After midnight on Tuesday, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer blamed President Trump and Republicans for the federal government shutdown.
“After months of making life harder and more expensive, Donald Trump and Republicans have now shut down the federal government because they do not want to protect the healthcare of the American people,” said Jeffries and Schumer, both New York legislators.
“Democrats remain ready to find a bipartisan path forward to reopen the government in a way that lowers costs and addresses the Republican healthcare crisis,” they added. “But we need a credible partner.”
Jeffries and Schumer said that, over the last few days, “President Trump’s behavior has become more erratic and unhinged.
“Instead of negotiating a bipartisan agreement in good faith, he is obsessively posting crazed deepfake videos,” they said. “The country is in desperate need of an intervention to get out of another Trump shutdown.”
Earlier Tuesday night, Jeffries, who represents the 8th Congressional District in New York, encompassing parts of Brooklyn and Queens, appeared on MSNBC’s The Briefing with Jen Psaki and CNN’s NewsNight with Abby Phillip to emphasize that Democrats are fighting to protect the healthcare of the American people in the face of” a reckless Republican government shutdown.”
“Well, we’re here in the Capitol. And as Leader Schumer has said, as I’ve repeatedly said, as House Democrats continue to say, you know, we are ready, we’re willing, we’re able to sit down with anyone, any time, any place to arrive at a bipartisan spending agreement that actually meets the needs of the American people, avoids a shutdown and keeps the government open,” Jeffries told Psaki.
“But, at the same period of time, what we also have made clear is that we’re not going to support a partisan Republican spending bill that continues to gut the healthcare of the American people in the midst of a Republican healthcare crisis that is devastating to people all across the country,” he added.
“Republicans, as you pointed out, control the House, the Senate, and the presidency,” Jeffries added. “They have the ability to fund the government, but to the extent that they’re interested in Democratic support, then, of course, we want to make sure, as part of a bipartisan process, that we are looking out for the American people in rural America, in urban America, in small town America, in the heartland of America and in Black and brown communities all across America, collectively, all of whom have been devastated in different ways by the ongoing Republican assault on healthcare.”
Jeffries said Republicans no longer function in Congress as a separate and coequal branch of government.
“And the reality is, when Donald Trump says jump, the Republicans say how high. And they’ve served as nothing more than a reckless rubber stamp for Donald Trump’s extreme agenda throughout the year,” he said. “So, the reality is Donald Trump’s gonna shut the government down. Republicans are going to acquiesce to that, which is why House Republicans aren’t even in town, if you can believe it. House Democrats are here on duty.
“Republicans remain on vacation,” he added. “And so, this is gonna have to come down to, eventually, the Trump administration recognizing that their own shutdown is going to be a consequence that will hurt them with the American people, who are smart enough to know Donald Trump and the Republicans are causing it. Come to the table so we can work something out that also includes protecting the healthcare of the American people.”
With Phillip, Jeffries said, “Republicans have basically demonstrated zero interest in trying to work out any differences from a policy perspective that we may have, because at the end of the day, they want to shut the government down as they’ve done repeatedly over the last several decades.
“And what we’ve seen with respect to Republicans over the last 15 years is a consistent effort to try to blow up the Affordable Care Act and hurt millions of Americans who rely upon that enlightened piece of legislation in order to provide healthcare for themselves and for their families,” he said.
“Over the next few days, more than 20 million Americans are gonna experience notices that will indicate that their premiums, co-pays, and deductibles are about to skyrocket, in some instances, by thousands of dollars a year,” he warned. “People are gonna face medical bankruptcy. People will be unable to provide healthcare for themselves and for their families. And all of this is on top of the fact that Republicans passed their One Big Ugly Bill, which is now law, including the most significant cut to Medicaid in American history. Hospitals, nursing homes, and community-based health clinics all across America are closing. They’re triggering a possible $536 billion cut to Medicare at the end of the year because of that One Big Ugly Bill, if Congress does not act.
“But Republicans have been lecturing America all year that they control the government and that they’re jamming their policy preferences down the throats of the American people. So how is it the case that at this particular moment in time, they’re suddenly at the mercy of Democrats who are in the minority in the House or in the Senate when Donald Trump has consistently behaved like he’s all-powerful, including in the things that he continues to try to do today with respect to the US military,” Jeffries added.
“All we’re saying is that we need to have a conversation in good faith that’s authentic, sitting down with legislative leaders on the other side of the aisle in the White House to both fund the government in a way that meets the needs of the American people, but at the same time, doesn’t continue this effort by Republicans to gut the healthcare of everyday Americans, particularly given the fact that the Affordable Care Act tax credits, which benefit millions of working-class Americans, are about to expire, and Republicans have shown no interest in dealing with that critically important issue.”
Before his television appearances, Jeffries spoke at the Healthcare over Billionaires Rally at the Capitol, where he made clear that House Democrats will continue to stand up on behalf of the health, safety, and well-being of the American people and fight back against the extreme MAGA Republican assault on healthcare.
“We’re here because we understand this is an important fight, an important fight to win,” Jeffries told the crowd. “We’re prepared at all times to try to find a bipartisan path forward to fund the government, but it has to be funded in a manner consistent with our values and in a manner that lifts up the quality of life of the American people, that doesn’t hurt everyday Americans.
“So, our position has been clear. We will not support a partisan Republican spending bill that continues to gut the healthcare of the American people. Not now, not ever,” he said.
Jeffries noted that he and Schumer met in the Oval Office on Monday with the President and Republican leadership.
“In that meeting, it was extraordinary, some of the Republican leaders said healthcare is extraneous,” he said. “We said, no, healthcare is not extraneous. Healthcare is central to the quality of life of the American people, and that’s why we’re fighting.
“Now, after that meeting, Donald Trump posted this AI video featuring myself and Chuck Schumer. It was a fake video. It was a disgusting video. It was a racist video. It was unbecoming of anyone purporting to be the President of the United States of America. But y’all, I ain’t scared. I’m from Brooklyn. We get down like Shirley Chisholm, unbought and unbossed at all times,“ Jeffries declared.
“So, Mr. President, allow me to reintroduce myself. I’m the House Democratic Leader,“ Jeffries added. “The House Democratic Caucus is 217 Members strong. We’re part of a separate and coequal branch of government. That means we don’t work for Donald Trump. We don’t work for JD Vance. We don’t work for billionaire donors. We work for all of you, the American people.
“And that’s why we’re here together. House Democrats, Senate Democrats, standing together with all of you,“ Jeffries continued. “Your values are our values, and our values are your values. And together, we’re fighting to cancel the cuts, lower the cost, and save healthcare.
“We’re fighting together for your Medicaid. Are we fighting for your Medicaid? We’re fighting together for your Medicaid. We’re fighting together for the Affordable Care Act. We’re fighting to protect your hospitals. We are fighting to protect our nursing homes. We’re fighting to protect our community-based health clinics. And we’re fighting for the principle that in America, the wealthiest country in the history of the world, healthcare can’t simply be a privilege for the wealthy, the well-off, and the well-connected. We’re fighting for the principle that in this country, healthcare must be a right available to every single American at all times,“ he said.
