LEADER JEFFRIES: "REPUBLICANS HAVE SHUT THE GOVERNMENT DOWN BECAUSE OF THEIR UNWILLINGNESS TO PROVIDE HEALTHCARE TO EVERYDAY AMERICANS"
Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries held a press conference where he emphasized that while Republicans remain on vacation after shutting the government down and taking away healthcare from millions of Americans, Democrats are ready to negotiate a bipartisan spending bill to reopen the government.
LEADER JEFFRIES: It's day 14 of the Trump-Republican shutdown. House Democrats and Senate Democrats remain committed to finding a bipartisan path forward to reopen the government, enact a spending agreement that actually meets the needs of the American people and addresses the Republican healthcare crisis. The American people know that Republicans have shut the government down because of their unwillingness to provide healthcare to everyday Americans, working-class Americans and middle-class Americans. The Republicans have created a healthcare crisis that is devastating people all across the country—working-class America, rural America, urban America, small-town America, the heartland of America and Black and brown communities all throughout America.
That Republican healthcare crisis includes, but is not limited to, the largest cut to Medicaid in American history. Hospitals, nursing homes and community-based health centers closing all throughout the country because of what Republicans did in their One Big Ugly Bill. The country faces a possible $536 billion cut to Medicare if Congress doesn't act by the end of this year. The Republicans continue to refuse to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, which is going to result in tens of millions of Americans experiencing dramatically increased premiums, co-pays and deductibles all across the country, including most significantly in states that Donald Trump won. And Republicans could care less. House Republicans canceled votes two weeks ago, canceled votes last week, canceled votes this week. House Republicans are on vacation. House Democrats are on duty here in Washington, DC ready to reopen the government, ready to support our troops and hardworking federal civil servants and ready to address the Republican healthcare crisis that is crushing people all across the country in an environment where the cost of living is already too high because of failed Republican policies like the Trump tariffs.
Full press conference can be watched here.