House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is accusing U.S. Speaker Mike Johnson of blocking a White House proposal aimed at extending Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies for two more years — a move the administration hoped would prevent major premium hikes for millions of Americans.
Jeffries said the Trump administration appeared ready to advance a plan worth considering, but claimed Speaker Johnson “tanked it” as Congress races against a fast-approaching deadline.
This latest clash adds pressure to ongoing negotiations in Washington, with ACA funding and looming premium increases now at the center of a political standoff.
#Jeffries #MikeJohnson #ACA #Obamacare #USPolitics #Congress #BreakingNews #WashingtonDC #HealthCarePolicy #APT
Jeffries said the Trump administration appeared ready to advance a plan worth considering, but claimed Speaker Johnson “tanked it” as Congress races against a fast-approaching deadline.
This latest clash adds pressure to ongoing negotiations in Washington, with ACA funding and looming premium increases now at the center of a political standoff.
#Jeffries #MikeJohnson #ACA #Obamacare #USPolitics #Congress #BreakingNews #WashingtonDC #HealthCarePolicy #APT
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NewsTranscript
00:00Good afternoon everyone. The clock is ticking on the expiration of the
00:07Affordable Care Act tax credits in just 30 days. Tens of millions of Americans
00:15are about to experience dramatically increased health care costs because of
00:20the Republican refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. From the
00:26very beginning of this presidency, Republican control of the House and the
00:33Senate, as well as the administration, has been a disaster for the American people.
00:40These extremists promised all last year that costs were going to go down on day
00:45one. Costs haven't gone down in America, costs have gone up. The Trump tariffs are
00:51increasing expenses on everyday Americans by thousands of dollars per year.
00:58Housing costs are out of control. Grocery costs are out of control. Child care
01:04costs are out of control. Electricity bills are through the roof and now
01:10Republicans refuse to do a thing to prevent health care costs from
01:18dramatically increasing in a way that will deprive tens of millions of Americans
01:25of the ability to go see a doctor when they need one. Republicans have done
01:33nothing over the last several months to address the health care crisis that they
01:41have created. And they continue to refuse to take yes for an answer. Democrats have an active
01:50discharge petition. And all we need are a handful of House Republicans to join us. And we can
01:59trigger an up or down vote on a three-year extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits to save
02:05the health care of the American people in every single state in this country. And protect the health
02:14care of people who these so-called Republican members allegedly represent, but who have failed to do a
02:24single thing to make their life better. Questions?
02:30Leader Jeffries, your Senate Democrat colleagues, they've previously expressed
02:35openness to reforming the credits, working through differences. Why propose a
02:41three-year clean extension?
02:43Time has run out on Republican inaction. They have done nothing over the last 60 days but stumble, fumble, and bumble as it
02:55relates to addressing the health care crisis that they've created. Understand that this year,
03:04House Republicans enacted the largest cut to Medicaid in American history. These extremists
03:11have thrown 14 million people off of Medicaid. At the same period of time, hospitals, nursing homes,
03:20and community-based health centers are closing all throughout the country, including in rural
03:25America, because of what Republicans have done in their one big ugly bill. They've launched an
03:31unprecedented assault on the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institute of Health,
03:39jeopardizing the well-being of the American people. Vaccines are increasingly unavailable in the United States of
03:48America. Children are getting sick unnecessarily all across the country. And now on top of all of that, that parade of horribles,
03:59Republicans refuse to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, which are going to expire this month. Time has run out on
04:11on Republicans playing partisan games. We have a discharge petition that if it received an up or down vote in the
04:22House of Representatives, we are confident we'll pass. But obviously, Mike Johnson has zero interest in protecting the
04:32health care of the American people. Instead, these extremists are gutting the health care of the people
04:37that they represent, including in the state of Louisiana.
04:43Senator Jefferson
04:45Senator Jefferson
04:46Senate Democrats next week will be able to put up a vote for the ACA subsidies. Do you think there's any plan
04:51that Republicans would actually get on board with to have a bipartisan bill? And if not, what should Democrats put
04:57put up on the floor in the Senate. There are Republicans in the House and the Senate
05:01who, during the Trump
05:05Republican shutdown, consistently said
05:08that once the shutdown ends that they
05:13caused, that they'd be willing to address
05:17the health care crisis that they've created.
05:20Most immediately, by extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits.
05:24Now, we had nothing but crickets from them.
05:30It even appears that
05:32the Trump administration was ready to put forth a plan
05:35that would at least have been worthy of consideration and that Mike Johnson
05:40tanked it. So now, Mike Johnson wants to act
05:44like he's the Speaker of the House? Really? When it comes to
05:48the health care of the American people and possibly doing
05:52something bipartisan, he wants to act like he's in control
05:55when the reality is he's done
05:58nothing
05:59but bend the knee to Donald Trump
06:02since January 20th?
06:05I mean, House Republicans have been
06:06nothing but a rubber stamp
06:07for Donald Trump's extreme agenda
06:10since January 20th.
06:13And when it appears that
06:14Donald Trump actually might be willing
06:16to enter into a good-faith bipartisan negotiation
06:20to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits,
06:23House Republicans detonate the agreement.
06:25These people aren't serious about anything
06:27other than providing massive tax breaks
06:31to their billionaire donors.
06:34That's not a hypothetical statement.
06:38That's not hype.
06:39That's not hyperbole.
06:41It happened.
06:43They enacted the largest cut to Medicaid
06:46in American history.
06:48They ripped food out of the mouths of hungry children
06:50and seniors and veterans
06:52this year
06:53in their one big ugly bill.
06:56$186 billion cut to SNAP.
06:58And why did they do all of that?
07:01So they could reward their billionaire donors
07:03with massive tax breaks.
07:05And so, the extremists
07:07are just showing the American people
07:10who they are.
07:14And as a result,
07:16the only viable path forward,
07:18it appears,
07:19in the House and in the Senate,
07:22is a straight extension
07:24of the Affordable Care Act tax credits.
07:27Let's see what
07:27Senate Democrats put on the floor
07:30next week,
07:32and we'll continue to press our case
07:34on our side of the Capitol.
07:37Thank you,
07:38Leader Deputy.
07:39Sorry, thanks.
07:40I just wanted to ask
07:41if there's been any kind of formal
07:42or informal back-channeling
07:44with Republicans
07:45who might be supportive
07:46of the discharge petition
07:47going on at all?
07:49Well,
07:50you had 13 Republicans
07:51a few weeks ago
07:53indicate
07:53in a letter
07:55that they wrote
07:55to Deputy Speaker Mike Johnson
07:57that as soon
07:58as their shutdown was over,
08:00they wanted to address
08:01the Affordable Care Act tax credits.
08:04But now,
08:05it's nothing but silence
08:06from these people
08:07because they're not serious
08:11about helping
08:12the American people,
08:14the hard-working American taxpayers
08:16that they purport to represent.
08:19This has become
08:20painfully obvious
08:22to the American people,
08:23which is why Republicans
08:24are getting wiped out
08:25electorally
08:26all across the country,
08:28as we saw last month.
08:30literally
08:31in every single state
08:32in the Union.
08:35Destroyed
08:35up and down
08:37the ballot
08:37across the country.
08:40Statewide races
08:41to local races
08:42and everything in between.
08:45The American people
08:45are done with these people.
08:47They've been a disaster.
08:48They lied about
08:49fighting the low
08:51at a high cost of living.
08:52Instead,
08:53they've just jammed
08:54their extreme
08:55right-wing policies
08:56down the throats
08:57of the American people
08:58who are being hurt
08:59as a result.
09:03And,
09:03you know,
09:05our view
09:05about the situation,
09:07as we've repeatedly said,
09:10is that we're open
09:10to finding
09:11a bipartisan path forward.
09:13But the extremists
09:14continue to refuse
09:15to take yes
09:16for an answer.
09:16They had an opportunity
09:19to accept
09:21a very reasonable
09:22proposal
09:23that Leader Schumer
09:24put on the table
09:25a few weeks ago.
09:27Which was
09:28a straight
09:29one-year extension
09:31of the Affordable Care Act
09:33tax credits
09:33and then a bipartisan
09:35commission
09:36to discuss
09:37improvements
09:39to the health care
09:40of the American people
09:41over a multi-year
09:43period of time.
09:45What was objectionable
09:45about that?
09:48But Republican
09:49extremists
09:50rejected it
09:50because they have
09:51no interest
09:52in doing anything
09:53to make life better
09:54for working-class Americans,
09:56everyday Americans,
09:57and hard-working
09:58American taxpayers.
09:59And that's a shame.
10:03Thank you,
10:03Mr. Weaver.
10:04On the discharge petition,
10:06is it your expectation
10:07that all
10:08House Democrats
10:08will sign
10:09as of today,
10:10I believe,
10:10212 of 213
10:11have signed?
10:12Is it your expectation
10:13that all
10:13members of your caucus
10:15will sign it?
10:16And following up
10:18on the question
10:19about back-channel
10:20conversations,
10:21is it your position
10:23that the fact
10:25that the subsidies
10:26expire in 30 days,
10:27the urgency
10:28that you say
10:29the moment requires,
10:31is that enough
10:32for Republicans
10:33to sign on?
10:35Or will it require
10:36some proactive
10:36conversations
10:38on the part
10:38of House Democrats
10:39to get them
10:40to break ranks
10:41with leadership
10:42and sign on
10:42to this effort?
10:44Well,
10:44there certainly
10:44haven't been
10:45any leadership
10:45conversations
10:46because Mike Johnson
10:47has zero interest
10:48in protecting
10:49the health care
10:49of the American people,
10:50and he's repeatedly
10:51made that clear.
10:53Now,
10:53in terms of
10:54whether there are
10:55conversations
10:56member-to-member
10:57between the House
10:59Democratic Caucus
11:00and members
11:01of the House
11:02Republican Conference,
11:03there certainly
11:03have been some
11:04informal conversations
11:05led by folks
11:07like Tom Swasey,
11:08who has floated
11:09a two-year
11:10proposal
11:11with some
11:12modest reforms
11:13that we'd have
11:15to take a look at,
11:17but there's no
11:18indication
11:19that even
11:21that proposal
11:22has support
11:23from House
11:24Republican leadership.
11:26These people
11:28have zero interest
11:29in making life
11:30better
11:31for everyday
11:32Americans,
11:33and they repeatedly
11:35make that clear.
11:36They're in
11:37the face
11:38of the American
11:38people about it.
11:40Meanwhile,
11:41you got Donald Trump
11:42issuing reckless
11:43pardons,
11:44destroying
11:44half of the
11:45White House,
11:46bailing out
11:47Argentina,
11:49posting erratically
11:51on Thanksgiving,
11:54like this guy
11:55can't even give us
11:55a break
11:56on Thanksgiving
11:57when we're
11:59with our families.
12:01And the American
12:02people have had
12:02enough
12:03of it.
12:04These people
12:05have gone way
12:05too far
12:06they've broken
12:07every single
12:08promise
12:08that they've
12:10had.
12:11And so
12:12I guess we
12:14can always
12:14hope that there
12:16are a handful
12:16of Republicans
12:17who actually
12:18do what they
12:19said that they
12:20would do
12:21once their
12:22shutdown ended,
12:23which is to work
12:24with Democrats
12:24to find a path
12:25forward.
12:26But that path
12:26right now
12:27is an extension
12:28of the Affordable
12:30Care Act tax credits.
12:31I think our
12:32discharge petition
12:33in record time
12:34is now up to
12:35about 2-12,
12:362-13.
12:36It is my
12:37expectation
12:38that we will
12:39have complete
12:40and total
12:41unity amongst
12:42House Democrats.
12:42Thanks.
12:44Thanks,
12:45Mr. Leader.
12:47You just
12:47mentioned how
12:48Republicans are
12:48getting wiped
12:49out across the
12:49country.
12:50You've seen
12:50that in past
12:51elections.
12:51What's your
12:52expectation
12:52tomorrow in
12:53Tennessee?
12:54Do you think
12:54that the
12:54Democrat there
12:55could potentially
12:56pull it off
12:57given the
12:58polling that
12:58we have seen
12:59in recent weeks?
13:00It seems to me
13:00that it's going
13:01to be an
13:01unexpectedly
13:02closed election,
13:03a single-digit
13:04election.
13:04That's shocking.
13:07In deep
13:08red Tennessee,
13:11Mark Green's
13:13district.
13:15By the way,
13:16this is a
13:16district,
13:17literally,
13:18that Donald
13:19Trump just
13:20won by 22
13:23points last
13:25November.
13:27this is not
13:28a district
13:29that anyone
13:31believes
13:31should be
13:33competitive.
13:34No rational
13:36person believes
13:36this district
13:37should be
13:37competitive.
13:39And yet,
13:40it's apparently
13:41very competitive.
13:44It's going to
13:45be a much
13:45closer than
13:46expected race.
13:47Republicans
13:47have already
13:48lost the
13:50fact that they
13:50are spending
13:51millions of
13:52dollars to
13:53hold a seat
13:54that Donald
13:55Trump just
13:55won by
13:5722 points
13:57is extraordinary
13:58and more
13:59evidence that
14:02Republican
14:02extremists are
14:03completely and
14:04totally on the
14:05run because they
14:06have failed the
14:07American people.
14:08And it's Democrats
14:09who are making the
14:11case all over the
14:11country that we
14:13are actually the
14:14ones fighting to
14:15lower the high cost
14:16of living,
14:17fighting to fix our
14:18broken health care
14:19system, and fighting
14:20to clean up the type
14:21corruption that has
14:24the American people
14:24disgusted.
14:27What I don't
14:27understand is that
14:29Republicans keep
14:31doubling and
14:32tripling down on
14:32their extremism, and
14:34it ain't working.
14:35They are losing
14:36all over the place.
14:39Donald Trump's
14:39approval rating in
14:42the most recent
14:42Gallup poll is
14:4336%.
14:4560% of the
14:46American people
14:46disapprove of this
14:49guy.
14:50He's a disaster.
14:53And now the
14:55president and Mike
14:56Johnson are holding
14:57a rally tonight in
14:59Mark Green's
15:00district that Trump
15:03just won by 22
15:04points because they're
15:05scared to death
15:06about what could
15:09happen.
15:10If these people,
15:11these extremists,
15:12were actually
15:12rational, instead
15:15of doubling and
15:16tripling down on
15:16their extremism,
15:17continuing to lie
15:18to the American
15:19people, why
15:21don't they just
15:22change direction
15:23and actually
15:25partner with
15:26Democrats to
15:28solve problems on
15:29behalf of the
15:30American people?
15:31When the
15:32Congress convened
15:35at the start of
15:36the year, we
15:37made very clear
15:38we'll work with
15:40anyone, anytime,
15:41anyplace, new
15:42administration,
15:43other side of
15:44the aisle to
15:46make life better
15:47for the American
15:49people.
15:49But Republicans
15:50have refused.
15:51They've gone down
15:52this my way or
15:53the highway approach.
15:56And we basically
15:57we're not down
15:59with that because
16:00we're not going to
16:01go along to get
16:02along when their
16:03policies are hurting
16:05the American
16:06people.
16:09Leader, I wanted
16:09to talk to you a
16:10little bit about
16:10Trump's immigration
16:12plan to ban
16:13third world
16:13citizens.
16:16I mean, a lot of
16:17them are trying to
16:18come here to be
16:19able to make a
16:19better life and
16:20have your thoughts
16:21on that, sir.
16:22Yeah, our view is
16:23that, one, of
16:25course, we
16:26support the
16:26notion of
16:28having strong
16:29border security.
16:31No one ever
16:31disputes that.
16:34We have a broken
16:35immigration system.
16:36We need to fix it.
16:37But it should be
16:37fixed in a
16:39comprehensive and
16:40bipartisan way.
16:42But at the same
16:42period of time, we
16:44are going to
16:45stand up for
16:46law-abiding
16:48immigrant families
16:49families and
16:50communities who
16:50have been under
16:51assault by Donald
16:53Trump and the
16:55so-called
16:55Secretary of
16:57Homeland Security.
16:58They're a
16:59disgrace.
17:00We're going to
17:01stand up for
17:01dreamers.
17:02We're going to
17:02stand up for
17:03farm workers and
17:04for farmers who
17:05have been crushed
17:06by Donald
17:07Trump's extreme
17:09policies.
17:10And in this
17:11country, it
17:11shouldn't be that
17:12complicated that we
17:14are both a nation
17:15anchored in the
17:16rule of law and a
17:17nation of
17:18immigrants.
17:18A gorgeous
17:18mosaic of
17:19people from
17:20all across the
17:20world.
17:22It's why we're
17:22the envy of the
17:23world because that
17:24is one of the
17:25ingredients in
17:26American
17:26exceptionalism.
17:28And the
17:29American people
17:29actually don't
17:30want us to
17:30lose it.
17:32Which is why
17:33even Donald
17:34Trump's
17:34immigration
17:35policies right
17:36now are
17:36deeply unpopular
17:38and underwater.
17:42Mr.
17:42The White
17:44House is
17:44denying that
17:45Secretary
17:46Hegseth had
17:47anything to
17:47do with the
17:47double-tap
17:48strikes on
17:49alleged
17:50Venezuelan
17:50drug votes
17:51in the
17:51Caribbean.
17:52A, do you
17:52believe that?
17:53And B, if he
17:55or any other
17:55administration
17:56officials are
17:56found to have
17:57been culpable
17:57for any war
17:58crimes, do you
17:59think that
17:59Democrats will
18:00take any sort
18:01of punitive
18:01legislative action
18:02against them?
18:03The White
18:04House is lying,
18:05but that's no
18:05surprise because
18:06they lie for a
18:08living and the
18:09American people
18:10know it.
18:11it's my
18:13understanding
18:13that Pete
18:14Hegseth, the
18:15so-called
18:15Secretary of
18:16Defense, was
18:16absolutely
18:17involved.
18:19I think he
18:19may have
18:19even recently
18:20acknowledged
18:21that because
18:21the facts
18:22are incapable
18:25of being
18:25disputed.
18:27And so the
18:28question in
18:28front of us,
18:29and I believe
18:30there will be
18:31bipartisan
18:32investigations in
18:33both the
18:33House and
18:35in the Senate
18:36in order to
18:38determine
18:39whether war
18:42crimes were
18:43committed and
18:45either U.S.
18:46law or
18:47international
18:47law or
18:48both were
18:50violated.
18:51It's already
18:52been crystal
18:53clear that
18:54Pete Hegseth
18:55is the most
18:56unqualified
18:57Secretary of
18:58Defense in
18:59American history.
19:00I called for
19:01him to be
19:01terminated months
19:03ago.
19:03When the
19:06Signalgate
19:07scandal first
19:07broke out,
19:09everybody on
19:09Capitol Hill
19:10knows he
19:11should have
19:11never been
19:12confirmed.
19:12It's a shame.
19:14It's because
19:14these Senate
19:15Republicans,
19:16just like
19:16House
19:16Republicans,
19:17are nothing
19:18more than
19:19puppets for
19:20Donald Trump's
19:21extreme policies.
19:22That's why
19:23they put
19:23Pete Hegseth
19:25into that
19:26position when
19:26they knew
19:27he was
19:27woefully
19:27unqualified.
19:29And now
19:29we have
19:30real evidence
19:31that extra
19:32judicial
19:33killing
19:33are taking
19:34place.
19:35That's the
19:36stain on
19:37America's
19:38leadership in
19:39the free
19:40world, which
19:41is why our
19:42international
19:42standing is
19:43plummeting.
19:45And of
19:45course, the
19:46standing of
19:47the Republican
19:48Party is a
19:49complete and
19:50total disaster
19:51here in the
19:52United States
19:52of America.
19:54Thank you,
19:55Leader Jeffries.
19:56Following up on
19:56immigration, one
19:57of the more
19:58controversial
19:59policies President
20:00Trump announced
20:00in recent days is
20:01his intent to
20:02potentially strip
20:04citizenship away
20:05from anybody he
20:06feels isn't a
20:07benefit to the
20:08United States.
20:08I'm just curious,
20:09what's your
20:09reaction to that?
20:10That was an
20:10unhinged statement
20:11by Donald Trump.
20:12He knows he
20:12doesn't have the
20:13capacity to strip
20:14citizenship away.
20:16He's behaving like
20:17a wannabe king,
20:18and the American
20:19people are
20:19rejecting that.
20:21Thanks.
20:22I think it was
20:23your last press
20:24conference you made
20:24mention of the
20:25need to clean up
20:26the ethics of
20:27Washington.
20:27Do you support
20:29the Chip Roy
20:30bipartisan bill,
20:31and do you have
20:32any evidence that
20:33a bill like that
20:34could actually make
20:36it this time after
20:37years of failure?
20:38Yeah, it's not
20:38clear to me that
20:40the legislation
20:42introduced by Chip
20:43Roy is actually
20:47going to make it
20:48out of the
20:50Republican-run
20:50committee, yet
20:52alone on the
20:53House floor,
20:53because Mike
20:54Johnson and
20:55Steve Scalise and
20:55Republicans oppose
20:57the legislation.
20:59These people have
21:00zero interest in
21:01cleaning up the
21:02corruption that is
21:03benefiting members
21:04of their party in
21:06real time.
21:07We know that's the
21:08case, because Donald
21:10Trump and his
21:10administration is the
21:11most corrupt
21:12administration in
21:13American history.
21:14It's not even
21:15close.
21:16Richard Nixon is
21:17way down in the
21:21distance.
21:22It's wild, the
21:24corruption that we're
21:25seeing in real time.
21:26And we don't hear a
21:28peep from Mike
21:29Johnson, Steve
21:30Scalise, or any of
21:31them about the
21:33corruption that's
21:34taking place in the
21:34administration, in the
21:35Supreme Court, or in
21:37the Congress.
21:39House Democrats have
21:40made clear, we
21:42overwhelmingly support a
21:44ban on congressional
21:46stock trading.
21:47And as soon as we can
21:51bring a bipartisan bill to
21:52the floor, and that may
21:54have to wait until we
21:57take the gavels back
21:58after November of
21:592026, we plan to do
22:01it.
22:02Thanks.
22:04Kevin?
22:04When it comes to the
22:06HECSF and the attacks in
22:09the Caribbean, you talked
22:12about the bipartisan
22:12approach here.
22:13Are you confident that
22:14the Republican-led
22:14committees are going to
22:15actually do a dutiful and
22:16complete review of this?
22:18And to what extent, given
22:20the nature and the control
22:22of the House right now,
22:23would impeachment even be
22:25an option?
22:26Well, Republicans will
22:27never allow articles of
22:28impeachment to be brought
22:29to the floor of the House
22:30of Representatives, and we
22:32know that's the case,
22:33because Donald Trump will
22:34order them not to do it.
22:37So what's on the table is a
22:39meaningful investigation,
22:40which we can hope would be
22:42bipartisan.
22:43I have full and complete
22:44trust in Adam Smith, the
22:47once and future chairman of
22:49the House Armed Services
22:50Committee.
22:52I can't speak to whether I've
22:55got any confidence as to
22:56what Republicans will do on
22:58the other side of the aisle.
23:00The one thing that should be
23:01clear, to all of these
23:03Republican extremists and
23:04sycophants and the people
23:05who are either actively
23:06involved in corruption,
23:08violating the law, engaged in
23:11extrajudicial activity, is
23:14that the statute of
23:14limitations for any crimes
23:16being committed now of five
23:17years, it will extend well
23:19beyond the end of the Trump
23:23administration.
23:25Thank you all.
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