LEADER JEFFRIES ON CNN: "THE AMERICAN PEOPLE CLEARLY KNOW WHO SHUT THE GOVERNMENT DOWN"
Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on CNN's Inside Politics with Dana Bash, where he highlighted the hypocrisy of Republicans in shutting down the government while refusing to meet with Democrats to deliver a bipartisan spending agreement that makes life better for the American people.
DANA BASH: Day 14, we're officially entering the third week of the government shutdown, and we're just days away from federal workers missing their first paychecks. Today, the White House warned that layoffs will continue, and on Capitol Hill, there are few signs of anything except a stalemate. Minority Leader Congressman Hakeem Jeffries is here now. Thank you so much for being here, sir. I want to start by sort of [trying] to reset. We are two weeks into this shutdown. Your proposal to fund the government included permanently extending Obamacare subsidies, restoring cuts to Medicare in the Republicans' Big Beautiful Bill, which is now law. Is that still what you want, all of that, in order to get Democrats' vote to reopen the government?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, our position from the very beginning is that we want to sit down, have a bipartisan discussion. Now, we want to reopen the government, enact a spending agreement that actually makes life better for the American people and addresses the Republican healthcare crisis that is devastating people all across the country, working-class Americans, middle-class Americans as well as everyday Americans. From our policy perspective, I think what we've made clear is that you've got to cancel the cuts, lower the cost, save healthcare. That involves addressing the Medicaid crisis that Republicans have created, a Medicare crisis, hospitals, nursing homes, community-based health clinics closing all across the country, and, of course, extending the Affordable Care Act tax credit so that tens of millions of Americans don't experience dramatically increased healthcare costs.
DANA BASH: So all of that is in the bill that you tried to pass and it didn't pass, that's in your proposal. But you started that answer by saying we want to sit down and talk about it. That suggests that what you just said is negotiable, is it?
LEADER JEFFRIES: I think we're always ready and willing and able to have a good faith discussion with our colleagues on the other side of the aisle to entertain any ideas that they may put forth with respect to both reopening the government and, of course, decisively addressing the Republican healthcare crisis. The problem that we confront, Dana, is that Republicans have gone radio silent since the shutdown began. No conversations, no meetings, no discussions. Donald Trump has held them back from even having a meaningful engagement to try to find common ground.
DANA BASH: You're right down the hall from Mike Johnson's office. I know exactly where you are. You could probably take a few steps and go knock on the door and talk to him. Have you tried that?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Speaker Johnson hasn't been given permission to have a conversation with me or Leader Schumer and he said as much earlier today.
DANA BASH: So you don't think he would talk to you at all?
LEADER JEFFRIES: We can have a conversation, but the problem is that until they get the green light to actually have a meaningful discussion to try to find common ground and a bipartisan path forward and a willingness to address the damage that Republicans have done to the health, the safety and the economic well-being of the American people, then of course any informal discussion is going to be not fruitful.
DANA BASH: So you mentioned that there's nothing on the table. That is true from the leadership, but you know better than I that a lot of times solutions to these problems don't come from the leadership, they come from bipartisan coalitions in the rank and file. And there is a proposal, a bipartisan proposal in the House to extend the Obamacare subsidies for one year and reopen the government. Would you consider that if the Speaker would put that on the Floor?
LEADER JEFFRIES: The Speaker has made clear he doesn't support extending the Affordable Care Act. In fact, what they want to do—
DANA BASH: But what about you? Would you support that? Call his bluff?
LEADER JEFFRIES: What I support is a meaningful extension of the Affordable Care Act. I'm happy to entertain any reasonable proposal that is put forward. There has not been one. And the reason is, we know Republicans have now, for more than 70 different times over the last 15 years, tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and so they're not interested in meaningfully addressing this healthcare crisis. They're not interested in extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits even though earlier this year as part of their One Big Ugly Bill they enacted the largest cut to Medicaid in American history and at the same time, permanent tax breaks for their billionaire donors. That's unbelievable and now they're not even willing to consider even a modest extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits for working-class Americans. That's their priorities.
DANA BASH: But that's—it depends on who the they are. There are enough Republicans on a piece of legislation, if all the Democrats supported it, that would extend those Obamacare subsidies for one year.
LEADER JEFFRIES: I think our position has been—
DANA BASH: Just on the policy, would you support that?
LEADER JEFFRIES: I think I've been very clear, which is that that is not a proposal that I'm prepared to support at this particular point in time.
DANA BASH: How come?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, it's very simple, because working-class Americans, everyday Americans and middle-class Americans deserve the same level of certainty and assurance as to their healthcare costs in an environment that the cost of living is already out of control. Electricity prices through the roof, housing costs through the roof, grocery costs through the roof. Now tens of millions of Americans about to experience dramatically increased premiums, co-pays and deductibles. We should provide these everyday Americans with the same type of certainty—
DANA BASH: But what about reopening the government? Yeah, and that makes sense. I understand that. What about supporting that, along with reopening the government, because the Republicans don't feel that they are feeling any political pain now. I mean, you saw the White House, the OMB Director put out something about that they're battening down the hatches because they're paying troops, law enforcement and they're making permanent cuts to the federal workforce while this shutdown is happening.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Republicans have been engaging in mass firings and attacking hardworking federal employees since the very beginning of Donald Trump's presidency. And so, to the extent that this is continuing, it's more of the same. Cruelty for them is the point. We've been very clear, as Democrats, again, we'll find a bipartisan path forward. We want to reopen the government. We want make sure that our hardworking federal employees and civil servants get paid. But we also have to address the Republican healthcare crisis. And the American people clearly know who shut the government down. Republicans control the House, the Senate and the presidency. They are blaming them because it's their responsibility. And they've adopted a my way or the highway approach from the very beginning of this presidency. And that unfortunately has continued through this shutdown.
DANA BASH: I want to play something that the New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani said to a very full room while he was campaigning in New York last night.
VIDEO OF ZOHRAN MAMDANI: There is something special in this room tonight. It's power. It's the power of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers united, ready to usher in a new day. It is the power of a movement that won the battle over the soul of the Democratic Party.
DANA BASH: Mr. Leader, does Mamdani and that movement represent the soul of your party?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well the Democratic Party, of course, is extremely diverse, and it's represented by people like Mikie Sherrill—
DANA BASH: But there's only one soul.
LEADER JEFFRIES: It's represented by people like Mikie Sherrill who obviously is en route to becoming the next Governor of New Jersey, Abigail Spanberger, who's about to become the next Governor of Virginia. I haven't spoken to Zohran since the shutdown started. I do look forward to having a conversation with him before early voting starts in New York later on this month.
DANA BASH: He's a Democratic Socialist. Is that the soul of the Democratic Party? Or is it the Democratic candidates you just referenced?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Here's my view of what the Democratic Party represents. We believe in a strong floor and no ceiling, that in America, if you work hard and play by the rules, there should be no ceiling to your success, for yourself, for your family, for your children. At the same period of time, we believe in this country, wealthiest country in the history of the world, there should a strong floor, anchored in things like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid that Republicans are decimating, that Democrats brought to the people of this country.
DANA BASH: Mr. Leader, thank you so much for being here today. Appreciate it.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Thank you.
Full interview can be watched here.