LEADER JEFFRIES ON MSNBC'S THE WEEKNIGHT: "THEY'D RATHER SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT THAN ACTUALLY PROVIDE HEALTHCARE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE"
Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on MSNBC's The Weeknight, where he highlighted that Republicans remain on vacation, unwilling to reopen the government, while Democrats remain on duty, ready to end the Republican healthcare crisis and the reckless Republican-caused government shutdown.
MICHAEL STEELE: Okay, well let's find out because joining us now, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
SYMONE SANDERS-TOWNSEND: Leader Jeffries, thank you for being with us tonight. That sound was a little earlier. Most recently, within the last hour, the President posted on his social media site saying, I'm happy to work with the Democrats on their failed healthcare policies or anything else, but first they must allow our government to reopen. In fact, they should open our government tonight. I guess very plainly sir, do you have the President's number? Are you going to call him? How does this get resolved? And if not, then can the President—can the government reopen without the President negotiating with and speaking to Democrats?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, good evening. Great to be with you all. We've made clear that we will sit down with anyone, any time, any place either here at the Capitol or back in the Oval Office, to reopen the government, to enact a spending bill that actually makes life better for the American people as opposed to hurting them and that addresses the Republican healthcare crisis. At the same time, we've also made clear that we will not support a partisan Republican spending bill that continues to gut the healthcare of everyday Americans. And Senate Democrats, once again for the fifth time, demonstrated that today we're in lockstep in defense of protecting the healthcare of the American people and actually trying to reach an agreement that is designed to lift people up, to address the cost of living crisis that exists in the United States of America, as opposed to continuing these failed Republican policies that are jamming up working-class Americans all across the country.
ALICIA MENENDEZ: So when the President says he's talking to Democrats, who's he talking to?
LEADER JEFFRIES: That's a really good question. I asked that question myself when I heard the comments because he certainly is not talking to members of House Democratic leadership. I spoke to Leader Schumer earlier today. There's no communication between the White House and Senate leadership either. In fact, what we've seen is that Republicans have basically gone radio silent since the Oval Office meeting last Monday. And here in the House, where I'm present, Democrats are on duty, Republicans remain on vacation. It's extraordinary that for the second consecutive week, they've canceled votes because they'd rather shut down the government than actually provide healthcare to the American people.
MICHAEL STEELE: Mr. Leader, you know, I'll just say the quiet part out loud. He's not talking to anybody. Those are just words, because Republicans aren't going to move unless he says so on these issues. That's why the Capitol is locked. It was locked last week. It is locked tonight. And the reality is, you've offered an opportunity to have a conversation. You say, hey, okay, let's debate what this is. Let's debate the healthcare challenges that we have. I want you to listen, if you could, to Mr. Johnson's response to your challenge to a House Floor debate.
VIDEO OF SPEAKER JOHNSON: When the poll says that that about 13 percent of the people approve of your messaging, then you make desperate pleas for attention and that's what Hakeem Jeffries has done. We passed the bill in bipartisan fashion and sent it over to the Senate. The House has done its job. I'm not going to let Hakeem try to pretend for these theatrics. I mean, this is a Chuck Schumer decision. The ball is in the Senate's court now. The House has done this. We don't need to waste time on that nonsense. Those debates have been had. A colleague's a friend—I mean, Hakeem is a friend and a colleague. I respect him, but we all know what he's trying to do there.
MICHAEL STEELE: So, sir, friendship and all that aside, the reality of it is the polls say 43 percent of the American people blame Mr. Speaker Johnson and the Republican Party. So you may say 13 percent don't like what you said, all right, or whatever. The reality of it is, he locked the door for a reason, and he's kept the doors locked for a reason. So with that as the backdrop to all of this, what's your message to the American people tonight as you're standing locked out of the Congress, unable to do the people's business for over a week now. And you have this sort of, you know, diatribe of noise from Republicans about how the Democrats, you know, want to give free healthcare to illegal immigrants when we know that's not true because that's not what the law will allow. And people are trying to figure out what they're going to do because, hey, next week is payday.
LEADER JEFFRIES: That's right.
MICHAEL STEELE: And there's no check coming.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, fighting to lower the high cost of living and trying to protect the healthcare of the American people, that's not theatrics. That's actually what we should be doing as Members of Congress to make life better for everyday Americans, as opposed to continuing these failed Republican policies and trying to gut the healthcare of the American people. I'm not sure what Mike Johnson was talking about, and it's not clear that he knew what he was talking about in terms of what he was saying at that particular point in time. The Republicans have enacted the largest cut to Medicaid in American history. Hospitals, nursing homes, and community-based health clinics all across the country, including in Louisiana and in rural parts of the country, are shutting down because of what Republicans have done in their One Big Ugly Bill. We know that as a result of their refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, we've got tens of millions of Americans who are facing dramatically increased premiums, co-pays and deductibles, including, in some places, a married couple that makes about $88,000 a year, currently pays about $8,000 per year in health insurance. By the way, that's already too high. But as a result of Republican refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, their health insurance could triple to $24,000 a year. That's unconscionable here in the wealthiest country in the history of the world. Those aren't theatrics. Those are real issues. And Democrats in the House and Democrats in the Senate are continuing to hold the line.
SYMONE SANDERS-TOWNSEND: So, Leader Jeffries, just to be clear, you have not spoken to Speaker Johnson about trying to negotiate about ending the shutdown. He has not come to you and has not answered any of your outreach?
LEADER JEFFRIES: No. I mean, what we're experiencing, absolutely, we have not heard from Mike Johnson. I don't think Leader Schumer has heard from Mike Johnson or from John Thune. I certainly haven't heard from John Thune. And we've heard nothing from the White House over the last week. Instead, what's we've seen is the classic definition of legislative insanity, doing the same thing over and over and over again by continuing to re-up their partisan Republican spending bill that continues to be defeated and expecting that there are going to be different results. This has now gone on, actually, for 18 days, making clear to us as Democrats that Republicans actually want to shut the government down. And this is their shutdown. They control the House, the Senate and the presidency.
SYMONE SANDERS-TOWNSEND: So then, Leader Jeffries, I have to ask them, what is the next move, then, for Democrats? If Republicans continue to not want to negotiate with you, if they are not answering the outreach, if you will, not taking you up on the debate, what then any leverage do Democrats have? Can you all try to force procedural votes on the Floor if they ever open—if they ever, you know, gavel back in? What's the next move?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, public sentiment is everything, and the voices of the American people. We continue to hold events here in Washington. We'll be holding events all across the country. And we know that millions of people over the next few days and next few weeks are going to receive notices from their insurance companies indicating that because of Republican inaction, their premiums, co-pays and deductibles are about to skyrocket. This is not a manufactured issue. It's a Republican healthcare crisis that is unfolding in real time and I don't believe the American people are going to stand for it and they know that Democrats are standing on their side.
ALICIA MENENDEZ: Just to ask this question a slightly different way, you've got Johnson and Thune and Trump effectively saying to you, listen, pass it clean and we can negotiate all this out before the end of the year. Is there anything they could do, any guarantee they could give you that would make you comfortable with that negotiation?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Here's the thing, they continue to claim that there's no urgency to dealing with this Affordable Care Act tax credit issue. But the reality is open enrollment starts on November 1, notices are going out right now. And by the way, this is the same group of people who enacted massive tax breaks for their billionaire donors related to tax legislation that was going to expire at the end of this year. And somehow they spent six months getting this done with urgency because they wanted to stand up for the wealthy, the well-off and the well-connected, and they made those tax breaks for their billionaire donors permanent. And now they want to lecture America and say there's still time to be able to deal with an issue related to the Affordable Care Act tax credits that actually relates to working-class Americans, middle-class Americans and everyday Americans. It's crazy to me that they think they can get away with making that argument. The time is now to do what is right for the American people. And I guess the question is, is Donald Trump serious when he suggests that if the vote went down today, as it did, it failed again, fifth time, Senate Democrats continuing to hold the line, that he's going to extend a line of communication to Democrats on Capitol Hill to try to get some resolution. And we're willing to do that in good faith. We just need partners on the other side of the aisle. They need to get serious.
MICHAEL STEELE: Leader, before we let you go, just real quick, have you heard any word about federal employees being discharged, either being furloughed or, you know, fired directly at this point? What's the status there for those federal employees who still have jobs?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, we remain in close communication with federal employees all across the country. We support them. We're appreciative of them and their resolve. They've had to endure, you know, unspeakable extremism since January 20. Mass firings have been taking place since January 20. The administration has had it out for federal civil servants since January 20 and we're going to continue to stand by them, lift them up, support them and together we'll get through this Trump-Republican government shutdown.
SYMONE SANDERS-TOWNSEND: Leader Jeffries, last question for you. I know you were asked in your presser you did earlier today about endorsing Zohran Mamdani, who is the Democratic nominee. The election is on the first Tuesday in November. Are you gonna vote for him, at least?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, I think what I've said when Eric Adams dropped out of the race and made very clear that I'm going to address the mayor's race well in advance of early voting, which takes place at the end of this month. I'll certainly have more to say on this issue, understand that it's important. I am working through this government shutdown situation and the need to stand up for the healthcare of the American people. But New York City is my home. I love the City of New York. The mayor's race is important and I look forward to speaking to it decisively.
ALICIA MENENDEZ: Alright, multiple countdowns for the Leader. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, thank you so much, sir.
Full interview can be watched here.