LEADER JEFFRIES IN THE CAPITOL: "REPUBLICANS HAVE LAUNCHED AN ALL-OUT ASSAULT ON THE HEALTHCARE OF EVERYDAY AMERICANS"

LEADER JEFFRIES: Good afternoon, everyone. Let me begin by expressing our heartfelt condolences, prayers and sympathies to the families of the victims of the shooting that occurred earlier today at the ICE facility in Dallas. We're also very thankful and appreciative of the first responders who showed up on the scene, raced toward danger and secured the situation to prevent any further carnage. The level of political violence and ideologically motivated violence across the spectrum is far too high in the United States of America right now. We need leadership that brings people together, not national leadership that tears people apart. 

We are here today in the Capitol, ready to get to work. Ready to meet with anyone, anytime, any place in order to avoid a painful Republican-caused government shutdown. We will partner in a bipartisan way to try to find common ground in order to enact a spending bill that actually meets the needs of the American people. Democrats do not support the partisan Republican spending bill because it continues to gut the healthcare of the American people. Republicans have launched an all-out assault on the healthcare of everyday Americans. The largest cut to Medicaid in American history. Millions of people throughout urban America, rural America, small-town America and the heartland of America, along with Black and brown America, losing coverage.

The Affordable Care Act is under assault by Republicans who refuse to extend the tax credits, and as a result, at least 20 million Americans are going to experience dramatically increased healthcare premiums, co-pays and deductibles. Medicare will face a $536 billion cut at the end of this year if Congress doesn't act, because of the Republican One Big Ugly Bill. All across the country, hospitals, nursing homes and community-based health clinics are closing, including in rural America, because of the Republican healthcare crisis. And Republicans have effectively ended medical research in the United States of America, including terminating research for children with cancer. This is an immoral assault on the healthcare of the American people. And that's why Democrats have drawn a line in the sand. We will work together, sit down, meet any time, any place, with anyone in order to avoid a Republican-caused government shutdown and in order to decisively address the Republican healthcare crisis that is devastating the people of the United States of America. 

Full press conference can be watched here.