Representative Adam Smith

It's a must in any environment because there are things you can do on the state level to improve people's access to health care and to improve people's health.

And I think we should be actively engaged in that.

I think it's absolutely required right now that we simply cannot rely on the normal federal government entities like CDC and NIH, given what RFK Jr.

is doing to that.

So it's really important that Governor Ferguson and Governor Newsom are doing that.

It can really have a measurable impact on people's health.

But second, it will never be enough.

It's just the nature of so much of our health care system is federal.

I mean, I remember way back in 1993 when I believe it or not, I was a state senator and I voted for a universal access to health care system in the state of Washington.

But we couldn't get an ERISA waiver from the federal government.

So it simply didn't work.

There are too many federal regulations that we couldn't get around to make it work.

So the federal government plays a big role.

And we cannot say, well, as long as the states take care of it, health care will be fine.

I mean, Medicare, Medicaid, so many aspects of this are on the federal side.

So do all the local stuff, make it happen, push it, but understand that ultimately the federal side is going to matter.

And then third, the messaging, I would simply basically repeat what I said.

I think it's really important for people opposing President Trump to have a little humility in how we talk about health care, how we talk about energy policy, for that matter.

I mean, there's just been this desire to be to be self-righteous and morally superior when we're trying to talk about these issues.

And look, you know this.