LIVE: House Democratic Leader Holds Press Conference (Oct. 14)

As 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 health care crisis. The American people know that Republicans have shut the government down because of their unwillingness to provide health care to everyday Americans, working class Americans, and middle class Americans. The Republicans have created a health care 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 health care 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, D.C. ready to reopen the government, ready to support our troops and hardworking federal civil servants, and ready to address the Republican health care 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. Questions? Senator Jeffries. Your government shut down so many of the states. We've already seen the stand up of the Republicans that rejected the Democratic CEO in all of your demands. Why not come up with a new approach, a new offer on the table to jumpstart something rather than dig into a position? We're open to sitting down anytime, any place, with anyone in terms of our Republican colleagues, either here at the Capitol or back in the Oval Office to have a conversation about finding a bipartisan path forward. But there has to be a willingness amongst Republicans to actually have a conversation. And since the White House meeting over two weeks ago, Republicans have gone radio silent. Donald Trump has spent more time on the golf course than talking to Democrats on Capitol Hill. Republicans have been on vacation since September 19th in the House. And in the Senate, the Republican strategy is to do the same exact thing, bring the same failed, partisan Republican spending bill to the floor over and over and over again, knowing it's going to go down. Because Democrats have been very clear, we're not going to support a partisan Republican spending bill that continues to gut the healthcare of the American people. We are open about having a good faith discussion with our Republican colleagues to hear their ideas about reopening the government while at the same time decisively addressing the Republican healthcare crisis. Thank you. I agree with making sure that our men and women in uniform, our active duty troops are paid. We also need to make sure that we take care of all of our hardworking federal civil servants. Which is why Republicans should be back here in Washington, working with us to reopen the government as opposed to continuing the Trump Republican shutdown. Thank you. No, the overwhelming majority of the American people, including in Republican run states, support an extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits. Because they know that the Affordable Care Act has been an important part of ensuring that everyday Americans can afford to go see a doctor when they're sick, when their children are sick, and when their families are sick. And from our standpoint, it's strange that Republicans want to make this a partisan fight. This is not a partisan fight as far as Democrats are concerned. This is about the American people and ensuring that the American people can afford high quality health care when they need it, including in red states. And by the way, the majority of states that benefit in terms of their people getting health care from the Affordable Care Act tax credits are states that Donald Trump won. West Virginia number one. Wyoming number two. Alaska number three. Tennessee number four. Mississippi number five. And states six through ten are also states that Donald Trump won. This is not a partisan issue for Democrats. We care about making sure the American people can afford health care. Whether you're a Democrat, an Independent, or a Republican, we are fighting for hard working American taxpayers. The Republicans do have a credibility issue when it comes to health care and the Affordable Care Act. The American people know we're standing on the side of lifting up their quality of life. And Republicans have spent the last 15 years, you are correct, trying to repeal and displace people off the Affordable Care Act. In fact, they've done it more than 70 times. Which is why, if we're going to resolve this issue, it can't simply be a Republican wing and a prayer. We actually need legislative action that extends the Affordable Care Act tax credits. And by the way, also addresses other aspects of the Republican health care crisis that is crushing the American people. We remain completely and totally concerned by all of the aspects of the Trump-Republican shutdown, which is why we need them to abandon their failed my way or the highway approach, their take it or leave it approach, and the Republican go it alone approach. Because if Democratic votes are needed to reopen the government, which is the case, then this has to be a bipartisan discussion to find a bipartisan resolution to reopen the government and address the Republican health care crisis. We are very concerned with all of the implications of this Trump-Republican shutdown and how the American people are being hurt. It doesn't seem to me that Republicans are concerned because they remain on vacation and have now canceled votes for the third consecutive week. That's outrageous. Democrats from all across the country will be here in person, meeting in just a few hours and throughout the week because we want to reopen the government. And the question has to be asked, why in the world are House Republicans still on vacation spread out across the country and the world? It's perplexing. It's shocking. I'm flummoxed by the whole situation. It makes no sense. They're reinforcing the narrative that they could care less about the quality of life of the American people. Well, our view has always been that we have to address the Republican health care crisis and the need to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits with the fierce urgency of now because at this moment in time, notices are going out to people all across the country indicating that their premiums, co-pays and deductibles are about to skyrocket. People are about to pay thousands of dollars more per year. And for many hardworking American taxpayers, you're talking about their health insurance rates doubling, tripling or quadrupling. In the congressional district that Speaker Johnson represents, you're talking about thousands of people in his district who are about to experience a 379% premium increase. How is that acceptable? That's happening right now. One of the reasons why we have to act right now is because of the November 1st open enrollment period. That's just the beginning of the open enrollment period. It'll last until early to mid-December. And so, Republicans can try to run away from this problem that they've created by continuing to break our health care system, but they will not be able to hide. And that will become increasingly clear, as Marjorie Taylor Greene consistently has pointed out in the weeks to come. Thanks. You got it. Yeah. Michael. the civil rights community in defending the opportunity for people of every race to have an opportunity to elect a candidate or a member of Congress of their choice, and to push back against the efforts by some in this country on the other side of the aisle to engage in bipartisan race-based gerrymandering to undermine the ability of black, brown, or Asian communities in the country to be able to select their representative, as opposed to having extremists draw lines so that their representative can be effectively selected for them. We're going to be watching closely that Supreme Court oral argument tomorrow, and I stand behind Representative Cleo Fields, whose district is the subject of the litigation, and we also, of course, stand behind the civil rights community's efforts to preserve both Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, as well as the 14th Amendment protections against racial gerrymandering and undermining the ability of communities of color to elect the candidates of their choice. We're going to win Prop 50 in California, and I'm thankful for the tremendous leadership of the California Congressional Delegation, the people of California, Governor Newsom, and the coalition of folks who have come behind the effort to push back against what Republicans have maliciously done in Texas in trying to rip five seats away from Democrats as part of their effort to gerrymander the maps and rig the midterm elections. We are not going to let Republicans successfully rig the midterm elections. California is just the first Democratic state to respond. It will not be the last. We've got to win Prop 50. We will. And we're making the point simply, as we communicate with the people of California, yes, on Prop 50 to stop Trump from stealing the election, and the Republicans know they're on the verge of losing Prop 50. That is just the beginning of the Democratic response, and we will respond forcefully across the country. Now, you are correct about North Carolina, and it's important for everybody to understand. This whole notion that we're in the midst of a Republican wave, a sea change politically, notwithstanding what happened in a bitterly disappointing election in November of 2024, with the notion of that myth that Republicans have tried to perpetrate, is belied by the fact that Republicans currently have the narrowest majority of any party since the Great Depression The narrowest majority since 1931, as I understand it. A three-seat majority. Once Rep-Elect Adelida Grijalva is sworn in, that should be happening today, by the way, but they're running scared because of their efforts to continue to hide the Epstein files from the American people. But Republicans have a three-seat majority. They wouldn't even be in the majority right now had North Carolina not already engaged in mid-decade partisan gerrymandering last year. Because we know North Carolina is a 50-50 state, has a Democratic governor, Democratic lieutenant governor, Democratic attorney general, Democrat just won a close state Supreme Court race, all on the same day that Donald Trump narrowly won in November of 2024. And in North Carolina, before they engaged in vicious mid-decade gerrymandering to affect this Congress, in this 50-50 state, the North Carolina delegation, 14 members, was 7 Democrats and 7 Republicans. They then ripped three seats away from the people of North Carolina last year, and on January 3rd of this year, changed the delegation to 10 Republicans and 4 Democrats. That's their majority right now. They didn't even legitimately win in an election where everything at the top of the ticket was breaking for them. And they had to rely on stealing three seats from the people of North Carolina to artificially create their majority right now. This is why you can't take these people seriously in terms of any policy high ground in the House that they may claim to have. It's non-existent. So the question then becomes, they've already gerrymandered the map in North Carolina. And because Donald Trump, their boss, ordered them to go back and try to create an additional seat, this is what they're going to try to do? We're going to make sure that Representative Don Davis is re-elected in North Carolina, and Democrats are going to take back control of the House of Representatives. Something should be done to stand by the U.S. Capitol Police, we're so thankful for their bravery and patriotism, service and sacrifice. And of course, should be done for law enforcement, as is the case for all federal civil servants, which is why Republicans need to get back into town and show up at the negotiating table so we can reopen the government, negotiate a bipartisan spending agreement that actually improves the lives of the American people, as opposed to what Republicans want to do, which is to get Democrats to sign off on their partisan Republican spending bill that continues to gut the healthcare of the American people. It's not going to happen. We need to address the Republican healthcare crisis. We've made that clear repeatedly now for weeks, and that position is not going to change. In previous shutdowns, funding has always been identified to make sure that the Women's Infants and Children Program has been funded, and we expect that that should happen during this moment in time as well. In terms of the mass firings, the violations of the law, the bullying of hardworking federal employees, that's been going on since January 20th, the first day of this presidency. The focus of the Trump administration has been on visiting chaos and confusion and cruelty on the American people, as opposed to doing what Donald Trump and Republicans promised on day one, which is to lower costs. But costs aren't going down in the United States of America, costs are going up. Inflation is up, electricity bills are up, housing costs are up, grocery costs are up. And now Republicans refuse to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, which is going to skyrocket healthcare premiums, co-pays, and deductibles. Everything we're seeing right now in the midst of this Trump Republican shutdown is consistent with their failed policies that haven't made life more affordable for the American people. Republicans continue to make life more expensive. And Democrats are working hard to fix our broken healthcare system because of the crisis Republicans have created, and to lower the high cost of living. Kevin? The pain of a government shutdown is being felt by all Americans, and it's unfortunate that Donald Trump and Republicans have decided to shut the government down, and then not to do a damn thing to find a bipartisan path forward. Not a thing over the last two weeks. I mean, Donald Trump literally has spent more time on the golf course than talking to Democrats. He spent more time creating deepfake videos than talking to Democrats. House Republicans have chosen to cancel votes now for three consecutive weeks. This is their behavior. These are facts. No one disputes these things. And as Democrats, Leader Schumer and Senate Democrats who courageously continue to hold the line, partnering with House Democrats, have made clear, we will sit down with anyone, anytime, anyplace to reopen the government and find a bipartisan path forward. But at the same time, we have to address the healthcare crisis that is breaking hardworking American taxpayers throughout the country. And the American people know it. This is not a manufactured healthcare crisis. It's real. And it's been visited upon the American people by Donald Trump and the Republican Party. Donald Trump and his administration have been engaging in mass firings since day one of his presidency. For the Republicans, cruelty is the point. And the fact that they are celebrating, meaning the extremists, the extreme Republican, the fact that they're celebrating firing hardworking federal employees doesn't strengthen their position with the American people. It weakens it. Because the American people don't accept that kind of cruel and callous behavior and know that any responsible group of people would actually be standing up to support our hardworking federal employees and trying to actually find a bipartisan path forward to reopening the government, which is what Republicans refuse to do. In the face of a growing healthcare crisis, open enrollment on November 1, premiums, co-pays and deductibles about to skyrocket, and the fact that Republicans have already enacted the largest cut to Medicaid in American history as part of their one big ugly bill so they could reward their billionaire donors with permanent tax breaks, but at the same period of time, refuse to consider a multi-year extension of the Affordable Care Act or a permanent extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits. Democrats are fighting for everyday Americans, cancel the cuts, lower the costs, save healthcare. Thank you, everyone. Thank you.