Yesterday, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on MSNBC’s The Last Word, where he highlighted that Democrats will continue to fight to end the Trump-Republican government shutdown and the healthcare crisis that is causing pain for everyday Americans all across the country.

LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: Leading off our coverage tonight is House Democratic Leader, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Thank you very much for joining us tonight. We heard your counterpart, the Republican counterpart, the Speaker of the House, say today literally, ‘I have no strategy.’ Do you have a strategy?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, good evening, Lawrence, great to be with you. You know, our strategy from the very beginning has been clear. We’ll sit down anytime, anyplace, with anyone, either on Capitol Hill or back at the White House, in order to reopen the government, to find bipartisan common ground in order to enact a spending agreement that meets the needs of the American people. But it actually has to make life better for everyday Americans, as opposed to what Republicans have done throughout this year, which is to enact legislation such as their One Big Ugly Bill that rewards their billionaire donors with massive tax breaks and hurts everyday Americans. And, of course, our view and our position has been very clear that we need to address the Republican healthcare crisis that is devastating people all across the country, whether that’s working-class America, rural America, urban America, small-town America, the heartland of America and Black and brown communities throughout America.

LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: Donald Trump is giving $20 billion to Argentina. What would a Democratic Congress do with that $20 billion?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, that $20 billion can actually be used to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits for more than 20 million Americans who are going to otherwise confront dramatically increased premiums, co-pays and deductibles that are about to skyrocket because of the unwillingness of Republicans to extend those Affordable Care Act tax credits that benefit everyday Americans. You know, this is a real extraordinary thing, Lawrence, and I’m so thankful that you’re covering it. This isn’t an America first act. This is an Argentina first act. And if Donald Trump can find $20 billion to bail out his right-wing dictator friend in Argentina, it’s extraordinary to me that Republicans are unwilling to even have a discussion about how we address the healthcare crisis that they’ve created, which of course includes the largest cut to Medicaid in American history. Hospitals and nursing homes and community-based health centers are closing all across the country, including in Mike Johnson’s home state of Louisiana, because of their One Big Ugly Bill. And now they’re refusing to deal with the Affordable Care Act tax credit issue. It’s a shame, but they can find money—$20 billion—for Argentina.

LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: The legislative work that we’ve just been discussing is the primary purpose of the House of Representatives. But there’s also an investigative function. What would a Democratic-controlled House of Representatives do if a member of the administration, Democrat or Republican administration, was recorded on FBI video taking $50,000 in cash from undercover FBI agents?

LEADER JEFFRIES: That person would be hauled up to Capitol Hill immediately and be held accountable in front of the American people for what clearly appears to be engaging in the crime of bribery. And then beyond the bribery that appears to have taken place, there clearly seems to be a cover-up amongst some of the people within the Trump administration who have no interest in holding this extreme individual accountable. You know, our general view in terms of what we as Democrats want to do and will continue to do for the American people is as follows. We need to lower the high cost of living. We need fix our broken healthcare system. And we need to clean up corruption that exists in the Congress, within the Supreme Court and certainly in the administration, which I think the likes of which we’ve just not seen ever in American history. And the administration, by the way, in real time, is running the largest pay-to-play scheme in the country’s history. And this all needs to be brought to light. I think it was Brandeis who made the observation, sunlight is the best of disinfectants. And there’s a lot that needs to be disinfected within this corrupt administration.

LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: In MSNBC’s reporting, breaking that story about Tom Homan taking the $50,000 in cash, the purpose in that discussion with the undercover FBI agents was apparently that Homan would help them—they were posing as business operatives—help them obtain government contracts, which is exactly the position that Tom Homan is in tonight. He’s in a position to help deliver massive government contracts that Donald Trump has embarked on in just—on the new immigration enforcement infrastructure.

LEADER JEFFRIES: I am confident that all of their corrupt scheming is going to come to light, and we certainly are going to make sure that they’re held accountable for the misuse of taxpayer dollars in ways that are inconsistent with what any administration should be doing, particularly in an environment where this administration and the Republicans have failed the American people. You know, their core promise last year, over and over and over again, was that Republicans were going to lower the high cost of living on day one. But we know costs haven’t gone down, they’ve gone up. Inflation is out of control. The Trump tariffs are making life more expensive. Grocery costs are too high. Housing costs too high. Electricity bills skyrocketing. And now, these Republicans have zero interest in extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits, which is going to result in these healthcare costs skyrocketing through the roof. So we’ve got a failed presidential administration and failed Republican policies actively making life worse for the American people. And then, you know, this pay-to-play scheme that’s being run out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with all of the Trump sycophants and minions eagerly participating as if they’re never going to be held accountable—they are going to held accountable, certainly. That process will begin when Democrats take back control of the House, but it will continue thereafter. And I remind all of these corrupt individuals, these sycophants, the statute of limitations is five years. The American people want accountability, deserve accountability and will get accountability.

LAWRENCE O’DONNELL: House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, thank you very much for starting off our coverage tonight.

Full interview can be watched here.

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