Jeffries says GOP uninterested in negotiating because ‘they apparently wanted’ a shutdown

Geoff Bennett:

We're going to get two perspectives on all of this now, first from House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. I spoke with him earlier today.

Leader Jeffries, welcome back to the "News Hour."

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY):

Good evening. Great to be with you.

Geoff Bennett:

Understanding this remains a fluid situation, as we speak, a little after 4:00 p.m. Eastern, have there been any substantive conversations between Democrats and congressional Republican leadership or the White House since this shutdown started overnight?

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries:

Unfortunately, Donald Trump and Republicans have decided to shut the government down so they can continue to gut the health care of the American people.

And subsequent to that shutdown, there's been no communication from either the White House or from Republican leaders in the House and the Senate. Leader Schumer and I continue to make clear that we will sit down with anyone at any time and at any place to discuss reopening the government, making sure we enact a spending agreement that meets the needs of the American people, and, of course, addressing the Republican health care crisis.

Geoff Bennett:

The vice president, J.D. Vance, said today that the White House is willing to have a conversation about health care so long as the government is funded first.

What do you make of that? And how do you respond to the charge that Democrats are the ones making the demands here, so it's Democrats who are forcing this shutdown?

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries:

Republicans control the House, the Senate and the presidency. They spent all year lecturing the American people that they are dominant and have complete control of government.

So it is ludicrous to suggest that Democrats are actually the ones that have shut the government down, when the government is in Republican hands completely and in totality.

What we have said is that we will partner in a bipartisan way if Republicans are prepared to act in good faith to make sure we can arrive in an agreement that actually addresses the concerns and needs of the American people in terms of their health, public safety and their economic well-being in an environment where the cost of living is too high and Republicans have lowered costs on day one, as Donald Trump promised.

In fact, life is getting more expensive for the American people. And that's one of the reasons why we're fighting to renew the Affordable Care Act tax credits to prevent premiums, co-pays and deductibles from dramatically increasing for tens of millions of Americans.

Geoff Bennett:

The vice president also said today that Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi for years have made the point that you don't shut down the government over policy disagreements.

I have covered enough government shutdowns to know that he's not wrong about that. Why do Democrats see this moment differently?

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries:

Well, we haven't shut down the government. Republicans have shut down the government.

But, for months, we have indicated that there's a growing Republican health care crisis, which includes the largest cut to Medicaid in American history, the fact that hospitals, nursing homes and community-based health centers are closing all across the country, including in rural America, because of what Republicans did in their one big ugly bill.

They refuse to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, even though starting today notices are going out to tens of millions of Americans indicating that their health care costs, their health insurance costs are about to dramatically increase.

I think the difference of opinion that we have with the White House and the vice president — and we made this clear in the Oval Office meeting on Monday — is that the time is now to address the Republican health care crisis and to act in a way that is commensurate with the crisis that they have created with respect to the health care of everyday Americans.

Geoff Bennett:

When you say this is a Republican shutdown, historically, it's Democratic and Republican votes that are needed on spending resolutions to get them across the finish line.

How are you pinning this directly on Republicans, when it's Democrats who are withholding their votes on a clean resolution?

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries:

Well, Democrats actually are in the minority in the House and the Senate, and, of course, Donald Trump is the president.

And what Republicans have consistently done throughout their time in office, they passed this one big ugly bill on a party-line vote, used the reconciliation process to be able to accomplish their objectives, largest cut to Medicaid in American history, stealing food from the mouths of hungry children and seniors and veterans.

And all of this, of course, was done so they could reward their billionaire donors with massive tax breaks. If they found a way to do that and include more than $3 trillion in additional debt, potentially driving this country toward bankruptcy and certainly complicating the fiscal health of our country for decades to come, of course, they may be able to find a way with their complete control of government to reach a spending agreement.

But they're uninterested. They're uninterested.

Geoff Bennett:

The OMB director, Russ Vought, has raised the prospect of mass firings in the event of a shutdown. We're now in the shutdown. Have you heard anything more on that front? Do you view that as a real threat, or was that an initial scare tactic?

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries:

Seems to me that, in part, it was a scare tactic designed to try to intimidate Democrats in the House and the Senate. We, of course, will not be intimidated.

We know that this administration has engaged in mass firings from day one of his presidency. That's been happening since January 20. And so the notion that they're going to pretend to use a government shutdown as the reason for firing tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of hardworking public servants is belied by the fact that they have been doing it throughout the duration of the Trump presidency.

Geoff Bennett:

There are lots of Democrats who say they want their leaders to put up a fight, to show some spine. In this moment, what does that call to action mean to you? How are you interpreting that message from your base?

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries:

Well, it's been important throughout the year for us to continue to push back aggressively against the flood of extremism that has been unleashed on the American people.

And it's also understandable that many Americans are disturbed at what they have seen almost on a daily basis from Donald Trump and members of his administration, the chaos, the cruelty, and the corruption, the likes of which this country has never seen before in one presidential term, let alone in less than a year.

And so we continue to be in a more is more environment. And, as Democrats, we will be required to do more, more town hall meetings, more press conferences, more speeches on the House floor and the Senate floor, more days of action, more hearings on Capitol Hill and throughout the country, so that we can both push back against the chaos that has been unleashed by Donald Trump since day one.

Now, this is just the first day of the government shutdown, but it's day 255 of the chaos that Donald Trump has visited on the American people during his presidency. And we're going to have to sustain righteous intensity to match what's happening, so we can end this national nightmare.

Geoff Bennett:

I have to ask, while we have you, what did you think when you first saw that A.I.-generated deepfake video, the sombrero video that the president posted earlier this week? There was another one he posted last night.

And what does the mere existence of those videos say about the political climate we're in right now?

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries:

I thought it was deeply unserious. And I was surprised from a tactical perspective as to why Donald Trump would engage in this type of unhinged behavior in the immediate aftermath of us having a conversation in the Oval Office to try to actually get to a place where we could avoid a government shutdown and enact an enlightened spending agreement.

The only way to do it is in a bipartisan way. What Donald Trump's actions have suggested is that he's not the leader that we need at a moment like this to bring people together to work things out, to exercise common sense, to be able to find common ground in order to promote the common good.

That's what House Democrats are all about. That's what we will continue to be about as we fight to cancel the cuts, lower the costs, and save health care.

Geoff Bennett:

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, thanks again for your time.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries:

Thank you.