WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-5) appeared on CNN News Central to discuss Republicans’ threat of a government shutdown and continued attacks on Americans’ health care. Below are excerpts from her interview:
On Trump’s Plan for Mass Firings Under a Government Shutdown:
“The president of the United States is saying: ‘I'm going to take away your health care. And if you stand up for that, well, then I'll turn around and lay off people.’ It is definitely, ‘the beatings will continue on working people in this country until morale improves.’ It is outrageous.”
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“What we are saying to the Republicans in Congress and to the president is that you have made life harder and more expensive for American people. And it starts with fundamentally taking away health care for millions and increasing the price of health insurance for everyone … We're saying come to the table. Let's talk about a budget that protects health care for Americans. And their answer is: ‘If you don’t let us cut their health care, we’ll fire more people.’ That is an outrageous statement against hardworking families in this country.”
On the Impact of Republicans’ Health Care Cuts:
“This is going to affect millions of people. The situation we have is that the Republicans decided to repeal tax credits that help people afford health insurance. These are proposals that Democrats put in to help people find care [and] afford care when and where they need it …What Republicans have said is: ‘We're taking that away from them.’ And the insurance companies have responded by saying: ‘We are going to raise premiums because we know that healthy people will opt out of the ACA because they can't afford this insurance.’ So people are about to get those notices on new premiums that could be double and upwards, depending on what demographic you’re in. This could be a 93% increase on average.”
On Trump’s Refusal To Meet With Democratic Leaders:
“Who he's really shutting the door on is the American people who already know they have a health care system that doesn't work for them. They are already seeing dramatic increases in prices due to tariffs. They are so worried that their small businesses that also are heavily reliant on the ACA to provide health insurance are going to not be able to keep their doors open. These are very real things, and that is the response from the president? ‘We're not going to work with you. We are only going to talk to the very wealthiest Americans. We are only going to work to give them tax breaks at the expense of everybody else.’
On Who Bears Responsibility for a Government Shutdown:
“We have a president who claims he loves to make deals, but he will never fight for the American people.
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“When he is closing the door on us, he's closing the door on them. And we are here to say these cuts to health care are unsustainable for American families who are already struggling to provide the basics for their family … We have laid out how dangerous these cuts are, the damage they will do to families, to our overall economy. And so let's come and have that negotiation.”
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“We are not going to support [their] budget. But when you control the White House, the Senate, and the House, whether or not we’ve shut down is solely a Republican decision.”
To view the complete interview, click HERE.
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