LEADER JEFFRIES ON MSNBC: "BIGOTRY WILL GET YOU NOWHERE"
Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on MSNBC's The Last Word where he emphasize that despite the unacceptable bigotry coming from the White House, Democrats will continue to stand firm in support of the healthcare of the American people as Republicans march us toward a government shutdown.
LAWRENCE O'DONNELL: Thank you very much for joining us tonight, Mr. Leader. And I'm not showing this video that Donald Trump put out about you and Chuck Schumer today. This fake video. People are going to see it. They'll see it in other ways. It's easy to find, but it is absolutely disgusting in every way. It is a lie. The man you met with has now lied about what you said after that meeting. Could you give us your reaction to that Trump-posted video tonight?
LEADER JEFFRIES: It's a disgusting video and we're going to continue to make clear bigotry will get you nowhere. We are fighting to protect the healthcare of the American people in the face of an unprecedented Republican assault on all the things—Medicaid, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act. Republicans are closing our hospitals, nursing homes and community-based health clinics and have effectively shut down medical research in the United States of America. Clearly, Donald Trump and Republicans know that they have a very weak position because they are hurting everyday Americans while continuing to reward their billionaire donors, just like they did in that One big Ugly Bill with massive tax breaks. Democrats are united in the House and the Senate, and the point that we've made will continue to be clear. We are fighting to lower the high cost of healthcare, prevent these dramatically increased premiums, co-pays and deductibles that will take place in a matter of days unless Republicans are willing to act in terms of renewing the Affordable Care Act tax credits.
LAWRENCE O'DONNELL: I see as you've been speaking, on social media, just after I started this program tonight that you posted on social media, something that's real. You simply, apparently in replying to Donald Trump, you posted what's up on the screen now simply saying 'this is real.' There's Donald Trump with his arm around the guy who said he was Donald Trump's best friend for 10 years, a sex trafficker and raper of children, Jeffrey Epstein. Is that going to be your full reply to Donald Trump on the fake video he put out about you and caricaturing you in that video?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Yeah, Leader Schumer and I will have more to say about this issue. But again, this is all designed to be a malignant distraction from people who are determined to continue to rip healthcare away from the American people, and Democrats are resolved to stand up for it. They are lying about what we're asking to do. We've made clear that federal law currently prohibits undocumented immigrants from receiving comprehensive healthcare paid for by federal American tax dollars. And no one is asking to change that law. But what we are doing is making it clear that we need to protect the healthcare of the American people, which has been under relentless assault by the Republicans throughout this year. It's an assault on the healthcare of working class Americans, on rural America, on urban America, on small town America, on the heartland of America and on Black and brown communities all throughout America. And it's unacceptable. It's un-American. And that's why Democrats are holding firm. We will not back down. We will continue to defend the healthcare of everyday Americans.
LAWRENCE O'DONNELL: I want to get your reaction to something that Senator Schumer said today about possibly passing a short-term, a bill to fund the government for a week or 10 days. Let's listen to what the Senator said about that.
VIDEO OF REPORTER: Now that you've presented these issues directly to the President, would you propose or would you support a seven-to-10-day CR—
VIDEO OF LEADER SCHUMER: No.
VIDEO OF REPORTER: —so there's more time.
VIDEO OF LEADER SCHUMER: No. We have to do it now. It's—the time is a-wasting. We have to do it now. We've delayed and delayed and delayed. As I said, as Martin Luther King once said, later means never.
LAWRENCE O'DONNELL: Congressman Jeffries, we frequently see as these crises go on, that as we get to the midnight hour, someone comes up with a proposal of let's just keep the government running for a week. Something like that. And to hear Senator Schumer at this stage say absolutely no to that is a level of no that I've never heard before from Senator Schumer. Are you united on that? Is there no possibility of any short-term, get-them-through-the-week funding that you might agree on?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Leader Schumer was very strong in his opposition, and House Democrats strongly agree with that position. Republicans are trying to get away with this notion that they understand, or at least some of them, like Leader Thune, seems to understand, that something has to happen with respect to the Affordable Care Act tax credits, because tens of millions of Americans are about to experience dramatically increased healthcare costs in an environment, Lawrence, where we know Republicans promised to lower the high cost of living, they failed, and America's too expensive and we have to do something about it, particularly as it relates to these healthcare premiums. But we can't simply accept an IOU and believe that these people are going to act in good faith when the reality is, for the last 15 years, Republicans have put a target on the back of the Affordable Care Act. They've tried to repeal and displace millions of Americans. And so, if we're going to move forward, we need to move forward with the fierce urgency of now, get something done over the next day or so to ensure that the healthcare of the American people is protected.
LAWRENCE O'DONNELL: Mr. Leader, last question before you go. I know you have to go. It's a very busy night. How do you do it? How do you talk to that man? How can you possibly go back in any situation and talk to that man again after what he did tonight?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, it's completely unacceptable and un-American what happened. But we're in this fight until we win this fight on behalf of the American people.
LAWRENCE O'DONNELL: House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, thank you very much for joining us tonight.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Thank you, Lawrence.
Full interview can be watched here.