Hakeem Jeffries

Costs are going up, inflation going up, electricity prices through the roof, housing costs expensive, grocery costs increasingly expensive.

And now people facing the possibility, as we approach the open enrollment period for health insurance on November 1st, that millions of folks are going to see premium increases that could be as high as $1,000 or $2,000 more per month

And yet we see nothing but inaction from the president of the United States.

Keeping that in mind, Jason Smith, chairman of House Ways and Means, was on our air yesterday and he said maybe there could be a longer term CR, 14 months, take us through the midterms.

Am I right in assuming that's unpalatable to you because it does nothing to address what you were just talking about, those health care subsidies?

Yes, it's definitively unacceptable to us.

We've made clear from the beginning we will not vote for a partisan Republican spending bill that continues to gut the health care of the American people in the face of an extraordinary crisis that Republicans have created.

If you think about it, the largest cut to Medicaid in American history, almost a trillion dollar cut, this from a president and Republicans who promised in January that they would love and cherish Medicaid.

As a result of the policies in the one big ugly bill,

We're seeing hospitals and nursing homes and community-based health centers closed all across the country.

Because of what Republicans have done, we also are facing a possible $536 billion cut to Medicare at the end of the year if Congress doesn't act.

They refuse to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, which is going to impact tens of millions of people.

By the way, more than 90% of the people who receive tax credits connected to their health insurance make around $63,000 or less.

These are working class folks.

And then we know that Republicans are continuing to assault

our public health infrastructure in the country related to vaccine availability.

Their appropriations bill right now that they want us to support in the House,

They proposed cutting $1.7 billion from the Centers for Disease Control and another $500 or so million from the National Institute of Health.

It's not something that's acceptable to us in any way, shape, or form.

This is a healthcare crisis that cannot be overstated, and so we've got to address it decisively now.