance. The long term fix is striking 122 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:33,160 Speaker 3: these trade agreements to the benefit of American workers and farmers. 123 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:37,719 Speaker 1: Congressman, we appreciate the insights. As always, that's Brian's style, 124 00:06:37,760 --> 00:06:42,080 Speaker 1: Republican Congressman from Wisconsin who chairs the House Admin Committee, 125 00:06:42,080 --> 00:06:43,680 Speaker 1: and always a pleasure to have the chairman with us 126 00:06:43,680 --> 00:06:44,760 Speaker 1: as part of our conversation.