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Rep Lawler on his confrontation with Hakeem Jeffries · DEEP INSIGHT

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: The President's budget Chief RUSS Vote is executing today. On
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: the administration's threat to lay off federal employees over the
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: government shutdown, A spokesperson tell CNN that the layoffs will
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: be quote substantial. Vote posted this on the tenth day
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: of the shutdown. Quote the riffs have begun. RIFF stands
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: for reduction in force. It's not immediately clear how many
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: federal workers have received RIFF notices. Votes post coming a
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: day after the President made this promise during a cabinet meeting.
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: We'll be making cuts that will be permanent, and we're
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: only going to cut Democrat programs.
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  Speaker 1: Stay wanted to do this, so we'll give little taste
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  Speaker 1: of their own medicine. All right, Joining me out to
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: discuss Republican Congressman Mike Lawler of New York. He sits
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: on the House Financial Services and Foreign Affairs committees. Congressman,
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: always great to see you, Thanks very much for being here.
• 0:54
  Speaker 3: Do you want to see thanks for having me RUSS.
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: Vote and the Trump administration lay off a high number
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  Speaker 1: of federal employees.
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  Speaker 3: No, I don't want to see that at all.
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  Speaker 2: But this is also why I've been opposed to the
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: Schumer shutdown and why regardless of who the president has been,
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  Speaker 2: I have always pushed back against those who try to
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  Speaker 2: shut the government down. It is idiotic and all it
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  Speaker 2: does is create chaos and uncertainty, and it harms the
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: American people. You have federal workers who are going without pay.
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  Speaker 2: Our military is not going to be paid effective the
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: fifteenth of this month border patrol agents. You have obviously
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  Speaker 2: concern about funding for critical programs like Wick and Snap
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  Speaker 2: and Casey.
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  Speaker 3: All of this can be fixed and.
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  Speaker 2: Resolved immediately if Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats would show
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: up and vote yes on a clean CR like they
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  Speaker 2: did thirteen times under Joe Biden.
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  Speaker 3: No reason for this.
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: One thing that Congress usually does in these instances is
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  Speaker 1: they pass a measure that allows troops to continue to
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  Speaker 1: receive their pay. Right now, that's not happening. Should House
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: Speaker Mike Johnson bring the House back to pass a
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: measure to pay the troops while this shutdown is going on, Well.
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  Speaker 2: Let's be clear, we did pass a measure to do that.
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: House Republicans passed a clean CR three weeks ago.
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: But often there is a separate piece of legislation.
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  Speaker 3: To the troops. But Casey we've done that.
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  Speaker 2: We have passed a clean cr to keep the government
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  Speaker 2: funded and open, to pay our troops, to pay our
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: border patrol agents, to fund critical programs like WICK and SNAP.
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  Speaker 2: The President and the administration may take action to make
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: sure that our troops are funded, and I hope they do.
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  Speaker 3: But again, this could all be resolved immediately.
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  Speaker 2: Chuck Schumer could vote yes to keep the government open
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  Speaker 2: and funded and make sure that none of these issues
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: that we're all concerned about become a reality.
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  Speaker 3: And I just think.
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  Speaker 2: Fundamentally, uh, the situation here is very straightforward. Chuck Schumer
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  Speaker 2: and Hakim Jeffries have shifted their previous position of passing
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  Speaker 2: clean crs and keeping the government funded and open because
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: they are petrified of aoc Zorn Mandani and primary challenges
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: from the left, and they want to show them that
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: they are standing up and fighting back against President Trump.
• 3:34
  Speaker 3: That's what this is about. It's not about healthcare.
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: Because I went and asked Hakim Jeffries the other day,
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  Speaker 2: sign on, I've signed on to legislation.
• 3:44
  Speaker 3: Go ahead, Yeah, let's show a little bit of your extine.
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  Speaker 2: You could easily sign on.
• 3:53
  Speaker 3: You have four Democrats on him.
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  Speaker 1: Question, So will I will say, we're not showing the
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: part where you get Hakeem Jeffrey's finger in there, but
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: it does show up at a certain point. I did
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  Speaker 1: see this in wonder like is this Congress or is
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  Speaker 1: this a schoolyard? I mean, is this the way to
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: do it?
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  Speaker 2: Well, listen, the leader has been holding press conference after
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: press conference claiming that Republicans shut the government down. But
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  Speaker 2: we all know this is a Democrat driven shutdown because
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: they want to show their base that they are fighting
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: against President Trump. And my point was, if there is
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: an issue to be dealt with, like health care, then
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  Speaker 2: let's deal with it. Let's come to an agreement and
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: deal with it. But you don't do it at the
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: barrel of a gun, and you don't shut down the
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: government to stomp your feet and pound your fist.
• 4:51
  Speaker 3: And it's right.
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  Speaker 1: Let me ask you where you are on the merits.
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  Speaker 1: I absolutely take your point, and I have, in my
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: career covering Congress heard plenty of Democrats tell me you
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: don't shut the govern and down over policy disputes. So
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: I absolutely take your point. The soundbites exist out in
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  Speaker 1: the world, but on the merits of this question around
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  Speaker 1: subsidies for people who are getting Obamacare plans.
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  Speaker 3: Where are you on the substance of that.
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  Speaker 1: Do you think the Trump administration should be willing to
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  Speaker 1: take a hard look at that and to keep those
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  Speaker 1: subsidies in place.
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  Speaker 3: Well, let's look at the facts of it, right.
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  Speaker 2: These subsidies were put in place during COVID by the
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  Speaker 2: Biden administration. They were put in place for four years.
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  Speaker 2: They are expiring at the end of this year. Premiums
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  Speaker 2: obviously without these subsidies will go up. But that speaks
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  Speaker 2: to the fundamental problem with Obamacare. Since twenty ten, health
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: insurance premiums have skyrocketed by over sixty percent increases since
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  Speaker 2: the implementation of Obamacare.
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  Speaker 3: So clearly Obamacare is.
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  Speaker 2: Not doing what it was intended to do, which is
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: actually to reduce the cost of health care in America.
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  Speaker 2: So yes, I support legislation to extend these premium tax
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  Speaker 2: credits by one year so that we can actually address
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  Speaker 2: the longer term problem, which is the cost of health
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  Speaker 2: care in America. But my Democratic colleagues are saying permanent
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  Speaker 2: or bust when you look at what they did with.
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  Speaker 3: These premium tax credits.
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  Speaker 2: You have people making six hundred thousand dollars a year
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  Speaker 2: getting subsidies from the American people to pay for health insurance.
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  Speaker 2: That is not fair to the vast majority of Americans
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  Speaker 2: who clearly don't make six hundred thousand dollars. So at
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  Speaker 2: the end of the day, to me, there's a negotiation
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  Speaker 2: to be had, but you don't shut.
• 6:43
  Speaker 3: The government down over it.
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  Speaker 2: And my point in going to Hakeem Jeffries was to say, look,
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  Speaker 2: you're saying this is an issue.
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  Speaker 3: I agree.
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  Speaker 2: I'm signed on to a bill, a bipartisan bill to
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  Speaker 2: extend this by a year. Why won't you join me
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  Speaker 2: on this bill? And he had no answer. He was stuttering,
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  Speaker 2: he was stammering, he was yelling, he was angry. To me,
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: it was ridiculous. I was asking him very simply, come on,
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  Speaker 2: join this bill. He's talking about you know, your boss Trump,
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  Speaker 2: he's talking about your embarrassing yourself. I was asking him
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  Speaker 2: a very pointed question, which is, if you're saying that
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  Speaker 2: this shutdown is about healthcare, here's a solution, join me
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  Speaker 2: on it.
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  Speaker 3: And he wouldn't do it.
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: All right, Congressman Mike Lawler, I always appreciate you coming
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: on the arena. I hope you'll come back soon.
• 7:31
  Speaker 3: Thank you.