During Tuesday's press briefing, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) discussed the proposed GOP reconciliation bill.
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00:00I can just quickly follow up and then I have a question. Have you all or will you all be reaching out to those three Republicans given that they are similarly having the same line of thought?
00:10We've been in conversation with Republicans throughout this entire process because more than a dozen Republicans, if not more, have repeatedly and publicly said they will not support a budget reconciliation that actually cuts benefits for Medicaid and SNAP.
00:28However, it's time for them to actually put their money where their mouth has been legislatively and support a bill that can actually prevent Medicaid and SNAP benefits from taking place.
00:47The 1974 Budget Impoundment and Control Act explicitly prohibited Congress from touching Social Security in the budget reconciliation process.
01:03This legislation would add to that prohibition Medicaid and SNAP.
01:11It's very simple. It's clean and it's straightforward.
01:17And if just a handful of Republicans actually join this legislation, then we can stop the largest cut to Medicaid in American history from taking place and the largest cut to SNAP in American history from taking place.
01:32If I may, House Republican leadership has done a good job of trying to block any discharge petitions that you all have put on the floor because they've tucked it into rules.
01:43Republicans have voted to block you all from going forward on past paths.
01:48It's possible they could do it again here.
01:50How are you all thinking about keeping Republicans on notice through other measures or mechanisms if they do end up trying to block this discharge petition?
01:59Well, you know, listen, it's an all hands on deck effort to make sure we protect the health care of the American people,
02:05as well as prevent Republicans from literally snatching food from the mouths of hungry children, veterans and seniors.
02:16Now, Republican leadership continues to claim that they have no intention of enacting devastating cuts to Medicaid and SNAP.
02:25And so it's not clear to us why they would block an actual legislative effort to make sure that what they are saying actually takes place.
02:37Catherine.
02:40Just to answer this question, this is yet another CYA move by the House Republicans.
02:47And frankly, the American people are tired of it.
02:51You are seeing it in town halls.
02:54We're seeing it across this country.
02:57People do not want them to take away their basic needs, health care, food, school lunch programs,
03:06feeding our seniors, meals on wheels in order to fund tax cuts.
03:11And what we see repeated is so-called moderates writing letters to the speaker saying, this is not good for my district.
03:20It's not good for the country, for people.
03:23But then turning around and voting for it twice anyhow.
03:29And so this latest resolution just falls right into the same, you know, inauthentic action.
03:36If you actually want to take and protect health care in this country and you actually think that this is terrible for working families out there
03:47to take away their health care and food programs in order to have tax cuts for the very wealthiest, then vote on it.
03:57Vote on it.
03:58Don't file something that becomes right, you know, 30 legislative days from now.
04:04Let's do it this week and let's get back to a process and talking about taxes that makes sense and is centered around families at home.