WEBVTT - Democratic US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries 0:00:02.520 --> 0:00:07.040 Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news. 0:00:07.840 --> 0:00:10.560 It's day twenty three, and I'm curious sort of what 0:00:10.680 --> 0:00:13.400 has changed between day one, the start of the shutdown, 0:00:13.440 --> 0:00:15.840 and today in terms of the conversation and how you're 0:00:15.880 --> 0:00:18.320 feeling about where things are well. 0:00:18.320 --> 0:00:21.360 As Democrats, we continue to make clear to our Republican 0:00:21.360 --> 0:00:24.239 colleagues that we will sit down with them anytime, any 0:00:24.280 --> 0:00:28.960 place in order to reopen the government to negotiate a 0:00:29.000 --> 0:00:33.280 bipartisan agreement that actually makes life better for the American 0:00:33.280 --> 0:00:37.600 people in terms of spending and funding. But we also 0:00:37.880 --> 0:00:41.479 have to decisively address the Republican healthcare crisis. We've maintained 0:00:41.479 --> 0:00:44.760 that position from the very beginning before Republicans shut the 0:00:44.800 --> 0:00:48.000 government down and during the entirety of the shutdown, because 0:00:48.000 --> 0:00:50.879 it is a real crisis that has been created at 0:00:50.880 --> 0:00:53.400 this moment, particularly as it relates to the urgent need 0:00:53.479 --> 0:00:55.560 to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. 0:00:55.600 --> 0:00:57.920 As you and I are speaking, the House speakers doing 0:00:57.960 --> 0:01:00.560 a press conference just down the hall, what is the 0:01:00.640 --> 0:01:02.560 level of engagement? Do you pass one another? Are you 0:01:02.600 --> 0:01:05.640 speaking with one another? Are Democrats talking to Republicans right now? 0:01:05.640 --> 0:01:08.800 The conversations have been very limited, Unfortunately, because Donald Trump 0:01:08.840 --> 0:01:12.600 has not given House Republican leaders or Senate Republican leaders 0:01:12.640 --> 0:01:17.480 permission to negotiate reinforcing the principle from our view that 0:01:17.520 --> 0:01:20.399 he made the decision to shut the government down. They 0:01:20.400 --> 0:01:23.680 want to continue to inflict pain on federal employees. They've 0:01:23.720 --> 0:01:26.759 done that from the very beginning of Donald Trump's presidency. 0:01:26.880 --> 0:01:30.720 In fact, more than two hundred thousand federal employees had 0:01:30.720 --> 0:01:35.440 been forced off the job prior to the government shut down, 0:01:36.040 --> 0:01:39.479 and this is something that we've continued to see them 0:01:39.680 --> 0:01:44.759 build upon during the shutdown until Donald Trump gets serious 0:01:45.319 --> 0:01:49.120 about reopening the government. Unfortunately, we're going to remain in 0:01:49.160 --> 0:01:51.560 this situation and everyday Americans are being hurt. 0:01:51.640 --> 0:01:53.600 He's getting ready to take a trip to Asia. Is 0:01:53.600 --> 0:01:55.560 it appropriate for him to be doing that at this 0:01:55.720 --> 0:01:57.480 moment when the government is shut down. 0:01:58.720 --> 0:02:03.480 I think that the president had a responsibility both domestically and. 0:02:04.160 --> 0:02:04.960 Throughout the world. 0:02:05.000 --> 0:02:09.200 However, what has been irresponsible is that throughout this shutdown 0:02:09.240 --> 0:02:12.960 he's found more time to golf than he has to 0:02:13.040 --> 0:02:16.840 engage with Democrats on Capitol Hill. He's decided to try 0:02:17.080 --> 0:02:20.840 to steal two hundred and thirty million dollars in taxpayer 0:02:20.880 --> 0:02:23.559 funds from the Department of Injustice. 0:02:23.720 --> 0:02:24.360 Donald Trump and. 0:02:24.400 --> 0:02:27.679 His administration have found forty billion dollars to bail out 0:02:27.720 --> 0:02:31.880 a right wing want to be dictator and Argentina, and 0:02:31.960 --> 0:02:34.959 can't find a dime to extend the Affordable Care Act 0:02:34.960 --> 0:02:38.040 tax credits to keep health care affordable for tens of 0:02:38.120 --> 0:02:41.160 millions of Americans. And on top of all of that, 0:02:41.960 --> 0:02:45.440 they are demolishing the East wing of the White House 0:02:45.760 --> 0:02:50.280 in ways that have appropriately horrified the American people. 0:02:50.680 --> 0:02:53.000 I want to ask you about potential off ramps, and 0:02:53.120 --> 0:02:56.480 Tammy Baldwin the Center from Wisconsin Democrats said Trump is 0:02:56.480 --> 0:02:58.440 the off ramp at this point. Do you agree with 0:02:58.480 --> 0:03:00.959 that assessment? And has to in any kind of outreach 0:03:01.040 --> 0:03:02.400 or dialogue between you and the White House. 0:03:02.919 --> 0:03:05.720 Lady Schumer made Claire earlier this week that we have 0:03:05.840 --> 0:03:09.720 reached out to the White House again to indicate that 0:03:09.800 --> 0:03:13.959 prior to Trump's departure for Asia, he should sit down 0:03:13.960 --> 0:03:17.520 with Democrats to find a path forward to reopen the government, 0:03:17.560 --> 0:03:20.480 to enter into a bipartisan spending agreement, and to address 0:03:20.520 --> 0:03:24.959 the healthcare crisis that Marjorie Taylor Green acknowledges must be addressed, 0:03:25.320 --> 0:03:28.320 and that traditional conservatives who are in the toughest seats 0:03:28.320 --> 0:03:32.280 in the country have now publicly acknowledged this week needs 0:03:32.280 --> 0:03:32.919 to be addressed. 0:03:32.960 --> 0:03:34.880 Can I ask you a question of congressional mechanics, and 0:03:34.920 --> 0:03:38.160 that is, can the Democratic leader pick up the phone 0:03:38.560 --> 0:03:41.600 call the White House and reasonably expect the President's going 0:03:41.640 --> 0:03:43.720 to take that phone call? Are you able to do that? 0:03:43.800 --> 0:03:45.800 And if so, what's keeping you from having that done well? 0:03:45.800 --> 0:03:48.120 Traditionally that probably is the case, but in this White 0:03:48.120 --> 0:03:51.120 House that's very much on Claire. Donald Trump didn't have 0:03:51.200 --> 0:03:56.400 a meeting with House or Senate Democratic leadership until two 0:03:56.480 --> 0:03:59.720 days prior to the government shutting down, and we had 0:03:59.720 --> 0:04:03.720 to man that meeting. He initially agreed to it, then 0:04:03.760 --> 0:04:06.480 he canceled it, and then he was forced by public 0:04:06.600 --> 0:04:10.640 sentiment to agree to it. But unfortunately, we had a 0:04:10.680 --> 0:04:13.080 discussion for about an hour or so, and then there 0:04:13.160 --> 0:04:16.160 was no follow up from either Donald Trump or his 0:04:16.320 --> 0:04:21.360 administration because they are not serious about solving these challenges 0:04:21.400 --> 0:04:24.000 on behalf of the American people. We live in a 0:04:24.080 --> 0:04:27.839 high cost of living environment. The American people are struggling 0:04:28.279 --> 0:04:33.919 to afford to live, struggling paycheck to paycheck, and Donald 0:04:33.920 --> 0:04:36.760 Trump and Republicans promised that they were going to lower 0:04:36.800 --> 0:04:38.560 costs on day one, but costs aren't going down. 0:04:38.839 --> 0:04:39.560 Costs are going up. 0:04:39.600 --> 0:04:44.599 Inflation going up, electricity prices through the roof, housing costs expensive, 0:04:44.640 --> 0:04:49.880 grocery costs increasingly expensive. And now people facing the possibility 0:04:50.120 --> 0:04:53.480 as we approached the open enrollment period for health insurance 0:04:53.520 --> 0:04:56.920 on November one, that millions of folks are going to 0:04:56.960 --> 0:04:59.640 see premium increases that could be as high as a 0:04:59.680 --> 0:05:04.440 thousand or two thousand dollars more per month. And yet 0:05:04.440 --> 0:05:07.560 we see nothing but in action from the President of 0:05:07.600 --> 0:05:08.320 the United States. 0:05:08.440 --> 0:05:12.400 Keeping that in mind, Jason Smith, Chairman of Houseways and Means, 0:05:12.440 --> 0:05:14.560 was on our area yesterday and he said, maybe there 0:05:14.600 --> 0:05:17.600 could be a longer term CR fourteen months, take us 0:05:17.600 --> 0:05:20.440 through the midterms. Am I right? And assuming that's unpalatable 0:05:20.440 --> 0:05:22.039 to you because it does nothing to address what you 0:05:22.040 --> 0:05:24.080 were just talking about, those health care subsidies. 0:05:23.760 --> 0:05:27.600 Yes, it's definitively unacceptable to us. We've made clear from 0:05:27.600 --> 0:05:30.520 the beginning we will not vote for a partisan, Republican 0:05:30.560 --> 0:05:33.599 spending bill that continues to cut the healthcare of the 0:05:33.600 --> 0:05:36.880 American people in the face of an extraordinary crisis that 0:05:36.960 --> 0:05:39.960 Republicans have created. If you think about it, the largest 0:05:39.960 --> 0:05:44.800 cut to Medicaid in American history, almost a trillion dollar cut. 0:05:45.000 --> 0:05:48.680 This from a president and Republicans who promised in January. 0:05:48.360 --> 0:05:50.160 That they would love and cherish Medicaid. 0:05:50.560 --> 0:05:52.360 As a result of the policies in the One Big 0:05:52.480 --> 0:05:56.799 Ugly Bill, we're seeing hospitals and nursing homes and community 0:05:56.800 --> 0:06:01.760 based health centers closed all across the country because of 0:06:01.800 --> 0:06:05.560 what Republicans have done. We also are facing a possible 0:06:05.600 --> 0:06:08.400 five hundred and thirty six billion dollar cut to Medicare 0:06:09.000 --> 0:06:11.480 at the end of the year if Congress doesn't act 0:06:11.960 --> 0:06:15.440 they refuse to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits UH, 0:06:15.440 --> 0:06:17.520 which is gonna impact tens of millions of people. 0:06:17.560 --> 0:06:19.680 By the way, more than ninety percent of. 0:06:19.600 --> 0:06:23.080 The people who receive tax credits connected to their health 0:06:23.120 --> 0:06:28.040 insurance make around sixty three thousand dollars or less. These 0:06:28.080 --> 0:06:32.560 are working class folks. And then we know that Republicans 0:06:32.560 --> 0:06:36.520 are continuing to assault our public health infrastructure in the 0:06:36.560 --> 0:06:41.240 country related to vaccine availability. Their Appropriations bill right now 0:06:41.279 --> 0:06:44.200 that they want us to support UH in the House, 0:06:45.400 --> 0:06:50.680 they propose cutting one point seven billion dollars from the 0:06:50.720 --> 0:06:56.000 Centers for Disease Control and another f five hundred or 0:06:56.040 --> 0:06:59.200 so million dollars from the National Institute of Health. It's 0:06:59.240 --> 0:07:01.960 not something that acceptable to us in any way, shape 0:07:02.040 --> 0:07:05.919 or form. This is a healthcare crisis that cannot be overstated, 0:07:06.200 --> 0:07:08.640 and so we've got to address it decisively. 0:07:08.800 --> 0:07:11.000 Now, want to talk about your vision for how all 0:07:11.000 --> 0:07:12.960 of this unfolds. So my first question is, how do 0:07:13.040 --> 0:07:15.600 you see all this play out? How long do you 0:07:15.600 --> 0:07:17.240 think it's going to be. What's your best guess at 0:07:17.240 --> 0:07:17.760 this point? 0:07:18.160 --> 0:07:21.280 Well, listen, I think the longer this goes on, the 0:07:21.320 --> 0:07:26.320 more pressure that unfortunately continues to mount on Congress decisively 0:07:26.400 --> 0:07:30.360 to act, meaning our Republican colleagues who control the House 0:07:30.400 --> 0:07:34.880 and the Senate. And it shocks a lot of people 0:07:35.520 --> 0:07:38.520 that House Republicans have been on vacation now four consecutive weeks, 0:07:38.600 --> 0:07:43.720 have literally canceled votes for four consecutive weeks. That's an 0:07:43.800 --> 0:07:48.160 unsustainable position. We believe they need to get back to work, 0:07:48.520 --> 0:07:51.800 come back from vacation, sit down, let's do the business 0:07:51.800 --> 0:07:54.640 of the American people. We also, of course, are going 0:07:54.720 --> 0:07:58.360 to approach the November first open enrollment period, and at 0:07:58.360 --> 0:08:02.640 that moment in time, it will be crystal clear to 0:08:02.800 --> 0:08:07.320 the American people that their premiums, copais, and deductibles are 0:08:07.400 --> 0:08:11.360 about to skyrocket in ways that will crush them financially, 0:08:12.120 --> 0:08:14.760 and they will be unable to go see a doctor 0:08:14.800 --> 0:08:17.760 when they need one, when their children need one, when 0:08:17.800 --> 0:08:21.880 their family needs one. And it's unsustainable for Republicans to 0:08:21.960 --> 0:08:25.920 continue to refuse to address that issue. 0:08:25.960 --> 0:08:27.280 It's not a made up issue. 0:08:27.720 --> 0:08:31.760 It's a real life issue that has adverse consequences on 0:08:31.880 --> 0:08:32.839 everyday Americans. 0:08:33.040 --> 0:08:34.480 I think back to the beginning of this in the 0:08:34.559 --> 0:08:37.160 days before there were some critics who said that date's 0:08:37.160 --> 0:08:39.440 too far off, and you're making this argument based on 0:08:39.440 --> 0:08:42.280 that November first deadline. People aren't dealing with that in 0:08:42.320 --> 0:08:46.360 real terms. Yet does this become an easier sell to 0:08:46.480 --> 0:08:48.240 the American public as we get closer that date and 0:08:48.240 --> 0:08:50.040 the need as we hit November first. 0:08:49.720 --> 0:08:52.600 Well, our view was that we needed to address this 0:08:52.640 --> 0:08:57.520 issue in October because of the fact that notices were 0:08:57.559 --> 0:09:00.559 going out to tens of millions of Americans who. 0:09:00.720 --> 0:09:01.760 Have to be able to plan. 0:09:01.880 --> 0:09:04.920 They need some certainty to understand are they going to 0:09:04.960 --> 0:09:07.600 be able to afford healthcare? How am I going to 0:09:07.600 --> 0:09:11.320 manage this situation? What are my alternatives? And that's why 0:09:11.360 --> 0:09:13.440 we felt like it needed to be dealt with with 0:09:13.480 --> 0:09:17.800 the fierce urgency of now in connection to what was 0:09:17.840 --> 0:09:21.240 also happening with the need to either fund the government, 0:09:21.480 --> 0:09:24.600 prevent a shutdown that Republicans have now brought to the country, 0:09:24.960 --> 0:09:29.240 now reopen the government, and actually to reach and enlighten 0:09:29.800 --> 0:09:35.320 bipartisan spending agreement, where our only criteria had been if 0:09:35.320 --> 0:09:37.600 we're going to reach an agreement that's by partisan in nature, 0:09:37.960 --> 0:09:41.360 it has to actually improve the lives of the American 0:09:41.400 --> 0:09:47.160 people in three different areas, their health, public safety, and 0:09:47.240 --> 0:09:51.360 their economic well being, particularly as it relates to lowering 0:09:51.400 --> 0:09:54.800 the high cost of living because America's too expensive right now. 0:09:55.520 --> 0:10:00.120 A nearer pressure point is Friday, October twenty fourth, Fed 0:10:00.200 --> 0:10:03.000 workers aren't going to receive their paychecks. How confident are 0:10:03.040 --> 0:10:04.880 you that you're not going to be blamed? Democrats aren't 0:10:04.880 --> 0:10:06.880 going to be blamed for that when that comes around. 0:10:07.080 --> 0:10:11.120 Well, from the very beginning of this president's term, Donald 0:10:11.160 --> 0:10:15.040 Trump and the Republicans have assaulted in the most egregious 0:10:15.080 --> 0:10:20.000 way possible hardworking federal civil servants and public employees. 0:10:20.040 --> 0:10:21.080 And it's outrageous. 0:10:22.000 --> 0:10:25.079 As I mentioned, more than two hundred thousand federal employees 0:10:25.120 --> 0:10:27.559 have already been forced off the job. That was prior 0:10:27.600 --> 0:10:30.400 to Donald Trump shutting down the government. We passed the 0:10:30.440 --> 0:10:33.920 law on twenty seventeen that Donald Trump signed which requires 0:10:33.960 --> 0:10:39.040 that furloughed workers, all federal employees receive their back pay. 0:10:39.400 --> 0:10:44.400 Is Donald Trump that's now suggesting unlawfully that he can 0:10:44.440 --> 0:10:48.280 withheld hold that pay and they might not be compensated. 0:10:48.320 --> 0:10:49.839 Should workers be worried about that? I've talked to a 0:10:49.880 --> 0:10:52.360 few federal workers who, for the first time, for the 0:10:52.360 --> 0:10:54.440 first shutdown, they've been through their word that that's not 0:10:54.520 --> 0:10:56.480 going to happen. Is that a reasonable concern? 0:10:56.640 --> 0:10:58.960 Well, the law is crystal cleare It's a reasonable concern 0:10:59.000 --> 0:11:02.320 from the standpoint that when Donald Trump says anything, and 0:11:02.360 --> 0:11:04.320 he's the president of the United States, and there's been 0:11:04.320 --> 0:11:07.360 a willingness to engage in an unlawful and illegal behavior, 0:11:07.480 --> 0:11:11.000 sometimes rubber stamped by the conservative majority on the US 0:11:11.080 --> 0:11:14.840 Supreme Court, that's problematic. But the law is very crystal 0:11:14.880 --> 0:11:17.439 clear in this particular instance, and we are going to 0:11:17.520 --> 0:11:21.920 make sure that every single federal employee receives the entirety 0:11:22.040 --> 0:11:22.640 of their pain. 0:11:23.480 --> 0:11:26.679 Russell Vote Present, seemingly fond of calling him Darth Vader, 0:11:26.720 --> 0:11:30.240 says he's playing budgetary twister as all this unfolds, and 0:11:30.320 --> 0:11:33.120 that's maybe lessen the pain that some constituents feel as 0:11:33.120 --> 0:11:36.679 a result of this. How has that complicated your efforts here? 0:11:36.760 --> 0:11:39.680 The fact that some government entities are still running, some 0:11:39.679 --> 0:11:41.760 people are still getting paid, but it's not across the board, 0:11:41.760 --> 0:11:42.560 it's not universal. 0:11:43.000 --> 0:11:45.840 Well, of course, in any government shut down, it is 0:11:45.880 --> 0:11:49.840 critical that there are federal employees who are deemed essential 0:11:50.360 --> 0:11:53.400 in order to allow the country to continue to function 0:11:53.559 --> 0:11:54.439 as best we can. 0:11:54.920 --> 0:11:56.679 But the most comprehensive. 0:11:56.080 --> 0:11:58.439 Way forward, of course, is to make sure that we 0:11:58.760 --> 0:12:02.320 can negotiate a spending agreement that makes life better for 0:12:02.360 --> 0:12:05.679 the American people, that we pay every single federal employee 0:12:05.720 --> 0:12:09.800 by reopening the government. And that's what Republicans have refused 0:12:09.840 --> 0:12:14.640 to do. Donald Trump consistently has chosen not to engage, 0:12:14.760 --> 0:12:17.360 even though we've made our position clear and have held 0:12:17.360 --> 0:12:20.079 to that position in the House, in the Senate. Senate 0:12:20.120 --> 0:12:23.480 Democrats being bold and courageous on behalf of the American 0:12:23.520 --> 0:12:27.800 people to say we have to decisively address the healthcare 0:12:27.840 --> 0:12:31.199 crisis that impacts people all across the country. And by 0:12:31.200 --> 0:12:38.160 the way, David, the reality is Republican constituents are being 0:12:38.240 --> 0:12:43.000 impacted adversely by the Republican refusal to address the Affordable 0:12:43.040 --> 0:12:45.560 Care Act tax credit and sanction. The five states that 0:12:45.600 --> 0:12:51.480 would be most impacted are West Virginia, Wyoming, Alaska, Tennessee, 0:12:51.600 --> 0:12:55.760 and Mississippi. The next five states are all states currently 0:12:56.120 --> 0:13:00.720 governed by Republicans. About forty five percent of the people 0:13:00.720 --> 0:13:03.360 who benefit from the Affordable Care Act tax credits apparently 0:13:03.400 --> 0:13:07.320 are registered Republicans, another thirty five percent are Democrats, and 0:13:07.360 --> 0:13:11.200 the balance are independents are unaffiliated. This is an American issue, 0:13:11.920 --> 0:13:14.679 and we're fighting hard on behalf of everyone every day, Americans, 0:13:14.720 --> 0:13:17.640 working class Americans, and middle class Americans all across the land. 0:13:17.720 --> 0:13:19.960 So fundamentally, is this an issue of trust that you 0:13:20.080 --> 0:13:23.160 have the Senate majority leaders saying, look open the government, 0:13:23.559 --> 0:13:26.520 we will talk about these sepsties, We'll talk about healthcare. 0:13:26.840 --> 0:13:29.960 Are you just unable to trust Republicans at this moment 0:13:30.040 --> 0:13:32.280 or believe that would happen were we to go that path. 0:13:32.360 --> 0:13:34.840 It's hard for the American people that trust Republicans, particularly 0:13:34.840 --> 0:13:37.240 as it relates to the issue of health care costs 0:13:37.280 --> 0:13:39.839 of living. Group of people who promise to lower costs 0:13:39.840 --> 0:13:42.080 on day one cost having gone down, they've gone up. 0:13:42.120 --> 0:13:45.760 Trump tariffs are making life more expensive thousands of dollars 0:13:45.920 --> 0:13:47.920 per year more in additional expenses. 0:13:48.040 --> 0:13:50.160 There's also a group of people who said we. 0:13:50.040 --> 0:13:52.719 Were going to love and cherish Medicaid, and then they 0:13:52.760 --> 0:13:55.840 went out and enacted the largest cut to Medicaid in 0:13:55.880 --> 0:13:58.360 American history. A group of folks who have said they'll 0:13:58.440 --> 0:14:01.520 never touch Medicare, and now because of the one big 0:14:01.640 --> 0:14:05.040 ugly bill, they've triggered the possibility of the largest cut 0:14:05.080 --> 0:14:08.760 to Medicare in the history of the country if Congress 0:14:08.760 --> 0:14:10.640 doesn't act by the end of the year. And so, 0:14:10.840 --> 0:14:14.439 of course these folks have zero credibility on this issue, 0:14:14.559 --> 0:14:18.080 which is why we need decisive action. And by the way, 0:14:18.160 --> 0:14:22.800 in the House, Republicans have voted to repeal the Affordable 0:14:22.840 --> 0:14:28.040 Care Act more than seventy different times since twenty ten. 0:14:29.000 --> 0:14:33.200 They are relentlessly obsessed, meaning these extremists on the other 0:14:33.240 --> 0:14:36.560 side of the aisle with ripping healthcare away from the 0:14:36.560 --> 0:14:37.320 American people. 0:14:37.760 --> 0:14:39.440 And so we think it's. 0:14:39.400 --> 0:14:45.000 Very reasonable for everyday Americans to be skeptical about any 0:14:45.360 --> 0:14:48.360 promises made by Republicans. We don't need a wing and 0:14:48.400 --> 0:14:51.640 a prayer, we need decisive legislative action. 0:14:52.120 --> 0:14:55.000 People will be watching this and listening to this, hearing 0:14:55.000 --> 0:14:57.920 what you're saying, and detecting that there is this deficitive 0:14:57.920 --> 0:15:00.560 trust between the two parties here, and I don't think 0:15:00.600 --> 0:15:02.760 that engenders a lot of optimisms because this gets solved 0:15:02.800 --> 0:15:06.360 anytime soon. Is that misplaced? Do you feel like it 0:15:06.760 --> 0:15:09.000 there can be some comedy here somewhere, or. 0:15:09.000 --> 0:15:11.960 We're taking the Ronald Reagan approach to this particular situation 0:15:12.280 --> 0:15:15.280 from the standpoint of what needs to happen, Trust, but verify, 0:15:15.920 --> 0:15:17.560 and so yeah, promises. 0:15:17.120 --> 0:15:19.240 Can be made, but we need verification. 0:15:19.360 --> 0:15:23.720 That verification comes in the form of actual legislation, decisive 0:15:24.000 --> 0:15:30.000 legislative action to be able to address the Republican healthcare crisis. 0:15:30.200 --> 0:15:33.280 But we're here each and every day, Democrats have been 0:15:33.320 --> 0:15:36.320 showing up on Capitol Hill. We're committed to doing the 0:15:36.360 --> 0:15:40.880 work to finding a bipartisan path forward, to reopening the 0:15:40.920 --> 0:15:44.120 government and to addressing the healthcare crisis that Republicans have 0:15:44.440 --> 0:15:46.600 viciously visited on the American people. 0:15:46.520 --> 0:15:48.960 Got a couple questions just about the long term consequences 0:15:49.000 --> 0:15:51.600 of this. So the President said, we're closing up programs 0:15:51.640 --> 0:15:54.280 that are Democrat programs, that we're opposed to, and they're 0:15:54.280 --> 0:15:58.240 never going to come back in many cases, is he right? 0:15:58.400 --> 0:16:00.680 Is the work that's being done by Omb and his 0:16:00.720 --> 0:16:02.920 administration irrevocable? 0:16:03.720 --> 0:16:08.000 Well, Republicans have been trying to shut down programs unlawfully 0:16:08.080 --> 0:16:11.720 from the very beginning of this presidency in ways that 0:16:11.800 --> 0:16:17.360 clearly violate the law because they're inconsistent with bipartisan bills 0:16:17.400 --> 0:16:21.680 that have been passed dictating how taxpayer dollars are spent 0:16:21.880 --> 0:16:24.200 in ways that are designed to benefit the American people. 0:16:24.400 --> 0:16:26.600 So what we're saying right now is not inconsistent. These 0:16:26.600 --> 0:16:31.240 are just threats from Donald Trump trying to intimidate Democrats 0:16:31.560 --> 0:16:34.480 from backing away from the position that we've taken on 0:16:34.520 --> 0:16:36.960 behalf of the American people. This is a principal position 0:16:37.160 --> 0:16:41.240 for us, not politicals, not partisan. It's about the quality 0:16:41.280 --> 0:16:43.960 of life, the health, the safety, and the economic well 0:16:44.000 --> 0:16:46.720 being of the American people. And will continue to hold 0:16:46.720 --> 0:16:48.840 this position, and we're going to have to, of course, 0:16:48.880 --> 0:16:52.040 continue to push back against overreach from Donald Trump and 0:16:52.040 --> 0:16:55.840 his administration. Unfortunately, Republicans who control the House and the Senate, 0:16:55.880 --> 0:17:00.560 they have complete control of government right now in the 0:16:59.720 --> 0:17:03.400 cos they're not functioning like a separate and coequal branch 0:17:03.400 --> 0:17:07.400 of government. They're a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trump cartel, 0:17:07.840 --> 0:17:13.240 and unfortunately they continue to recklessly rubber stamp Donald Trump's 0:17:13.240 --> 0:17:14.119 extreme policies. 0:17:14.720 --> 0:17:17.920 We can pour one out for regular order. We haven't 0:17:17.920 --> 0:17:20.159 seen that in a long time. But I wonder if 0:17:20.200 --> 0:17:22.840 what's at risk curious the appropriations processes. You talk to 0:17:22.880 --> 0:17:26.280 your appropriations team, what do they say about how that's 0:17:26.400 --> 0:17:28.240 likely to change this result? Yes, of what's led to 0:17:28.320 --> 0:17:30.720 the shutdown, but also what we've seen this administration do 0:17:30.720 --> 0:17:32.520 when it comes to budgeting over the last few months. 0:17:32.600 --> 0:17:36.280 Well, our appropriators on the Democratic side, Rosa Deloro and 0:17:36.359 --> 0:17:40.640 on the Senate side of the Democratic Caucus of course, 0:17:40.680 --> 0:17:45.320 Patty Murray. They are superb appropriators and they're committed to 0:17:45.359 --> 0:17:50.040 a process of finding a bipartisan path. Are they worried, Well, well, 0:17:50.880 --> 0:17:55.440 I think Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins have expressed concern 0:17:55.760 --> 0:17:59.840 about how this administration has conducted itself in violating Congressional 0:17:59.840 --> 0:18:02.760 and the Framers were very clear Congress has the power 0:18:02.760 --> 0:18:03.160 of the purse. 0:18:03.200 --> 0:18:04.040 That's for good reason. 0:18:04.240 --> 0:18:07.000 Where the institutions that are closest to the American people, 0:18:07.200 --> 0:18:09.920 particularly on the House side, and so yes, the American 0:18:09.920 --> 0:18:13.679 people should be worried, but we need a Congress to 0:18:13.800 --> 0:18:18.119 actually reassert itself in the best interests of the American people, 0:18:18.520 --> 0:18:21.240 so that the administration is not allowed just to make 0:18:21.280 --> 0:18:26.520 these decisions unilaterally on their own without the people's representatives 0:18:26.520 --> 0:18:30.159 in the House of the Senate actually being able to 0:18:30.280 --> 0:18:36.280 have our will exerted through our representation of everyday Americans. 0:18:37.960 --> 0:18:40.200 It was Opening Night at the Garden last night Nicks 0:18:40.280 --> 0:18:43.440 versus Calves nixt one, nineteen one eleven, also the final 0:18:43.440 --> 0:18:45.800 mayoral debate in New York City. Did you watch it? 0:18:45.840 --> 0:18:47.880 Have you kept up with what happened on stage last night? 0:18:48.359 --> 0:18:51.240 I wasn't able to catch the debate live. I did 0:18:51.440 --> 0:18:54.119 catch the final few moments of the next game, I 0:18:54.160 --> 0:18:57.320 do admit, but the debate had already ended at that 0:18:57.359 --> 0:19:00.520 point by time my day ended. I didn't think it 0:19:00.560 --> 0:19:04.200 was interesting yesterday, and a strong step that was taken 0:19:04.280 --> 0:19:08.600 by Zoran, the Democratic nominee when he indicated his intention 0:19:09.080 --> 0:19:11.480 to retain our current police. 0:19:11.200 --> 0:19:12.800 Commissioner, Jessica Tish. 0:19:12.960 --> 0:19:14.919 I think that probably will provide a lot of comfort 0:19:14.960 --> 0:19:17.960 to people throughout the city of New York. She's done 0:19:17.960 --> 0:19:21.040 a great job, she's well respected. We're a diverse city, 0:19:21.880 --> 0:19:24.200 and it'll be interesting to see how that is received 0:19:24.280 --> 0:19:25.280 upon my return home. 0:19:25.640 --> 0:19:27.480 You've been asked about this a thousand times. Let me 0:19:27.520 --> 0:19:30.439 ask a thousand and one times. Are you prepared to 0:19:30.520 --> 0:19:32.600 endorse the Democratic nominee for mayor in New York? 0:19:32.720 --> 0:19:34.960 Well, what I'll say is I'm prepared to weigh in 0:19:35.040 --> 0:19:37.120 in advance of early voting and early votes two days. 0:19:37.440 --> 0:19:38.840 Early voting starts on Saturday. 0:19:39.040 --> 0:19:41.480 Yeah, what's holding you up and what are the issues 0:19:41.520 --> 0:19:43.040 that you're still concerned about. I know that you said 0:19:43.040 --> 0:19:44.919 the last time you were asked about this, you're going 0:19:44.960 --> 0:19:48.360 to have a conversation with sorry Mndoni, another conversation. Yeah, 0:19:48.440 --> 0:19:50.600 what's left undiscussed? 0:19:50.680 --> 0:19:52.280 Well, I hope speak to him today or tomorrow, and 0:19:52.800 --> 0:19:56.200 in fact, I plan on speaking to him today and tomorrow. 0:19:56.320 --> 0:20:00.399 And I think from my standpoint, look, I was prepared 0:20:00.400 --> 0:20:02.040 to try to bring this to a close one way 0:20:02.080 --> 0:20:05.200 or the other several weeks ago, and then the government 0:20:05.240 --> 0:20:09.920 shut down hit and honestly, it's been all encompassing because 0:20:09.960 --> 0:20:13.639 this is a traumatic moment for the country that this 0:20:13.720 --> 0:20:16.560 has been inflicted on the American people. And then laying 0:20:16.720 --> 0:20:20.000 on top of it right, just shutting the government down 0:20:20.960 --> 0:20:25.359 as Republicans have done is very problematic, but trying to 0:20:25.400 --> 0:20:30.119 communicate with the American people why we as Democrats also 0:20:30.320 --> 0:20:36.400 believe that addressing the Republican healthcare crisis is necessary, and 0:20:36.560 --> 0:20:40.719 explaining the entirety of the assault on their healthcare that 0:20:40.760 --> 0:20:43.960 has occurred this year, beginning with the one Big Ugly 0:20:44.000 --> 0:20:47.000 bill and the largest cut to medicate in the American history, 0:20:47.000 --> 0:20:49.720 and the fact that their hospitals and nursing homes and 0:20:49.800 --> 0:20:53.400 community based health centers are closing all across the country. 0:20:53.640 --> 0:20:56.840 Home care will be adversely affected the possible cut to 0:20:56.920 --> 0:20:59.960 Medicare at the end of the year, the Republican refuses 0:21:00.440 --> 0:21:03.040 to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, and the 0:21:03.080 --> 0:21:05.520 threats that they're now making to even try to repeal 0:21:06.320 --> 0:21:09.919 the Affordable Care Act, and the assault on public health infrastructure. 0:21:09.920 --> 0:21:11.439 This is extraordinary stuff. 0:21:11.480 --> 0:21:14.879 We've never seen anything like this in the history of 0:21:14.920 --> 0:21:17.199 the country, which is why we believe it needs to 0:21:17.200 --> 0:21:21.800 be decisively addressed, along with of course, reopening the government, 0:21:22.080 --> 0:21:26.240 standing by a hardworking federal civil servants, and making sure 0:21:26.280 --> 0:21:28.480 that we can enact a bipartisan spending group, So it's 0:21:28.520 --> 0:21:30.200 been all encompassing, you know. 0:21:30.200 --> 0:21:32.000 For the last several weeks. 0:21:32.080 --> 0:21:35.359 That said, I do have a sense of obligation to 0:21:35.480 --> 0:21:37.680 weigh in one way or the other in terms of 0:21:37.720 --> 0:21:39.600 the mayor's race in advance of early voting. 0:21:39.680 --> 0:21:41.720 So I did watch the debate, and the themes of 0:21:41.720 --> 0:21:43.920 criticism that came up from the other two candidates were 0:21:44.119 --> 0:21:47.959 he's inexperienced and his comments on the Middle Easter problematic? 0:21:48.200 --> 0:21:50.440