Democrats know that they have the upper hand on the government shutdown.
The arguments that Democrats have made for Republicans to come to the table and end their shutdown have been centered on the issue of healthcare, but there is also a deeper principle at work that resonates with a majority of Americans.
Ever since the Republican tax cuts for the rich, paid for by cutting healthcare legislation, the issue of fairness has been lingering beneath the surface.
Why should the American people have to pay for tax cuts for those who already have the most by losing their health insurance, or at best face exponentially rising costs?
During an interview on CNN’s This Morning, Hakeem Jeffries put that question into policy terms when he explained why a one-year extension of the Obamacare subsidies was not good enough.
CNN’s John Berman asked, “Are you suggesting that when it comes to Obamacare subsidies, you are for permanence or broke? If they’re not made permanent, you won’t change your position on the shutdown?”
Jeffries answered:
No, what I’m suggesting is that we need to have a meaningful bipartisan discussion, that our position as articulated in the legislation that we’ve introduced is a permanent extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits. But we’re open to having a conversation in good faith to try to address this Republican health care crisis. It’s ironic, however, that Republicans just a few months ago passed their one big ugly bill, which included permanent tax breaks for their billionaire donors, the wealthiest and the most well-off people in the United States of America.
Read more and watch the full interview below.
