Chuck Schumer (00:19):
Okay, well, we met with the president for the first time since all of these issues started, even though we have requested repeated meetings with Leader Thune, speaker Johnson, and the President. We have very large differences on healthcare and on their ability to undo whatever budget we agree to through rescissions and through impoundment as well as pocket rescissions. And, I think for the first time, the president heard our objections and heard why we needed a bipartisan bill. Their bill has not one iota of Democratic input. That is never how we've done this before. When I was leader, we negotiated four times with Republicans, and we never had a shutdown. And so, it's up to the Republicans whether they want to shut down or not. We've made to the president some proposals. Our Republican leaders will have to talk to them about them. But ultimately, he's the decision maker, and if he will accept some of the things we asked, which we think the American people are for, on healthcare and on rescissions, he can avoid a shutdown. But there are still large differences between us.
Hakeem Jeffries (01:42):
It was a frank and direct discussion with the President of the United States and Republican leaders, but significant and meaningful differences remain. Democrats are fighting to protect the healthcare of the American people, and we are not going to support a partisan Republican spending bill that continues to gut the healthcare of everyday Americans. Period, full stop.
(02:10)
There's a Republican-caused healthcare crisis that is causing hospitals and nursing homes and community-based health clinics all across the country, in rural America, urban America, small town America, the heartland of America, in black and brown communities throughout this country, and that crisis is happening right now, and that's why we believe there is urgency to both keeping the government open, reaching a bipartisan spending agreement that actually meets the needs of the American people in terms of their health, their safety, their economic well-being, and quality of life, while also addressing the dangerous Republican healthcare crisis.
Chuck Schumer (02:51):
We laid out to the President some of the consequences of what's happening in healthcare. And, by his face, and by the way he looked, I think he heard about them for the first time. The closing of rural hospitals. The fact that so many clinics are closing, and I don't know if he knew this before, but the fact that people will pay $4,000 more a year, $400 more a month, close to $5,000 more a year on their healthcare premiums if we don't do anything, and people don't know what to do. The average working family can't afford that.
(03:25)
I told him how I met a mother who was crying to me because her daughter had cancer, and what has happened with healthcare, with what they have done, she's going to watch her daughter suffer and maybe die. And so, he seemed to, for the first time, understand the magnitude of this crisis, and we hope he'll talk to the Republican leaders and tell them we need bipartisan input on healthcare, on rescissions into their bill.
(03:55)
Their bill does not have a… They never talked to us. Thune didn't negotiate with me. Johnson didn't negotiate with Hakeem. And, on the key issues, the appropriations committee, which has talked about three of the smaller bills, they're good bills, they said, The appropriators couldn't agree and said, "Kick it up to the four leaders." They still haven't talked.
Hakeem Jeffries (04:16):
And let me say, we're deadly serious about addressing the Republican caused healthcare crisis because it's a deadly, serious issue for the American people. Largest cut to Medicaid in American history. Hospitals, nursing homes, and community-based health clinics closing right now. The fact that more than 20 million Americans are on the brink of experiencing dramatically increased premiums, co-pays, and deductibles because of the Republican refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, which benefit working-class Americans. And we pointed that out. I pointed that out. Working-class Americans, their healthcare, that's what we're fighting to preserve, to defend, and to strengthen.
Chuck Schumer (05:01):
Thank you.
Hakeem Jeffries (05:03):
Questions? Yeah, we're-
Audience (05:04):
Camera.
Chuck Schumer (05:04):
Yeah, we're… Do you want to take questions or not?
Hakeem Jeffries (05:04):
No.
Chuck Schumer (05:04):
No.
Hakeem Jeffries (05:04):
Yeah.
Chuck Schumer (05:04):
Okay, thank you everybody.
Audience (05:09):
Was the president receptive?
(05:09)
Government shutdown?
(05:09)
Was there any mention of a shorter CR?
(05:10)
Did you go to Plan B?
(05:11)
Is the government going to shut down?