Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke on the House Floor to highlight how Republicans are determined to shut down the government in order to continue their relentless attack on the healthcare of the American people.

LEADER JEFFRIES: I rise today in strong opposition to legislation that continues the relentless Republican attack on the healthcare of the American people. What we’ve seen throughout this year, notwithstanding Republican promises to lower the high cost of living, which Republicans promised to do on day one of the Trump presidency. But we know costs aren’t going down here in the United States of America. They continue to go up. Inflation is going up. Life is becoming more expensive for the American people, in part as a result of Donald Trump’s tariffs that House Republicans continue to rubber stamp. Democrats recognize that the cost of living in the United States of America is far too high. We have to fix our broken healthcare system, and we also have to clean up corruption in this town so that we don’t have a government of the elites, by the elites and for the elites. We deserve a government of the people, by the people and for the people. That’s why we oppose this reckless Republican spending bill.

The Republican assault on healthcare has been relentless. Largest cut to Medicaid in American history. Millions of Americans losing their healthcare as a result of the Republican One Big Ugly Bill. Hungry children have had food stolen from their mouths as a result of the One Big Ugly Bill. That is going to make them vulnerable to sickness, illness and disease. And all of this was done so that Republicans could reward your billionaire donors with massive tax breaks. In addition to the unprecedented assault on Medicaid as a result of the Republican One Big Ugly Bill, the American people are confronting the possibility that Medicare could be cut by $536 billion this year, the largest cut to Medicare in American history, as a result of what Republicans have done as part of their relentless assault on the healthcare of the American people. Premiums, copays and deductibles are skyrocketing over the next few weeks. Tens of millions of Americans are about to confront dramatic increases in their healthcare. Thousands of dollars—in some cases, tens of thousands of dollars—in additional expense per year because of what Republicans have unleashed on the American people as part of this unprecedented assault on healthcare.

I heard earlier today some of my colleagues on the Republican side saying that the healthcare issue was not germane. That we’re raising issues around Medicaid or the Affordable Care Act or increases in premiums, co-pays and deductibles or the fact that Republicans are dramatically ending medical research in the United States of America, including as it relates to research for children with cancer. Who does that? And the fact that all across this country, as a result of actions Republicans have taken and are continuing to take in targeting the healthcare of the American people, hospitals, nursing homes and community-based health clinics are closing, including in all of your districts and throughout rural America. So don’t come back and argue to us that these issues are not germane. Let me tell you what’s germane. Protecting the healthcare of the American people is germane, and that’s what Democrats are doing in fighting back against this partisan Republican spending bill.

There is an alternative. It’s been introduced by Senator Patty Murray and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, supported by Democrats in the House and the Senate. It keeps the government open. It allows for a bipartisan negotiation as it relates to a spending bill that would actually meet the needs of the American people in terms of their health, their public safety and their economic well-being, to actually try and make progress on lowering costs in America, which you promised to do as Republicans, Mr. Speaker and failed to do. That’s the legislation that we should be taking up. Republicans know that this partisan, reckless, dirty spending bill is dead on arrival in the United States Senate. And yet, Republicans continue to refuse to even discuss protecting the healthcare of the American people in the face of a relentless Republican assault that will actually harm people and cause American children, families, seniors, veterans to lose their lives. We have a choice to make here in the House of Representatives.

It appears that Republicans believe that healthcare should simply be a privilege available only to the wealthy, the well-off and the well-connected. We strongly disagree. Access to high-quality, affordable healthcare is a right, and Democrats are on the Floor of the House of Representatives vindicating that right at all times. And that’s why we’re voting no.

Some have suggested that our principled opposition to the partisan Republican spending bill may result in government funding lapsing. But we’ve heard all year how Republicans have a mandate, how Republicans have the presidency, how Republicans control the House, how Republicans control the Senate. Well, if that, in fact, is the case, as is the moment, temporarily, Republicans will own a government shutdown. Period. Full stop. It’s the Republican shutdown. We’re fighting for the healthcare of the American people. We will do that today. We will do that tomorrow. We will do that next week. We will do that next month. We will do that this year. We will do that next year. We will do that at all times. We’re standing up for the healthcare of the American people. Cancel the cuts. Lower the cost. Save your healthcare.

Full floor speech can be watched here.

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