Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hello and welcome. This is The Michelle Hussein Show. I'm Michelle Hussein. I speak with people like Elon Musk. I think I've done enough. And Shonda Rhimes. That's so cute. This will be a place where every weekend you can count on one essential conversation to help make sense of the world.
So please join me, listen and subscribe to The Michelle Hussein Show from Bloomberg Weekend, wherever you get your podcasts. You certainly ask interesting questions. Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio, news.
It's day 23. And I'm curious, sort of what has changed between day one, the start of the shutdown and today in terms of the conversation and how you're feeling about where things are? Well, as Democrats, we continue to make clear to our Republican colleagues that we will sit down with them anytime, anyplace in order to reopen the government and
to negotiate a bipartisan agreement that actually makes life better for the American people in terms of spending and funding. But we also have to decisively address the Republican healthcare crisis. We've maintained that position from the very beginning, before Republicans shut the government down and during the entirety of the shutdown, because it is a real crisis that has been created.
at this moment, particularly as it relates to the urgent need to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. As you and I are speaking, the House Speaker is doing a press conference just down the hall. What is the level of engagement? Do you pass one another? Are you speaking with one another? Are Democrats talking to Republicans right now?
The conversations have been very limited, unfortunately, because Donald Trump has not given House Republican leaders or Senate Republican leaders permission to negotiate. reinforcing the principle from our view that he made the decision to shut the government down. They want to continue to inflict pain on federal employees. They've done that from the very beginning of Donald Trump's presidency.
In fact, more than 200,000 federal employees had been forced off the job prior to the government shutdown. And this is something that we've continued to see them build upon during the shutdown. Until Donald Trump gets serious about reopening the government, unfortunately, we're going to remain in this situation and everyday Americans are being hurt. He's getting ready to take a trip to Asia.
Is it appropriate for him to be doing that at this moment when the government is shut down? I think that the president has a responsibility both domestically and throughout the world. However, what has been irresponsible is that throughout this shutdown, he's found more time to golf than he has to engage with Democrats on Capitol Hill.
He's decided to try to steal $230 million in taxpayer funds from the Department of Injustice. Donald Trump and his administration have found $40 billion to bail out a right-wing wannabe dictator in Argentina and can't find a dime to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits to keep healthcare affordable for tens of millions of Americans.
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Chapter 2: How does Hakeem Jeffries view the current government shutdown?
the American people. I want to ask you about potential off-ramps. And Tammy Baldwin, the senator from Wisconsin, Democrat, said Trump is the off-ramp at this point. Do you agree with that assessment? And has there been any kind of outreach or dialogue between you and the White House?
Leader Schumer made clear earlier this week that we have reached out to the White House again to indicate that prior to Trump's departure for Asia, he should sit down with Democrats to find a path forward to reopen the government, to enter into a bipartisan spending agreement.
and to address the health care crisis that Marjorie Taylor Greene acknowledges must be addressed, and that traditional conservatives who are in the toughest seats in the country have now publicly acknowledged this week needs to be addressed.
Can I ask you a question of congressional mechanics, and that is, can the Democratic leader pick up the phone, call the White House, and reasonably expect the president's going to take that phone call? Are you able to do that? And if so, what's keeping you from having that dial? Well, traditionally, that probably is the case, but in this White House, that's very much unclear.
Donald Trump didn't have a meeting with House or Senate Democratic leadership until two days prior to the government shutting down. And we had to demand that meeting. He initially agreed to it, then he canceled it, and then he was forced by public sentiment to agree to it. But unfortunately, we had a discussion for about an hour or so, and then there was no follow-up
from either Donald Trump or his administration because they are not serious about solving these challenges on behalf of the American people. We live in a high cost of living environment. The American people are struggling to afford to live, struggling paycheck to paycheck. And Donald Trump and Republicans promised that they were going to lower costs on day one, but costs aren't going down.
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.
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Chapter 3: What are the Democrats' strategies to negotiate with Republicans?
to the American public as we get closer to that date and indeed as we hit November 1st? Well, our view was that we needed to address this issue in October because of the fact that notices were going out to tens of millions of Americans. who have to be able to plan. They need some certainty to understand, are they gonna be able to afford healthcare? How am I gonna manage this situation?
What are my alternatives? And that's why we felt like it needed to be dealt with, with the fierce urgency of now, in connection to what was also happening with the need to either fund the government, prevent a shutdown that Republicans have now brought to the country, now reopen the government, and actually to reach and enlighten
bipartisan spending agreement where our only criteria had been if we're going to reach an agreement that's bipartisan in nature, it has to actually improve the lives of the American people in three different areas. Their health, public safety, and their economic well-being, particularly as it relates to lowering the high cost of living because America's too expensive right now.
A nearer pressure point is Friday, October the 24th. Federal workers aren't going to receive their paychecks. How confident are you that you're not going to be blamed? Democrats aren't going to be blamed for that when that comes around. Well, from the very beginning of this president's term,
Donald Trump and the Republicans have assaulted in the most egregious way possible hardworking federal civil servants and public employees. And it's outrageous. As I mentioned, more than 200,000 federal employees have already been forced off the job. That was prior to Donald Trump shutting down the government.
We passed a law in 2017 that Donald Trump signed which requires that furloughed workers, all federal employees, receive their back pay. It's Donald Trump that's now suggesting, unlawfully, that he can withhold that pay and they might not be compensated. Should workers be worried about that?
I've talked to a few federal workers who, for the first time, for the first shutdown they've been through, they're worried that that's not going to happen. Is that a reasonable concern? Well, the law is crystal clear.
It's reasonable concern from the standpoint that when Donald Trump says anything, and he's the president of the United States, and there's been a willingness to engage in unlawful and illegal behavior, sometimes rubber-stamped by the conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court, that's problematic.
But the law is very crystal clear in this particular instance, and we are going to make sure that every single federal employee receives the entirety of their pay. Russell Vogt, the president seemingly fond of calling him Darth Vader, says he's playing budgetary twister as all this unfolds, and that's maybe lessened the pain that some constituents feel as a result of this.
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Chapter 4: What are the implications of the Affordable Care Act tax credits?
in the history of the country if congress doesn't act by the end of the year and so of course these folks have zero credibility on this issue which is why we need decisive action and by the way in the house republicans have voted to repeal the affordable care act more than seventy different times since two thousand and ten they are relentlessly obsessed
meaning these extremists on the other side of the aisle, with ripping healthcare away from the American people. And so we think it's very reasonable for everyday Americans to be skeptical about any promises made by Republicans. We don't need a wing and a prayer. We need decisive legislative action.
People will be watching this and listening to this, hearing what you're saying and detecting that there is this deficit of trust between the two parties here. And I don't think that engenders a lot of optimism because this gets solved anytime soon. Is that misplaced? Do you feel like there can be some comedy here somewhere?
Well, we're taking the Ronald Reagan approach to this particular situation from the standpoint of what needs to happen. Trust, but verify. And so, yeah, promises can be made, but we need verification. That verification comes in the form of actual legislation, decisive legislative action. to be able to address the Republican health care crisis. But, you know, we're here each and every day.
Democrats have been showing up on Capitol Hill. We're committed to doing the work, to finding a bipartisan path forward, to reopening the government and to addressing the health care crisis that Republicans have viciously visited on the American people. I've got a couple questions just about the long-term consequences of this.
So the president said, we're closing up programs that are Democrat programs that we're opposed to, and they're never going to come back in many cases. Is he right? Is the work that's being done by OMB and his administration irrevocable? Well, Republicans have been trying to shut down programs unlawfully from the very beginning of this presidency.
in ways that clearly violate the law because they're inconsistent with bipartisan bills that have been passed dictating how taxpayer dollars are spent in ways that are designed to benefit the American people. So what we're seeing right now is not inconsistent. These are just threats.
you know, from Donald Trump trying to intimidate Democrats from backing away from the position that we've taken on behalf of the American people. This is a principled position for us, not political, it's not partisan. It's about the quality of life, the health, the safety, and the economic well-being of the American people, and we'll continue to hold this position.
And we're gonna have to, of course, continue to push back against overreach from Donald Trump and his administration. Unfortunately, the Republicans, who control the House and the Senate, they have complete control of government, right now in the Congress, they're not functioning like a separate and co-equal branch of government. They're a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trump cartel.
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Chapter 5: How does Hakeem Jeffries assess the impact of Trump on healthcare?
She's done a great job. She's well-respected. We're a diverse city, and it'll be interesting to see how that is received upon my return home. You've been asked about this 1,000 times. Let me ask 1,001 times. Are you prepared to endorse the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City? Well, what I'll say is I'm prepared to weigh in in advance of early voting. It's two days away.
Early voting starts on Saturday. Yeah. What's holding you up? And what are the issues that you're still concerned about? I know that you said the last time you were asked about this, you were going to have a conversation with Saran Mamdani, another conversation. Yeah. What's left undiscussed? Well, I hope to speak to him today or tomorrow. In fact, I plan on speaking to him today.
and tomorrow and I think from my standpoint look I was prepared to try to bring this to a close one way or the other several weeks ago and then the government shutdown hit and honestly David it's been all encompassing because this is a traumatic moment for the country that this has been inflicted on the American people and then laying on top of it right just shutting the government down as Republicans have done is very problematic but
trying to communicate with the american people why we as democrats also believe that addressing the republican health care crisis is necessary and explaining the entirety of the assault on their health care that has occurred this year beginning with the one big ugly bill and the largest cut to medicaid in american history and the fact that their hospitals and nursing homes and community-based health centers are closing
all across the country, home care will be adversely affected, the possible cut to Medicare at the end of the year, the Republican refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, and the threats that they're now making to even try to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and the assault on public health infrastructure. This is extraordinary stuff.
We've never seen anything like this in the history of the country, which is why we believe it needs to be decisively addressed, along with, of course, reopening the government, standing by our hardworking federal civil servants, and making sure that we can enact a bipartisan spending agreement. So it's been all-encompassing. you know, for the last several weeks.
That said, I do have a sense of obligation to weigh in one way or the other in terms of the mayor's race in advance of early voting. So I did watch the debate and the themes of criticism that came up from the other two candidates were he's inexperienced and his comments on the Middle East are problematic. Are those likewise the same issues that you want to talk to him more about?
What's left unsaid between the two of you? Well, I've certainly already publicly communicated and privately communicated some of my concerns with respect to some of the views that he's expressed in terms of foreign policy. That said, I believe his relentless focus on affordability is the right focus.
The question becomes for any mayor, for any executive, how are you going to implement that objective? Because it's the right objective, but he's got to navigate a treacherous governmental terrain in terms of the city state and most significantly the federal government because it's clear that Donald Trump has it out
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