WEBVTT - Rep. Mike Lawler R-NY Talks Government Shutdown

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<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, Radio News. I'm happy to say

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<v Speaker 1>we can extend the conversation with New York Congressman Michael Ola. Congressman,

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<v Speaker 1>welcome back to the program sir. The good news. The

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<v Speaker 1>military looks like it's getting paid. Can you just walk

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<v Speaker 1>us through how you would characterize current negotiations.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, the Democrats refuse to do their job. You know,

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<v Speaker 2>Jeffries talks about getting permission. The reality here is that

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<v Speaker 2>AOC and Zorn Mandani and the progressive left are who's

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<v Speaker 2>driving the ship here. Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries have

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<v Speaker 2>been petrified to do their jobs, and so they shut

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<v Speaker 2>the government down for fear of a primary challenge from

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<v Speaker 2>the left and to show their progressive base that they're

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<v Speaker 2>quote unquote fighting back, resisting you know, President Trump. And

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<v Speaker 2>it's fundamentally wrong. They are holding the American people hostage.

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<v Speaker 2>House Republicans passed a clean Continuing resolution over three weeks

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<v Speaker 2>ago to keep the government funded, to pay for all

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<v Speaker 2>of these critical programs, to ensure that our troops are paid,

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<v Speaker 2>to ensure that border patrol agents are paid. And yet

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<v Speaker 2>Democrats have voted over eight times against the clean CR

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<v Speaker 2>and We'll see what Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats do today.

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<v Speaker 2>But it doesn't look good. And when I was in

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<v Speaker 2>Washington last week, I went and confronted Hakeem Jeffries to

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<v Speaker 2>his face and pointed out that if he's serious about

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<v Speaker 2>tackling the healthcare challenges in our country, sign on to

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<v Speaker 2>the bipartisan legislation that would do that. And he refused.

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<v Speaker 2>So this really is not about healthcare. It's not about

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<v Speaker 2>a specific policy outcome. This is about Democrats showing their

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<v Speaker 2>progressive base that they're fighting back against President than Trump. Meanwhile,

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<v Speaker 2>look at the juxtaposition. President Trump on a twenty four

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<v Speaker 2>hour trip to the Middle East secured peace and Democrats

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<v Speaker 2>are playing patty cake here in Washington, DC, shutting the

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<v Speaker 2>government down and holding the American people hostage.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, two weeks, there's going to be some off ramp

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<v Speaker 3>at some point. Would you support structural changes to the

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<v Speaker 3>Affordable Care Act premium subsidies in exchange for an extension

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<v Speaker 3>to get the government back up and working well.

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<v Speaker 2>To be clear, the off ramp is the clean cr

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<v Speaker 2>that's been sitting in the Senate for over three weeks

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<v Speaker 2>with respect to the Affordable Care Act Number one. Since

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<v Speaker 2>Obamacare took effect in twenty ten, you've seen premium skyrocket

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<v Speaker 2>across the country. And Democrats put in place these enhanced

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<v Speaker 2>tax credits during COVID. They were slated to expire at

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<v Speaker 2>the end of this year. Democrats knew that they passed

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<v Speaker 2>it into law, and they knew that they couldn't extend

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<v Speaker 2>it beyond that period because of the cost associated with it.

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<v Speaker 2>I have signed on to legislation to extend it by

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<v Speaker 2>a year because we don't want americans healthcare premiums to spike.

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<v Speaker 2>But it speaks to the fundamental problem with Obamacare, which

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<v Speaker 2>is that it didn't actually do what it was intended

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<v Speaker 2>to do, which is reduce health care cost in America,

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<v Speaker 2>and in fact, it has exploded since its inception. So look,

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<v Speaker 2>I am open to obviously solving the issue both short

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<v Speaker 2>term and long term. We have to address the cost

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<v Speaker 2>of health care in this country. But Democrats just you know,

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<v Speaker 2>pounding their fists on the table, stomping their feet and

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<v Speaker 2>demanding their way is not the way to govern. You

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<v Speaker 2>don't hold the American people hostage. And by the way,

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<v Speaker 2>don't take my word for it. Go look at every

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<v Speaker 2>quote from Chuck Schumer Hakeem Jeffreys, Nancy p and name

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<v Speaker 2>the Democrat. They all previously believed that you don't use

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<v Speaker 2>government shutdowns to exert policy outcomes, and now fundamentally they

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<v Speaker 2>have changed their view because Donald Trump is president.

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<v Speaker 3>Congressman. Also being held hostage right now is data which

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<v Speaker 3>the financial services industry, the FED, we all rely on.

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<v Speaker 3>You are on the Financial Services Committee. Do you think

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<v Speaker 3>the White House should deem the BLS data like the

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<v Speaker 3>jobs report? We're still waiting on essential.

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<v Speaker 2>Look, obviously that information is critically important for the FED

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<v Speaker 2>and others to do the work that is required. But

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<v Speaker 2>this is the fundamental challenge. They're trying to figure out

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<v Speaker 2>how to pay for, for instance, our troops, which is vital.

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<v Speaker 2>They're trying to figure out how to pay for critical

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<v Speaker 2>programs like Wick and Snap and so these are the

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<v Speaker 2>very difficult decisions that any administration is put in because

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<v Speaker 2>of the calc trends of my Democratic colleagues here. Look,

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<v Speaker 2>I've been opposed to government shutdowns, regardless of who has

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<v Speaker 2>tried to do it. I criticized my Republican colleagues last

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<v Speaker 2>Congress when some of them wanted to shut the government

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<v Speaker 2>down over Joe Biden's disastrous open borders. While I agreed

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<v Speaker 2>with them on the merits, the fact is shutting the

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<v Speaker 2>government down wasn't going to solve that problem. And the

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<v Speaker 2>same applies here. What the Democrats are doing is creating

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<v Speaker 2>more problems. The FED, to your point, needs to be

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<v Speaker 2>able to do its job. They need to cut rates.

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<v Speaker 2>They need the information with respect to jobs for instance,

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<v Speaker 2>that is critically important. So yes, we want them to

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<v Speaker 2>be able to get that information. The fastest way for

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<v Speaker 2>all of this to come to an end, the fastest

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<v Speaker 2>way to ensure that government does its job, is for

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<v Speaker 2>my Democratic colleagues to go back to Washington today in

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<v Speaker 2>the Senate and vote yes to open the government up

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<v Speaker 2>and pass the clean.

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<v Speaker 3>Cr The White House has also taken aim on projects

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<v Speaker 3>in New York City, eighteen million dollars worth of New

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<v Speaker 3>York City infrastructure projects. You are in a swing district

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<v Speaker 3>and you are facing a lot of challenges. A lot

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<v Speaker 3>of Democrats are lining up to try to flip that

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<v Speaker 3>seat come the midterms. Are you concerned about potentially the

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<v Speaker 3>pushback you're going to get from things like this? Billions

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<v Speaker 3>of dollars being frozen right here in New York.

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<v Speaker 2>Look I've already spoken out against the freeze on that

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<v Speaker 2>project and have been in touch with the administration to

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<v Speaker 2>get that project back up and running. Are they going

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<v Speaker 2>to But again, the fastest way to do that is

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<v Speaker 2>to pass a clean cr And that's the point that

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<v Speaker 2>I've made over the last week to my New York

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<v Speaker 2>colleagues and to the press that these projects can easily

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<v Speaker 2>come back online when the government is open and running.

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<v Speaker 2>Gateway is a critical project for my district. We don't

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<v Speaker 2>have a one seat ride from Rockland County where I live.

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<v Speaker 2>Gateway will that. So this is a critical infrastructure project,

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<v Speaker 2>not just for New York City or New Jersey, but

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<v Speaker 2>for the region. But you know, this is something that

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<v Speaker 2>I've fully supported in terms of getting the funding for

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<v Speaker 2>that project and will continue to fight to do it.

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<v Speaker 2>But again, based on conversations, it's not that hard to

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<v Speaker 2>figure out if you open up the government, a lot

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<v Speaker 2>of this stuff will be resolved.

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<v Speaker 1>Congressman, we got to go. I appreciate your time as always.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm sure you've got to go to Mike Lauda there,

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<v Speaker 1>the New York Congressman on the latest situation down in Washington,

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<v Speaker 1>d C.