1 00:00:02,520 --> 00:00:07,040 Speaker 1: Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio News. 2 00:00:07,920 --> 00:00:10,600 Speaker 2: Joining us now with Insight Life from Capitol Hill. Democratic 3 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:13,520 Speaker 2: Congressman Gregory Weeks of New York. He's ranking member of 4 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:17,000 Speaker 2: the House Foreign Affairs Committee, member of House Financial Services Committee, 5 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:19,640 Speaker 2: and so we have a lot to talk about. Congressman, 6 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:21,319 Speaker 2: it's great to see you. Thanks for being with us 7 00:00:21,360 --> 00:00:24,360 Speaker 2: here on Bloomberg TV and radio. You heard what Eric 8 00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:26,440 Speaker 2: was just telling us here. It looks like we are 9 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:29,600 Speaker 2: going to go over the cliff. Should our viewers and listeners, 10 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:34,000 Speaker 2: people who are actually on these plans, these Obamacare plans, 11 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:36,879 Speaker 2: should they expect this to be their new reality? 12 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:40,000 Speaker 1: It looks like it. I mean, Democrats have been trying 13 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:42,000 Speaker 1: to bring the alarm for a long period of time, 14 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:45,239 Speaker 1: and almost for the last fifteen years. The Republicans have 15 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:48,240 Speaker 1: said that they had an alternative plan. Yet no one 16 00:00:48,479 --> 00:00:52,919 Speaker 1: has seen them produce anything. And this is something that 17 00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:56,760 Speaker 1: should have been talked about. We've been advocating for it. 18 00:00:56,800 --> 00:01:00,480 Speaker 1: We've been talking about an extension, if nothing else, to 19 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:03,960 Speaker 1: the tax credit for the Affordable Care Act so that 20 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:06,479 Speaker 1: it can be figured out or we have more time. 21 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:09,560 Speaker 1: Republicans have refused to do that. So it just seems 22 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:12,360 Speaker 1: that they, as we've been saying all along, are in 23 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:16,039 Speaker 1: complete disarray, and as a result, it's going to hurt 24 00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:22,160 Speaker 1: millions of American citizens when they see their healthcare sometime, 25 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:24,959 Speaker 1: some of them will double. And this is what we 26 00:01:24,959 --> 00:01:28,440 Speaker 1: were talking about before, and now it's going to become reality. 27 00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:32,160 Speaker 2: So the affordability crisis that we have been talking about 28 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:35,319 Speaker 2: and President calls a Democrat hoax, it's about to get worse. 29 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:37,320 Speaker 2: Right if we look at this through a wider frame, 30 00:01:37,920 --> 00:01:40,920 Speaker 2: this feeds into higher costs that people are facing across 31 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:41,319 Speaker 2: the board. 32 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:45,800 Speaker 1: Congressman, there's no question, I mean the American people, and 33 00:01:45,959 --> 00:01:49,120 Speaker 1: as we saw when the President was in Pennsylvania just 34 00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:52,800 Speaker 1: recently talking about this is a Democratic hoax, and everyone 35 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:56,320 Speaker 1: that was spoken with when they left said this is 36 00:01:56,360 --> 00:02:00,280 Speaker 1: not a hoax because they know what their pockets feel like, 37 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:04,680 Speaker 1: they know what their insurance plans are looking like, so 38 00:02:04,720 --> 00:02:06,840 Speaker 1: that they will soon have to make a choice, many 39 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:09,720 Speaker 1: of them, of whether they continue health care or not 40 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:12,680 Speaker 1: because they may not be able to afford it. And 41 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:17,560 Speaker 1: so the crisis is here now that's caused by the 42 00:02:17,600 --> 00:02:21,080 Speaker 1: President of the United States, and unfortunately the President is 43 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:25,280 Speaker 1: also the facto speaker of the House. So the deputy 44 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:28,600 Speaker 1: speaker follows the speaker who happens to be the president, 45 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:32,240 Speaker 1: and nothing has been done, and nothing has been at 46 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:35,240 Speaker 1: least talked about to be for an agreement in a 47 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:38,600 Speaker 1: bipartisan way. And so now we're at on a cliff, 48 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:43,200 Speaker 1: no conversation, and guess what, January thirtieth is not that 49 00:02:43,320 --> 00:02:43,880 Speaker 1: far behind. 50 00:02:43,919 --> 00:02:48,520 Speaker 2: Also, well, you know, we just were talking about the 51 00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:51,079 Speaker 2: possibility of another shutdown, and I don't know if anyone 52 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:53,680 Speaker 2: has the appetite for that, but I just want to 53 00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:58,440 Speaker 2: ask you quickly about one of the options that is 54 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:01,880 Speaker 2: under consideration in the House of Representatives, realizing these both 55 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:04,960 Speaker 2: failed today. In the Senate, there's a discharge petition that's 56 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:08,880 Speaker 2: been put up by Brian Fitzpatrick. It's also got a 57 00:03:08,919 --> 00:03:14,160 Speaker 2: Democrat on this as well. It's Brian Fitzpatrick, as I mentioned, 58 00:03:14,919 --> 00:03:18,880 Speaker 2: on the Republican side. If there are enough votes here, 59 00:03:18,919 --> 00:03:21,400 Speaker 2: this could be forced to the floor, Congressman, and it 60 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:24,760 Speaker 2: would extend the Obamacare subsidies by a couple of years, 61 00:03:24,800 --> 00:03:27,960 Speaker 2: but also would add eligibility requirements. Is that something that 62 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:29,919 Speaker 2: you would vote for if you had the chance. 63 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:33,000 Speaker 1: Well, I haven't seen it. I would have to see it. 64 00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:35,200 Speaker 1: Another there's something that they've tried to put together at 65 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:39,240 Speaker 1: the last second. You know, I think that again here 66 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:41,920 Speaker 1: we should have had the opportunity to have a dialogue 67 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:45,880 Speaker 1: and a conversation, a negotiation, as opposed to what's taking 68 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:49,480 Speaker 1: place right now. So I would have to, you know, 69 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:52,680 Speaker 1: before we get out of here next week, is to 70 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:55,120 Speaker 1: look at it to make a determination. But you can 71 00:03:55,240 --> 00:03:59,880 Speaker 1: see how Congress is currently operating with this Republican leadership. 72 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:02,840 Speaker 1: Everything seems to have to be done by a motion 73 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:06,720 Speaker 1: to discharge. We cannot get anything on the floor so 74 00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:11,000 Speaker 1: that we can vote in regular order. It is such 75 00:04:11,400 --> 00:04:14,360 Speaker 1: craziness that's going on now. I've been in Washington for 76 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:16,839 Speaker 1: a long time, a member of Congress for twenty seven years, 77 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:20,559 Speaker 1: and I've never seen anything like this. And so though 78 00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:23,440 Speaker 1: I believe a number of votes if we had the 79 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:26,520 Speaker 1: opportunity to vote for them on the floor, the Speaker 80 00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:29,160 Speaker 1: and the President has blocked them. And so the only 81 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:32,360 Speaker 1: recourse that members are having is to try to work 82 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:35,680 Speaker 1: with motions to discharge and get two hundred and eighteen votes. 83 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:38,960 Speaker 1: That's what took place with the Epstein vote. 84 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:42,200 Speaker 2: Congress, when I want you to put on your foreign 85 00:04:42,279 --> 00:04:45,040 Speaker 2: relations cap here and talk to US about what's happening 86 00:04:45,080 --> 00:04:47,720 Speaker 2: off the coast of Venezuela. Because the United States has 87 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:51,240 Speaker 2: decided to seize an oil tanker. The President says that 88 00:04:51,279 --> 00:04:54,359 Speaker 2: we will probably keep the oil. There are questions about 89 00:04:54,360 --> 00:04:56,640 Speaker 2: what happens to the crew and whether more of these 90 00:04:56,640 --> 00:04:59,200 Speaker 2: are about to happen. The US has just sanctioned six 91 00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:04,200 Speaker 2: more of these. The way things work now in the Caribbean, well. 92 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:07,599 Speaker 1: Look, they are illegal in the way that it's working now. 93 00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:10,560 Speaker 1: I think that number one, you know, you first heard 94 00:05:10,640 --> 00:05:14,000 Speaker 1: that the president was down off the coast of Venezuela 95 00:05:14,080 --> 00:05:18,040 Speaker 1: because of drugs. Clearly, by taking this oil tanker, it's 96 00:05:18,080 --> 00:05:21,080 Speaker 1: not about drugs, And clearly you could you should have 97 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:23,680 Speaker 1: seen if you could take an oil tanker in the 98 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:26,080 Speaker 1: way that they have that you don't have to shoot 99 00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:29,440 Speaker 1: down boats in the way and kill people in the 100 00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:32,920 Speaker 1: way that they have. So it is not about drugs. 101 00:05:33,560 --> 00:05:38,080 Speaker 1: It's about regime change to one degree and taking access 102 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:42,839 Speaker 1: to Venezuelan oil. Those seem to be the main motivations 103 00:05:43,160 --> 00:05:46,039 Speaker 1: of the President of the United States. And this is 104 00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:49,919 Speaker 1: not the way that we generally have historically operated in 105 00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:53,960 Speaker 1: the United States. This is really how Russia operates, and 106 00:05:54,040 --> 00:05:56,400 Speaker 1: so we are losing our values, as we've seen from 107 00:05:56,440 --> 00:06:02,640 Speaker 1: the National Security report that came out that says, you know, Russia, China, 108 00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:05,160 Speaker 1: and the United States forget about our friends and allies 109 00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:07,440 Speaker 1: and how do we work with them. So all of 110 00:06:07,440 --> 00:06:11,000 Speaker 1: this is coming to a head right now. So I 111 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:15,360 Speaker 1: strongly disagree, and I think the American people disagree. The 112 00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:18,520 Speaker 1: President should be comingto Congress if this is a war 113 00:06:18,640 --> 00:06:20,880 Speaker 1: that he's trying to get us into. That's why I 114 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:23,719 Speaker 1: do have a bill dealing with a War Powers Act, 115 00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:26,200 Speaker 1: so that the demand is that the President comes and 116 00:06:26,240 --> 00:06:29,440 Speaker 1: talk to Congress and stop trying to work around Congress 117 00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:32,039 Speaker 1: to avoid us, so that we can do our oversight 118 00:06:32,760 --> 00:06:34,440 Speaker 1: responsibility in appropriate way. 119 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:36,640 Speaker 2: When does that go to the floor, Congressman, and will 120 00:06:36,680 --> 00:06:38,239 Speaker 2: you get a single Republican vote? 121 00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:42,400 Speaker 1: Well, I think that we would get it. We're working 122 00:06:42,839 --> 00:06:46,599 Speaker 1: diligent now talking to other members. And that's why the 123 00:06:47,040 --> 00:06:51,240 Speaker 1: Speaker refuses to allow the bill on the floor because 124 00:06:51,279 --> 00:06:53,919 Speaker 1: he knows if it reaches the floor, we would have 125 00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:57,040 Speaker 1: a strong bipartisan vote, and so that's why they try 126 00:06:57,080 --> 00:06:59,839 Speaker 1: to block it and make rules that will not allow 127 00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:02,560 Speaker 1: bill to come to the floor at the appropriate time. 128 00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:07,680 Speaker 2: You know, you mentioned Russia. Vladimir Putin is on the 129 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:13,160 Speaker 2: phone with with Maduro expressing solidarity today. In fact, they 130 00:07:13,200 --> 00:07:15,520 Speaker 2: went back to this strategic treaty that was signed in 131 00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:18,440 Speaker 2: May to talk about how this can be exploited more, 132 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:21,480 Speaker 2: confirming their commitment to joint projects and trade the economy, 133 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:24,680 Speaker 2: energy and other areas. Is Vladimir Putin about to make 134 00:07:24,720 --> 00:07:25,680 Speaker 2: this more complicated? 135 00:07:27,120 --> 00:07:30,040 Speaker 1: Well, he is. I mean, look, and there's some reason 136 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:32,480 Speaker 1: why the President of the United States, you know, we 137 00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:37,520 Speaker 1: see that Russia's already killing Ukrainians on a daily basis, 138 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:41,680 Speaker 1: just about Russia is now joining hands with Nicholas Maduro, 139 00:07:42,040 --> 00:07:44,480 Speaker 1: and why the President of the United States is not 140 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:48,280 Speaker 1: standing strong and making sure that you know, you talk 141 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:53,560 Speaker 1: about using power, you know, to control the situation. Yet 142 00:07:53,600 --> 00:07:56,680 Speaker 1: he just seems to bow down to the will of 143 00:07:56,760 --> 00:07:59,800 Speaker 1: Russia and whatever Russia says. And Russia can do whatever 144 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:03,400 Speaker 1: they want. And it's okay with this administration, but it's 145 00:08:03,400 --> 00:08:06,160 Speaker 1: not okay with the American people. It's not okay with 146 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:08,480 Speaker 1: Democrats in the House and the Senate. And we're going 147 00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:10,360 Speaker 1: to make sure that we have those voices. And I 148 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:14,240 Speaker 1: would hope that some of my Republican colleagues would finally 149 00:08:14,320 --> 00:08:18,040 Speaker 1: join us and stand with us to hold this president 150 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:21,840 Speaker 1: accountable and make sure that we keep the highest standards 151 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:25,000 Speaker 1: and moral that we have with our European allies and others. 152 00:08:26,080 --> 00:08:28,280 Speaker 2: I don't know if that'll cover the seizure of oil 153 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:30,680 Speaker 2: tankers like we saw a congressmen, But if this did 154 00:08:30,680 --> 00:08:33,520 Speaker 2: in fact come from a shadow fleet, if this boat 155 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:36,760 Speaker 2: was operating illegally, do we owe that oil back to 156 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:38,520 Speaker 2: somebody and what happens to the crew? 157 00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:42,600 Speaker 1: Well, look, I will tell you generally, in all of 158 00:08:42,640 --> 00:08:45,960 Speaker 1: the time that I've been in Congress before, before this 159 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:49,719 Speaker 1: is done, there is at least with the Intelligence Committee, 160 00:08:49,880 --> 00:08:52,480 Speaker 1: sometimes with the Armed Services Committee, and sometimes with the 161 00:08:52,520 --> 00:08:55,760 Speaker 1: Florid and Affairs Committee, and sometimes in a combination thereof, 162 00:08:56,160 --> 00:09:00,000 Speaker 1: and definitely with both Democrat and Republican leadership in the House, 163 00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:03,360 Speaker 1: there is a dialogue in conversation. They go in the 164 00:09:03,360 --> 00:09:07,559 Speaker 1: skiff or go down to the White House and they 165 00:09:07,600 --> 00:09:09,880 Speaker 1: have a dialogue and they talk and they plan and 166 00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:13,160 Speaker 1: at least indicate what they intent on doing. And in 167 00:09:13,200 --> 00:09:17,200 Speaker 1: this situation is just chaos where you have a president 168 00:09:17,280 --> 00:09:20,160 Speaker 1: who's just running a monk, doing whatever he wants to 169 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:26,120 Speaker 1: do and oftentimes violating the normal States, and I believe 170 00:09:26,240 --> 00:09:27,880 Speaker 1: also violating the rules of law. 171 00:09:29,320 --> 00:09:32,000 Speaker 2: I want to ask you about the invest Act while 172 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:34,240 Speaker 2: you're with us, Congressman, because you've got a lot of 173 00:09:34,240 --> 00:09:36,640 Speaker 2: small business owners who are watching and listening right now. 174 00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:40,440 Speaker 2: And I just talked about the state of small business 175 00:09:40,679 --> 00:09:43,480 Speaker 2: with the head of the SBA, Kelly Leffler. Here's what 176 00:09:43,559 --> 00:09:44,160 Speaker 2: she told us. 177 00:09:44,559 --> 00:09:48,960 Speaker 3: Between tax cuts, deregulation, fair trade, we see jobs and 178 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:52,240 Speaker 3: opportunities coming back to America and then eighteen trillion dollars 179 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:54,640 Speaker 3: of investment coming in. A lot of that's going to 180 00:09:54,640 --> 00:09:57,840 Speaker 3: play out on main street and that's why small business optimism, 181 00:09:57,920 --> 00:10:00,840 Speaker 3: according to the US Chamber, is at all time highs. 182 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:04,120 Speaker 3: And you've got consumer confidence on the rise again, so 183 00:10:04,280 --> 00:10:07,679 Speaker 3: consumers know that the best is yet to come first. 184 00:10:07,720 --> 00:10:09,679 Speaker 2: What she told us argues with a lot of the 185 00:10:09,760 --> 00:10:13,280 Speaker 2: data that we're seeing, Congressmen. The invest Acts, cuts red tape, 186 00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:16,640 Speaker 2: expands access to capital. Will that helps small business owners 187 00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:17,760 Speaker 2: get their own high prices. 188 00:10:18,559 --> 00:10:20,640 Speaker 1: But that's what we want to do because we know 189 00:10:20,720 --> 00:10:23,800 Speaker 1: that the policies that the president's putting forward now, for 190 00:10:23,840 --> 00:10:27,920 Speaker 1: example with his tariffs, if you spoke to any small business, 191 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:32,320 Speaker 1: you know the cost to the small businesses have steadily increased, 192 00:10:32,360 --> 00:10:37,080 Speaker 1: it's not decreased, their increased causing them problems. The instability 193 00:10:37,600 --> 00:10:42,880 Speaker 1: and the uncertainty of the president's policies is costing small 194 00:10:42,920 --> 00:10:45,480 Speaker 1: businesses a lot of money. They don't not know, they 195 00:10:45,520 --> 00:10:48,520 Speaker 1: can't you know, get the right inventory, They don't know 196 00:10:48,520 --> 00:10:50,280 Speaker 1: how much to buy because how much is going to 197 00:10:50,360 --> 00:10:53,640 Speaker 1: cost going up. So as I speak to small businesses, 198 00:10:54,360 --> 00:10:59,920 Speaker 1: this administration's policies have been devastating to them and devastating 199 00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:03,320 Speaker 1: to the American consumer. And so that's why I was 200 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:05,920 Speaker 1: glad to be able to work with some of our 201 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:09,080 Speaker 1: Republican colleagues on the Financial Services Committee so that we 202 00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:12,880 Speaker 1: can do something for small businesses get access to help 203 00:11:12,960 --> 00:11:16,240 Speaker 1: them get access to capital, and for those individuals also 204 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:20,280 Speaker 1: who have four to one k's or iras for helping 205 00:11:20,320 --> 00:11:22,760 Speaker 1: them with their retirements. And so we're trying to make 206 00:11:22,800 --> 00:11:25,200 Speaker 1: sure that we are reaching to the small business and 207 00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:29,000 Speaker 1: the average everyday worker, like sixty two percent of them 208 00:11:29,040 --> 00:11:31,320 Speaker 1: who are invested in the markets. So it's not just 209 00:11:31,400 --> 00:11:34,679 Speaker 1: the super rich friends of the president that having benefits, 210 00:11:34,840 --> 00:11:37,400 Speaker 1: but it is the working people of America. And that's 211 00:11:37,400 --> 00:11:40,040 Speaker 1: what we're trying to do there because clearly the president's 212 00:11:40,040 --> 00:11:41,280 Speaker 1: policies are not working. 213 00:11:42,360 --> 00:11:44,040 Speaker 2: Well, I know it's a bipart is an effort. Right now, 214 00:11:44,080 --> 00:11:45,400 Speaker 2: I'd like to stay in touch with you on that. 215 00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:48,640 Speaker 2: Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks of New York, We thank you 216 00:11:48,720 --> 00:11:49,120 Speaker 2: so much.