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Speaker 1: Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news.

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Speaker 2: It's day twenty three, and I'm curious sort of what

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Speaker 2: has changed between day one, the start of the shutdown,

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Speaker 2: and today in terms of the conversation and how you're

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Speaker 2: feeling about where things are well.

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Speaker 3: As Democrats, we continue to make clear to our Republican

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Speaker 3: colleagues that we will sit down with them anytime, any

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Speaker 3: place in order to reopen the government to negotiate a

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Speaker 3: bipartisan agreement that actually makes life better for the American

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Speaker 3: people in terms of spending and funding. But we also

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Speaker 3: have to decisively address the Republican healthcare crisis. We've maintained

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Speaker 3: that position from the very beginning before Republicans shut the

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Speaker 3: government down and during the entirety of the shutdown, because

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Speaker 3: it is a real crisis that has been created at

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Speaker 3: this moment, particularly as it relates to the urgent need

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Speaker 3: to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits.

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Speaker 2: As you and I are speaking, the House speakers doing

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Speaker 2: a press conference just down the hall, what is the

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Speaker 2: level of engagement? Do you pass one another? Are you

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Speaker 2: speaking with one another? Are Democrats talking to Republicans right now?

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Speaker 3: The conversations have been very limited, Unfortunately, because Donald Trump

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Speaker 3: has not given House Republican leaders or Senate Republican leaders

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Speaker 3: permission to negotiate reinforcing the principle from our view that

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Speaker 3: he made the decision to shut the government down. They

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Speaker 3: want to continue to inflict pain on federal employees. They've

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Speaker 3: done that from the very beginning of Donald Trump's presidency.

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Speaker 3: In fact, more than two hundred thousand federal employees had

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Speaker 3: been forced off the job prior to the government shut down,

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Speaker 3: and this is something that we've continued to see them

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Speaker 3: build upon during the shutdown until Donald Trump gets serious

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Speaker 3: about reopening the government. Unfortunately, we're going to remain in

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Speaker 3: this situation and everyday Americans are being hurt.

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Speaker 2: He's getting ready to take a trip to Asia. Is

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Speaker 2: it appropriate for him to be doing that at this

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Speaker 2: moment when the government is shut down.

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Speaker 3: I think that the president had a responsibility both domestically and.

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Speaker 1: Throughout the world.

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Speaker 3: However, what has been irresponsible is that throughout this shutdown

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Speaker 3: he's found more time to golf than he has to

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Speaker 3: engage with Democrats on Capitol Hill. He's decided to try

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Speaker 3: to steal two hundred and thirty million dollars in taxpayer

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Speaker 3: funds from the Department of Injustice.

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Speaker 1: Donald Trump and.

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Speaker 3: His administration have found forty billion dollars to bail out

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Speaker 3: a right wing want to be dictator and Argentina, and

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Speaker 3: can't find a dime to extend the Affordable Care Act

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Speaker 3: tax credits to keep health care affordable for tens of

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Speaker 3: millions of Americans. And on top of all of that,

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Speaker 3: they are demolishing the East wing of the White House

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Speaker 3: in ways that have appropriately horrified the American people.

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Speaker 2: I want to ask you about potential off ramps, and

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Speaker 2: Tammy Baldwin the Center from Wisconsin Democrats said Trump is

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Speaker 2: the off ramp at this point. Do you agree with

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Speaker 2: that assessment? And has to in any kind of outreach

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Speaker 2: or dialogue between you and the White House.

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Speaker 3: Lady Schumer made Claire earlier this week that we have

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Speaker 3: reached out to the White House again to indicate that

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Speaker 3: prior to Trump's departure for Asia, he should sit down

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Speaker 3: with Democrats to find a path forward to reopen the government,

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Speaker 3: to enter into a bipartisan spending agreement, and to address

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Speaker 3: the healthcare crisis that Marjorie Taylor Green acknowledges must be addressed,

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Speaker 3: and that traditional conservatives who are in the toughest seats

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Speaker 3: in the country have now publicly acknowledged this week needs

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Speaker 3: to be addressed.

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Speaker 2: Can I ask you a question of congressional mechanics, and

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Speaker 2: that is, can the Democratic leader pick up the phone

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Speaker 2: call the White House and reasonably expect the President's going

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Speaker 2: to take that phone call? Are you able to do that?

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Speaker 2: And if so, what's keeping you from having that done well?

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Speaker 3: Traditionally that probably is the case, but in this White

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Speaker 3: House that's very much on Claire. Donald Trump didn't have

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Speaker 3: a meeting with House or Senate Democratic leadership until two

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Speaker 3: days prior to the government shutting down, and we had

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Speaker 3: to man that meeting. He initially agreed to it, then

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Speaker 3: he canceled it, and then he was forced by public

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Speaker 3: sentiment to agree to it. But unfortunately, we had a

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Speaker 3: discussion for about an hour or so, and then there

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Speaker 3: was no follow up from either Donald Trump or his

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Speaker 3: administration because they are not serious about solving these challenges

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Speaker 3: on behalf of the American people. We live in a

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Speaker 3: high cost of living environment. The American people are struggling

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Speaker 3: to afford to live, struggling paycheck to paycheck, and Donald

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Speaker 3: Trump and Republicans promised that they were going to lower

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Speaker 3: costs on day one, but costs aren't going down.

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Speaker 1: Costs are going up.

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Speaker 3: Inflation going up, electricity prices through the roof, housing costs expensive,

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Speaker 3: grocery costs increasingly expensive. And now people facing the possibility

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Speaker 3: as we approached the open enrollment period for health insurance

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Speaker 3: on November one, that millions of folks are going to

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Speaker 3: see premium increases that could be as high as a

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Speaker 3: thousand or two thousand dollars more per month. And yet

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Speaker 3: we see nothing but in action from the President of

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Speaker 3: the United States.

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Speaker 2: Keeping that in mind, Jason Smith, Chairman of Houseways and Means,

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Speaker 2: was on our area yesterday and he said, maybe there

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Speaker 2: could be a longer term CR fourteen months, take us

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Speaker 2: through the midterms. Am I right? And assuming that's unpalatable

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Speaker 2: to you because it does nothing to address what you

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Speaker 2: were just talking about, those health care subsidies.

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Speaker 3: Yes, it's definitively unacceptable to us. We've made clear from

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Speaker 3: the beginning we will not vote for a partisan, Republican

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Speaker 3: spending bill that continues to cut the healthcare of the

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Speaker 3: American people in the face of an extraordinary crisis that

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Speaker 3: Republicans have created. If you think about it, the largest

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Speaker 3: cut to Medicaid in American history, almost a trillion dollar cut.

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Speaker 3: This from a president and Republicans who promised in January.

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Speaker 1: That they would love and cherish Medicaid.

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Speaker 3: As a result of the policies in the One Big

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Speaker 3: Ugly Bill, we're seeing hospitals and nursing homes and community

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Speaker 3: based health centers closed all across the country because of

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Speaker 3: what Republicans have done. We also are facing a possible

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Speaker 3: five hundred and thirty six billion dollar cut to Medicare

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Speaker 3: at the end of the year if Congress doesn't act

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Speaker 3: they refuse to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits UH,

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Speaker 3: which is gonna impact tens of millions of people.

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Speaker 1: By the way, more than ninety percent of.

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Speaker 3: The people who receive tax credits connected to their health

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Speaker 3: insurance make around sixty three thousand dollars or less. These

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Speaker 3: are working class folks. And then we know that Republicans

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Speaker 3: are continuing to assault our public health infrastructure in the

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Speaker 3: country related to vaccine availability. Their Appropriations bill right now

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Speaker 3: that they want us to support UH in the House,

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Speaker 3: they propose cutting one point seven billion dollars from the

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Speaker 3: Centers for Disease Control and another f five hundred or

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Speaker 3: so million dollars from the National Institute of Health. It's

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Speaker 3: not something that acceptable to us in any way, shape

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Speaker 3: or form. This is a healthcare crisis that cannot be overstated,

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Speaker 3: and so we've got to address it decisively.

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Speaker 2: Now, want to talk about your vision for how all

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Speaker 2: of this unfolds. So my first question is, how do

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Speaker 2: you see all this play out? How long do you

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Speaker 2: think it's going to be. What's your best guess at

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Speaker 2: this point?

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Speaker 3: Well, listen, I think the longer this goes on, the

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Speaker 3: more pressure that unfortunately continues to mount on Congress decisively

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Speaker 3: to act, meaning our Republican colleagues who control the House

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Speaker 3: and the Senate. And it shocks a lot of people

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Speaker 3: that House Republicans have been on vacation now four consecutive weeks,

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Speaker 3: have literally canceled votes for four consecutive weeks. That's an

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Speaker 3: unsustainable position. We believe they need to get back to work,

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Speaker 3: come back from vacation, sit down, let's do the business

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Speaker 3: of the American people. We also, of course, are going

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Speaker 3: to approach the November first open enrollment period, and at

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Speaker 3: that moment in time, it will be crystal clear to

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Speaker 3: the American people that their premiums, copais, and deductibles are

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Speaker 3: about to skyrocket in ways that will crush them financially,

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Speaker 3: and they will be unable to go see a doctor

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Speaker 3: when they need one, when their children need one, when

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Speaker 3: their family needs one. And it's unsustainable for Republicans to

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Speaker 3: continue to refuse to address that issue.

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Speaker 1: It's not a made up issue.

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Speaker 3: It's a real life issue that has adverse consequences on

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Speaker 3: everyday Americans.

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Speaker 2: I think back to the beginning of this in the

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Speaker 2: days before there were some critics who said that date's

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Speaker 2: too far off, and you're making this argument based on

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Speaker 2: that November first deadline. People aren't dealing with that in

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Speaker 2: real terms. Yet does this become an easier sell to

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Speaker 2: the American public as we get closer that date and

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Speaker 2: the need as we hit November first.

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Speaker 3: Well, our view was that we needed to address this

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Speaker 3: issue in October because of the fact that notices were

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Speaker 3: going out to tens of millions of Americans who.

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Speaker 1: Have to be able to plan.

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Speaker 3: They need some certainty to understand are they going to

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Speaker 3: be able to afford healthcare? How am I going to

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Speaker 3: manage this situation? What are my alternatives? And that's why

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Speaker 3: we felt like it needed to be dealt with with

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Speaker 3: the fierce urgency of now in connection to what was

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Speaker 3: also happening with the need to either fund the government,

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Speaker 3: prevent a shutdown that Republicans have now brought to the country,

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Speaker 3: now reopen the government, and actually to reach and enlighten

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Speaker 3: bipartisan spending agreement, where our only criteria had been if

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Speaker 3: we're going to reach an agreement that's by partisan in nature,

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Speaker 3: it has to actually improve the lives of the American

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Speaker 3: people in three different areas, their health, public safety, and

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Speaker 3: their economic well being, particularly as it relates to lowering

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Speaker 3: the high cost of living because America's too expensive right now.

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Speaker 2: A nearer pressure point is Friday, October twenty fourth, Fed

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Speaker 2: workers aren't going to receive their paychecks. How confident are

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Speaker 2: you that you're not going to be blamed? Democrats aren't

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Speaker 2: going to be blamed for that when that comes around.

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Speaker 3: Well, from the very beginning of this president's term, Donald

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Speaker 3: Trump and the Republicans have assaulted in the most egregious

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Speaker 3: way possible hardworking federal civil servants and public employees.

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Speaker 1: And it's outrageous.

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Speaker 3: As I mentioned, more than two hundred thousand federal employees

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Speaker 3: have already been forced off the job. That was prior

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Speaker 3: to Donald Trump shutting down the government. We passed the

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Speaker 3: law on twenty seventeen that Donald Trump signed which requires

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Speaker 3: that furloughed workers, all federal employees receive their back pay.

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Speaker 3: Is Donald Trump that's now suggesting unlawfully that he can

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Speaker 3: withheld hold that pay and they might not be compensated.

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Speaker 2: Should workers be worried about that? I've talked to a

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Speaker 2: few federal workers who, for the first time, for the

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Speaker 2: first shutdown, they've been through their word that that's not

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Speaker 2: going to happen. Is that a reasonable concern?

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Speaker 3: Well, the law is crystal cleare It's a reasonable concern

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Speaker 3: from the standpoint that when Donald Trump says anything, and

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Speaker 3: he's the president of the United States, and there's been

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Speaker 3: a willingness to engage in an unlawful and illegal behavior,

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Speaker 3: sometimes rubber stamped by the conservative majority on the US

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Speaker 3: Supreme Court, that's problematic. But the law is very crystal

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Speaker 3: clear in this particular instance, and we are going to

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Speaker 3: make sure that every single federal employee receives the entirety

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Speaker 3: of their pain.

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Speaker 2: Russell Vote Present, seemingly fond of calling him Darth Vader,

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Speaker 2: says he's playing budgetary twister as all this unfolds, and

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Speaker 2: that's maybe lessen the pain that some constituents feel as

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Speaker 2: a result of this. How has that complicated your efforts here?

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Speaker 2: The fact that some government entities are still running, some

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Speaker 2: people are still getting paid, but it's not across the board,

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Speaker 2: it's not universal.

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Speaker 3: Well, of course, in any government shut down, it is

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Speaker 3: critical that there are federal employees who are deemed essential

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Speaker 3: in order to allow the country to continue to function

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Speaker 3: as best we can.

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Speaker 1: But the most comprehensive.

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Speaker 3: Way forward, of course, is to make sure that we

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Speaker 3: can negotiate a spending agreement that makes life better for

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Speaker 3: the American people, that we pay every single federal employee

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Speaker 3: by reopening the government. And that's what Republicans have refused

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Speaker 3: to do. Donald Trump consistently has chosen not to engage,

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Speaker 3: even though we've made our position clear and have held

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Speaker 3: to that position in the House, in the Senate. Senate

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Speaker 3: Democrats being bold and courageous on behalf of the American

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Speaker 3: people to say we have to decisively address the healthcare

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Speaker 3: crisis that impacts people all across the country. And by

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Speaker 3: the way, David, the reality is Republican constituents are being

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Speaker 3: impacted adversely by the Republican refusal to address the Affordable

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Speaker 3: Care Act tax credit and sanction. The five states that

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Speaker 3: would be most impacted are West Virginia, Wyoming, Alaska, Tennessee,

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Speaker 3: and Mississippi. The next five states are all states currently

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Speaker 3: governed by Republicans. About forty five percent of the people

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Speaker 3: who benefit from the Affordable Care Act tax credits apparently

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Speaker 3: are registered Republicans, another thirty five percent are Democrats, and

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Speaker 3: the balance are independents are unaffiliated. This is an American issue,

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Speaker 3: and we're fighting hard on behalf of everyone every day, Americans,

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Speaker 3: working class Americans, and middle class Americans all across the land.

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Speaker 2: So fundamentally, is this an issue of trust that you

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Speaker 2: have the Senate majority leaders saying, look open the government,

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Speaker 2: we will talk about these sepsties, We'll talk about healthcare.

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Speaker 2: Are you just unable to trust Republicans at this moment

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Speaker 2: or believe that would happen were we to go that path.

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Speaker 3: It's hard for the American people that trust Republicans, particularly

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Speaker 3: as it relates to the issue of health care costs

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Speaker 3: of living. Group of people who promise to lower costs

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Speaker 3: on day one cost having gone down, they've gone up.

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Speaker 3: Trump tariffs are making life more expensive thousands of dollars

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Speaker 3: per year more in additional expenses.

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Speaker 1: There's also a group of people who said we.

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Speaker 3: Were going to love and cherish Medicaid, and then they

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Speaker 3: went out and enacted the largest cut to Medicaid in

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Speaker 3: American history. A group of folks who have said they'll

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Speaker 3: never touch Medicare, and now because of the one big

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Speaker 3: ugly bill, they've triggered the possibility of the largest cut

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Speaker 3: to Medicare in the history of the country if Congress

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Speaker 3: doesn't act by the end of the year. And so,

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Speaker 3: of course these folks have zero credibility on this issue,

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Speaker 3: which is why we need decisive action. And by the way,

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Speaker 3: in the House, Republicans have voted to repeal the Affordable

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Speaker 3: Care Act more than seventy different times since twenty ten.

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Speaker 3: They are relentlessly obsessed, meaning these extremists on the other

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Speaker 3: side of the aisle with ripping healthcare away from the

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Speaker 3: American people.

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Speaker 1: And so we think it's.

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Speaker 3: Very reasonable for everyday Americans to be skeptical about any

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Speaker 3: promises made by Republicans. We don't need a wing and

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Speaker 3: a prayer, we need decisive legislative action.

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Speaker 2: People will be watching this and listening to this, hearing

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Speaker 2: what you're saying, and detecting that there is this deficitive

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Speaker 2: trust between the two parties here, and I don't think

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Speaker 2: that engenders a lot of optimisms because this gets solved

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Speaker 2: anytime soon. Is that misplaced? Do you feel like it

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Speaker 2: there can be some comedy here somewhere, or.

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Speaker 3: We're taking the Ronald Reagan approach to this particular situation

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Speaker 3: from the standpoint of what needs to happen, Trust, but verify,

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Speaker 3: and so yeah, promises.

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Speaker 1: Can be made, but we need verification.

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Speaker 3: That verification comes in the form of actual legislation, decisive

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Speaker 3: legislative action to be able to address the Republican healthcare crisis.

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Speaker 3: But we're here each and every day, Democrats have been

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Speaker 3: showing up on Capitol Hill. We're committed to doing the

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Speaker 3: work to finding a bipartisan path forward, to reopening the

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Speaker 3: government and to addressing the healthcare crisis that Republicans have

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Speaker 3: viciously visited on the American people.

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Speaker 2: Got a couple questions just about the long term consequences

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Speaker 2: of this. So the President said, we're closing up programs

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Speaker 2: that are Democrat programs, that we're opposed to, and they're

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Speaker 2: never going to come back in many cases, is he right?

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Speaker 2: Is the work that's being done by Omb and his

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Speaker 2: administration irrevocable?

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Speaker 3: Well, Republicans have been trying to shut down programs unlawfully

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Speaker 3: from the very beginning of this presidency in ways that

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Speaker 3: clearly violate the law because they're inconsistent with bipartisan bills

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Speaker 3: that have been passed dictating how taxpayer dollars are spent

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Speaker 3: in ways that are designed to benefit the American people.

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Speaker 3: So what we're saying right now is not inconsistent. These

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Speaker 3: are just threats from Donald Trump trying to intimidate Democrats

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Speaker 3: from backing away from the position that we've taken on

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Speaker 3: behalf of the American people. This is a principal position

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Speaker 3: for us, not politicals, not partisan. It's about the quality

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Speaker 3: of life, the health, the safety, and the economic well

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Speaker 3: being of the American people. And will continue to hold

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Speaker 3: this position, and we're going to have to, of course,

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Speaker 3: continue to push back against overreach from Donald Trump and

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Speaker 3: his administration. Unfortunately, Republicans who control the House and the Senate,

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Speaker 3: they have complete control of government right now in the

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Speaker 3: cos they're not functioning like a separate and coequal branch

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Speaker 3: of government. They're a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trump cartel,

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Speaker 3: and unfortunately they continue to recklessly rubber stamp Donald Trump's

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Speaker 3: extreme policies.

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Speaker 2: We can pour one out for regular order. We haven't

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Speaker 2: seen that in a long time. But I wonder if

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Speaker 2: what's at risk curious the appropriations processes. You talk to

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Speaker 2: your appropriations team, what do they say about how that's

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Speaker 2: likely to change this result? Yes, of what's led to

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Speaker 2: the shutdown, but also what we've seen this administration do

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Speaker 2: when it comes to budgeting over the last few months.

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Speaker 3: Well, our appropriators on the Democratic side, Rosa Deloro and

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Speaker 3: on the Senate side of the Democratic Caucus of course,

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Speaker 3: Patty Murray. They are superb appropriators and they're committed to

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Speaker 3: a process of finding a bipartisan path. Are they worried, Well, well,

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Speaker 3: I think Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins have expressed concern

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Speaker 3: about how this administration has conducted itself in violating Congressional

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Speaker 3: and the Framers were very clear Congress has the power

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Speaker 3: of the purse.

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Speaker 1: That's for good reason.

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Speaker 3: Where the institutions that are closest to the American people,

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Speaker 3: particularly on the House side, and so yes, the American

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Speaker 3: people should be worried, but we need a Congress to

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Speaker 3: actually reassert itself in the best interests of the American people,

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Speaker 3: so that the administration is not allowed just to make

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Speaker 3: these decisions unilaterally on their own without the people's representatives

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Speaker 3: in the House of the Senate actually being able to

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Speaker 3: have our will exerted through our representation of everyday Americans.

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Speaker 2: It was Opening Night at the Garden last night Nicks

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Speaker 2: versus Calves nixt one, nineteen one eleven, also the final

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Speaker 2: mayoral debate in New York City. Did you watch it?

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Speaker 2: Have you kept up with what happened on stage last night?

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Speaker 3: I wasn't able to catch the debate live. I did

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Speaker 3: catch the final few moments of the next game, I

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Speaker 3: do admit, but the debate had already ended at that

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Speaker 3: point by time my day ended. I didn't think it

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Speaker 3: was interesting yesterday, and a strong step that was taken

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Speaker 3: by Zoran, the Democratic nominee when he indicated his intention

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Speaker 3: to retain our current police.

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Speaker 1: Commissioner, Jessica Tish.

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Speaker 3: I think that probably will provide a lot of comfort

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Speaker 3: to people throughout the city of New York. She's done

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Speaker 3: a great job, she's well respected. We're a diverse city,

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Speaker 3: and it'll be interesting to see how that is received

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Speaker 3: upon my return home.

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Speaker 2: You've been asked about this a thousand times. Let me

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Speaker 2: ask a thousand and one times. Are you prepared to

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Speaker 2: endorse the Democratic nominee for mayor in New York?

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Speaker 3: Well, what I'll say is I'm prepared to weigh in

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Speaker 3: in advance of early voting and early votes two days.

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Speaker 1: Early voting starts on Saturday.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, what's holding you up and what are the issues

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Speaker 2: that you're still concerned about. I know that you said

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Speaker 2: the last time you were asked about this, you're going

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Speaker 2: to have a conversation with sorry Mndoni, another conversation. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: what's left undiscussed?

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Speaker 3: Well, I hope speak to him today or tomorrow, and

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Speaker 3: in fact, I plan on speaking to him today and tomorrow.

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Speaker 3: And I think from my standpoint, look, I was prepared

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Speaker 3: to try to bring this to a close one way

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Speaker 3: or the other several weeks ago, and then the government

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Speaker 3: shut down hit and honestly, it's been all encompassing because

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Speaker 3: this is a traumatic moment for the country that this

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Speaker 3: has been inflicted on the American people. And then laying

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Speaker 3: on top of it right, just shutting the government down

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Speaker 3: as Republicans have done is very problematic, but trying to

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Speaker 3: communicate with the American people why we as Democrats also

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Speaker 3: believe that addressing the Republican healthcare crisis is necessary, and

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Speaker 3: explaining the entirety of the assault on their healthcare that

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Speaker 3: has occurred this year, beginning with the one Big Ugly

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Speaker 3: bill and the largest cut to medicate in the American history,

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Speaker 3: and the fact that their hospitals and nursing homes and

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Speaker 3: community based health centers are closing all across the country.

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Speaker 3: Home care will be adversely affected the possible cut to

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Speaker 3: Medicare at the end of the year, the Republican refuses

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Speaker 3: to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, and the

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Speaker 3: threats that they're now making to even try to repeal

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Speaker 3: the Affordable Care Act, and the assault on public health infrastructure.

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Speaker 1: This is extraordinary stuff.

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Speaker 3: We've never seen anything like this in the history of

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Speaker 3: the country, which is why we believe it needs to

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Speaker 3: be decisively addressed, along with of course, reopening the government,

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Speaker 3: standing by a hardworking federal civil servants, and making sure

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Speaker 3: that we can enact a bipartisan spending group, So it's

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Speaker 3: been all encompassing, you know.

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Speaker 1: For the last several weeks.

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Speaker 3: That said, I do have a sense of obligation to

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Speaker 3: weigh in one way or the other in terms of

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Speaker 3: the mayor's race in advance of early voting.

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Speaker 2: So I did watch the debate, and the themes of

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Speaker 2: criticism that came up from the other two candidates were

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Speaker 2: he's inexperienced and his comments on the Middle Easter problematic?

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Speaker 2: Are those likewise the same issues that you want to

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Speaker 2: talk to him more about? What's left unsaid between the

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Speaker 2: two of you.

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Speaker 3: Well, I've certainly already publicly communicated and privately communicated some

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Speaker 3: of my concerns with respect to some of the views

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Speaker 3: that he's expressed in terms of foreign policy. That said,

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Speaker 3: I believe his relentless focus on affordability is the right focus.

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Speaker 3: The question becomes for any mayor, for any executive, how

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Speaker 3: are you going to implement that objective? Because it's the

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Speaker 3: right objective, But he's got to navigate a treacherous governmental

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Speaker 3: terrain in terms of the city, state, and most significantly,

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Speaker 3: the federal government. Because it's clear that Donald Trump has

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Speaker 3: it out for democratic led cities all across the country.

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Speaker 3: And we've got to be prepared for the fact that

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Speaker 3: Donald Trump is coming from New York.

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Speaker 2: I guess my question is one of confusion. So I

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Speaker 2: sat down with Governor Cuomo, and in that conversation he said,

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Speaker 2: I'm a Democrat. My dad was a Democrat. He's really

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Speaker 2: taking up that mantle. Of course, he lost the primary.

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Speaker 2: He's running as an independent. Yeah, isn't there an element

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Speaker 2: here of confusion that in this vacuum and you could,

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Speaker 2: I guess, do something to close that vacuum, he's able

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Speaker 2: to take up that mantle to the detriment of the

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Speaker 2: duly elected Democratic nominee.

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Speaker 3: Well, it's interesting because he is running as an independent,

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Speaker 3: so he's not the Democratic nominee. But of course he

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Speaker 3: has a long history as a Democrat. I think some

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Speaker 3: of the concerns that I've seen articulated, however, is well,

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Speaker 3: what is the actual path to victory given the inability

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Speaker 3: to convince a majority of Democrats in the primary that

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Speaker 3: you were the right person to leave the city.

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Speaker 1: Moving forward at this moment, let.

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Speaker 2: Me use this as a segue. So a lot of

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Speaker 2: people point to his youth, point to a is you

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Speaker 2: just noted his emphasis on affordability part of your job

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Speaker 2: is surveying the national terrain, political terrain, and looking for candidates.

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Speaker 2: Does his success in that primary make you think that

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Speaker 2: youth is more important this time around, that that emphasis,

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Speaker 2: that kind of monomoniacal emphasis on affordability is going to

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Speaker 2: be critical here as you look at the midterms and beyond.

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Speaker 3: What we've said from the very beginning of this year

442
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Speaker 3: when we came back into session, in fact, in my

443
00:23:57,160 --> 00:23:59,800
Speaker 3: first set of remarks on the House floor that would

444
00:23:59,800 --> 00:24:04,800
Speaker 3: have been on January third, that we were relentlessly committed

445
00:24:05,119 --> 00:24:07,280
Speaker 3: to lowering the high cost of living, that America is

446
00:24:07,320 --> 00:24:10,520
Speaker 3: too expensive, housing costs too high, grocery cost too high,

447
00:24:10,600 --> 00:24:14,520
Speaker 3: childcare cost too high, health care cost too high, utility

448
00:24:14,600 --> 00:24:18,400
Speaker 3: costs too high, and something needed to be decisively done

449
00:24:18,440 --> 00:24:22,280
Speaker 3: about it. It certainly was our hope that Republicans would

450
00:24:22,359 --> 00:24:25,600
Speaker 3: keep their core promise of lowering the high cost of living.

451
00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:27,720
Speaker 3: They've refused to do it. In fact, what they've done

452
00:24:27,800 --> 00:24:30,680
Speaker 3: is make life more expensive. But from the very beginning

453
00:24:30,720 --> 00:24:34,000
Speaker 3: of the year, it's clear to us that the affordability

454
00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:36,920
Speaker 3: issue is central to what we need to do on

455
00:24:36,960 --> 00:24:38,840
Speaker 3: behalf of the American people listen. We believe in this

456
00:24:38,920 --> 00:24:43,119
Speaker 3: country greatest country in the history of the world, that

457
00:24:43,280 --> 00:24:46,080
Speaker 3: everyone who works hard in plays by the rules should

458
00:24:46,119 --> 00:24:49,399
Speaker 3: be able to provide a comfortable life for themselves and

459
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Speaker 3: for their families, to live the good life, good paying job,

460
00:24:52,760 --> 00:24:55,240
Speaker 3: good housing, good health care, good education for their children,

461
00:24:55,240 --> 00:24:57,440
Speaker 3: and a good retirement. And the problem that so many

462
00:24:57,440 --> 00:25:00,280
Speaker 3: Americans confront right now is that far too many people

463
00:25:00,280 --> 00:25:03,080
Speaker 3: are doing the first two things. They're working hard, and

464
00:25:03,119 --> 00:25:05,600
Speaker 3: they're playing by the rules, but they can't get to

465
00:25:05,680 --> 00:25:09,480
Speaker 3: that American dream, that comfortable life, living the good life

466
00:25:09,480 --> 00:25:11,439
Speaker 3: for themselves and for their family. That's what's broken in

467
00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:13,800
Speaker 3: the country right now. And so we've got to fix it.

468
00:25:13,840 --> 00:25:16,199
Speaker 3: And yes, affordability is a big part of it, the

469
00:25:16,280 --> 00:25:18,840
Speaker 3: central issue, the high cost of living. We've also got

470
00:25:18,880 --> 00:25:21,679
Speaker 3: to find ways to put money back into the pockets

471
00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:24,440
Speaker 3: of the American people actually use the tax code to.

472
00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:25,639
Speaker 1: Make their life better.

473
00:25:26,040 --> 00:25:28,600
Speaker 3: Instead, what we've seen with Republicans, this one big, ugly

474
00:25:28,640 --> 00:25:31,720
Speaker 3: bill that's now law, is that they hurt everyday Americans

475
00:25:31,760 --> 00:25:35,919
Speaker 3: in order to reward their billionaire donors with massive tax breaks.

476
00:25:36,119 --> 00:25:39,919
Speaker 3: That's why I think that voters are going to reject

477
00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:44,840
Speaker 3: this Republican extremism and Republican policies all across the country

478
00:25:44,880 --> 00:25:47,800
Speaker 3: and will begin to see that during the upcoming general

479
00:25:47,840 --> 00:25:51,399
Speaker 3: election in Virginia, in New Jersey, and with respect to

480
00:25:51,440 --> 00:25:53,120
Speaker 3: Prop fifty in California.

481
00:25:53,320 --> 00:25:55,159
Speaker 2: What do you say to those candidates who are mounting

482
00:25:55,200 --> 00:25:59,480
Speaker 2: primary campaigns against Democrats who are critical of Democratic leadership,

483
00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:02,280
Speaker 2: looked at what happened in March, wished that you and

484
00:26:02,320 --> 00:26:05,560
Speaker 2: the Senate Minority leader had stood up, then want you

485
00:26:05,600 --> 00:26:07,440
Speaker 2: to do more. What's your message to them? Just about

486
00:26:07,440 --> 00:26:09,520
Speaker 2: the way that this party is operating in its current form?

487
00:26:09,760 --> 00:26:12,800
Speaker 3: Well, to be very clear, you know, House Democrats were

488
00:26:12,840 --> 00:26:16,800
Speaker 3: strongly opposed to the partisan Republican spending bill in March,

489
00:26:16,840 --> 00:26:18,440
Speaker 3: and we continue to have that position.

490
00:26:18,840 --> 00:26:19,880
Speaker 1: And I'm thankful for the.

491
00:26:19,800 --> 00:26:24,359
Speaker 3: Incredible leadership of Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats who you

492
00:26:24,359 --> 00:26:27,679
Speaker 3: know strongly opposed the one big ugly bill from the

493
00:26:27,760 --> 00:26:31,160
Speaker 3: very beginning all the way through the end, unanimous Democratic

494
00:26:31,200 --> 00:26:35,159
Speaker 3: opposition and will continue to stand on principle and defensive

495
00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:38,080
Speaker 3: American people. At the same period of time, I understand

496
00:26:38,200 --> 00:26:42,960
Speaker 3: that you know, we've seen extraordinary extremism unleased on the

497
00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:46,160
Speaker 3: American people in assault on all of the things that matter,

498
00:26:47,440 --> 00:26:51,560
Speaker 3: Republican assault on the economy, on healthcare, on nutritional assistance,

499
00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:55,600
Speaker 3: on veterans, on farmers, on law abiding immigrant families, on

500
00:26:55,680 --> 00:26:58,400
Speaker 3: the rule of law, on due process, on the American

501
00:26:58,440 --> 00:27:00,920
Speaker 3: way of life, and of course, on the democracy itself.

502
00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:03,920
Speaker 3: It's the reason why more than seven million people most

503
00:27:03,960 --> 00:27:07,919
Speaker 3: recently came out in connection with the No Kings protests,

504
00:27:08,400 --> 00:27:13,280
Speaker 3: came out peacefully, powerfully, and patriotically in order to express

505
00:27:13,440 --> 00:27:16,080
Speaker 3: dissent with the fact that the country is moving in

506
00:27:16,119 --> 00:27:21,159
Speaker 3: the wrong direction under Donald Trump and sycophantic Republicans in

507
00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:23,760
Speaker 3: the House and the Senate who continue to behave like

508
00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:25,440
Speaker 3: nothing more than a reckless rubber stamp.

509
00:27:25,520 --> 00:27:27,960
Speaker 1: So we're in a more is more environment.

510
00:27:27,920 --> 00:27:30,960
Speaker 3: And we're just going to have to continue to do more,

511
00:27:31,920 --> 00:27:36,680
Speaker 3: more rallies, more protests, more speeches on the House floor,

512
00:27:36,720 --> 00:27:39,280
Speaker 3: Senate floor, more town hall meetings and Democratic districts, more

513
00:27:39,280 --> 00:27:42,560
Speaker 3: town hall meetings and Republican districts. We've held a hearing

514
00:27:42,720 --> 00:27:45,919
Speaker 3: every week during this shutdown here, and we'll continue to

515
00:27:46,000 --> 00:27:48,879
Speaker 3: do that to amplify the voices of the American people

516
00:27:49,200 --> 00:27:52,240
Speaker 3: in terms of who's being hurt by Donald Trump's policies,

517
00:27:52,240 --> 00:27:55,760
Speaker 3: who's being hurt by the shutdown that Republicans have visited

518
00:27:55,800 --> 00:27:58,040
Speaker 3: upon the American people and who's being hurt by the

519
00:27:58,400 --> 00:28:01,800
Speaker 3: Republican healthcare crisis. Will continue to do that, but more

520
00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:05,760
Speaker 3: will be required, and I understand that because this is

521
00:28:05,800 --> 00:28:10,679
Speaker 3: an extraordinary, unprecedented moment of extremism being unleashed on the

522
00:28:10,680 --> 00:28:11,359
Speaker 3: American people.

523
00:28:11,800 --> 00:28:15,919
Speaker 2: Last question, the capital is quieter than usual, city, a

524
00:28:15,920 --> 00:28:17,919
Speaker 2: bit quieter than usual. The President's about to leave, will

525
00:28:17,920 --> 00:28:20,200
Speaker 2: be halfway around the world. It's going to only add

526
00:28:20,200 --> 00:28:22,920
Speaker 2: to that. He was going to go to Budapeste to

527
00:28:22,960 --> 00:28:26,199
Speaker 2: meet with President Putin. Now apparently that's not happening. What

528
00:28:26,320 --> 00:28:28,840
Speaker 2: is your assessment of how hard he's being on the

529
00:28:28,880 --> 00:28:31,159
Speaker 2: Russian president? Is he being hard enough? Could he be

530
00:28:31,160 --> 00:28:34,160
Speaker 2: doing more? And I've kind of noted here Steve Whitkoff,

531
00:28:34,280 --> 00:28:36,720
Speaker 2: his longtime business associate, was kind of running point on

532
00:28:36,760 --> 00:28:38,959
Speaker 2: setting up this meeting between the two of them. Now

533
00:28:39,000 --> 00:28:40,880
Speaker 2: it seems like Secretary of State Marco Rubio is doing

534
00:28:40,880 --> 00:28:42,280
Speaker 2: that as well. What do you make of that? What

535
00:28:42,320 --> 00:28:44,200
Speaker 2: do you make of the approach the president has his

536
00:28:44,240 --> 00:28:47,200
Speaker 2: team has right now to Vladimir Putin into a potential

537
00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:47,800
Speaker 2: meeting with him.

538
00:28:47,960 --> 00:28:50,760
Speaker 3: Well, I think one the president should actually be focused

539
00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:55,120
Speaker 3: right now on reopening the government immediately, on reaching a

540
00:28:55,160 --> 00:29:00,000
Speaker 3: bipartisan spending agreement immediately, and addressing the Republican healthcare crisis immediately.

541
00:29:00,800 --> 00:29:04,560
Speaker 3: In terms of the war UH of aggression that Russia

542
00:29:04,600 --> 00:29:08,160
Speaker 3: has launched a against Ukraine, the American people are with

543
00:29:08,240 --> 00:29:11,640
Speaker 3: the Ukrainian people, and we are with the Ukrainian people

544
00:29:12,160 --> 00:29:17,680
Speaker 3: because Ukraine is not just fighting for its territorial integrity, UH.

545
00:29:17,800 --> 00:29:21,440
Speaker 3: They are standing on the right side of democracy, of freedom,

546
00:29:22,040 --> 00:29:26,720
Speaker 3: and of truth, and Russia is on the side of authoritarianism, UH,

547
00:29:26,800 --> 00:29:30,320
Speaker 3: of tyranny and of propaganda. And in that kind of situation,

548
00:29:30,440 --> 00:29:34,400
Speaker 3: we should always be standing up for principles that are

549
00:29:34,440 --> 00:29:38,040
Speaker 3: consistent with who we are as Americans. That means standing

550
00:29:38,080 --> 00:29:41,720
Speaker 3: with Ukraine. And you know, Donald Trump continues to in

551
00:29:41,760 --> 00:29:45,120
Speaker 3: different ways play foot see with Vladimir Putin, who is

552
00:29:45,160 --> 00:29:49,640
Speaker 3: a sworn enemy of the United States of America. Congress

553
00:29:49,680 --> 00:29:51,640
Speaker 3: probably needs to act both in the House and the

554
00:29:51,680 --> 00:29:56,360
Speaker 3: Senate in terms of increasing the economic sanctions on Russia.

555
00:29:56,720 --> 00:30:00,080
Speaker 3: And the only reason why Republicans haven't moved legislation and

556
00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:03,720
Speaker 3: that they themselves support, is because apparently they've been ordered

557
00:30:04,600 --> 00:30:07,360
Speaker 3: not to bring this legislation forward by Donald Trump.

558
00:30:07,440 --> 00:30:09,800
Speaker 2: I assume you applaud what the treasury sector you did yesterday,

559
00:30:09,840 --> 00:30:12,040
Speaker 2: putting those sanctions on the Russian oil companies.

560
00:30:12,080 --> 00:30:14,080
Speaker 3: It's a step in the right direction, but there's more

561
00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:15,680
Speaker 3: decisive action that needs to be taken