Senator Schumer (00:05):
Thanks everybody and for joining us, I'm proud to be joined by Senators Murray and Baldwin. Now over the last month in office… Can we get a little quiet? Thank you. Over the last month in office, President Trump and Senate Republicans have not focused on lowering prices or making life easier or better for American families. In fact, they're doing the total opposite. Look no further than the House of Representatives as we speak. As soon as today, House Republicans are going to attempt to pass a budget resolution that clears the way for one of the most Draconian cuts of Medicaid in history, and it will hurt so many people in so many different ways in every corner of America. Why? Why do they want to do this? Why would they want to cut Medicaid?
(00:57)
Why would they want to tell a community health center to close? Why would they want to tell a senior in a nursing home you're being kicked out? One reason, spin their North Star all along to provide tax cuts for their billionaire club and have the American people unfortunately and sadly pay the price. The Republican bill could cut 880 billion in just Medicaid alone, throwing 80 million Americans, kids, veterans, the elderly to the wolves just to get their friends big tax cuts. So last week here in the Senate during vote-a-rama, we pushed a whole lot of amendments. I pushed an amendment that said we should have no tax breaks for millionaires, and then I pushed another amendment calling for no billionaire tax breaks if even $1 of Medicaid spending was cut.
(01:48)
And unfortunately there were overwhelmingly rejected by the Republicans in the Senate. I'm sure in every state those votes were very unpopular. It could have been the reddest of states. Donald Trump promised to bring down costs on day one. That's what he said. Day one, costs are going down. Prices and inflation continue to rise. His trade war with our allies is making it worse. Grocery prices up, chicken, pork, steak all up. And while the Republicans are focused on things that either Americans don't like or don't care about, he said the first day he'd bring those costs down. And what'd he do on day one? Pardoned insurrectionists. Many that went on to commit more crime. He focused on the Gulf of America, annexing Canada, changing the name of mountains. They're distractions. They're good at that.
(02:44)
Why? They want to hide their number one goal. Tax breaks for the Billionaire Club while they destroy Medicaid to do it. Most Americans, of course, want government to be more efficient, cut waste. This is not the way to it. This is not what Americans want. This is not what Americans deserve. Americans want lower costs, not less air safety personnel and more dangerous skies. They want lower prices, not our veterans starved of resources. And what's being cut? Firings at the Veterans' crisis line, the 9/11 survivor health program, parks across the country, all for the sake of helping their billionaire friends. In short, Republicans are all focused on the wrong thing at the wrong time. Under Donald Trump's Republican policy, billionaires win, families lose. Patty.
Senator Patty Murray (03:38):
On Sunday, the leader of the Republican Party, Elon Musk, tweeted that he thought a government shutdown would be "great." That's one totally out-of-touch billionaire who needs a serious reality check. Elon may never depend on receiving benefits on time, but for everyone else, shutdowns are painful and costly. Democrats, however, do not want a shutdown. We are at the table negotiating in good faith to fund the government, but Republicans are the majority in the House and in the Senate. If they want our votes, they need to work with us. We are close on top line spending, but we need to know Republicans are willing to work with us to protect Congress's power of the purse, and I welcome any and all ideas they may have on how we can work together to do just that.
(04:32)
That is the absolute bare minimum and it's frankly not asking a whole lot. Republicans should not be so eager to let Elon Musk cut off cancer research or clean energy jobs in their districts. They should not follow Elon towards a shutdown. Now, even though March 14th is just around the corner, most Republicans aren't really focused on funding the government and that's because their number one priority is passing more tax cuts for billionaires. Here in the Senate, as you know, last Friday, just before 5:00 AM, Republicans rammed through their pro-billionaire, anti-middle class budget blueprint. Possibly tonight in the House, Republicans are planning to do even worse. And to pass their massive tax giveaway for billionaires, they're going to defund Medicaid, slash veterans benefits, and force kids to go hungry.
(05:26)
I want to be clear, the congressional districts with the highest enrollment for Medicaid in my state are represented by Republicans. There's simply no way to realize the trillions in cuts they're calling for without kicking kids and families off Medicaid. They are cutting healthcare for the children they represent to cut taxes for billionaires. Hurting kids, making it so a child can't see a doctor to give Elon Musk a tax break he doesn't need. If that's the path Republicans want to go down, then I'm going to make sure that everybody knows that. To the American people, now is the time to tune in to C-SPAN. Now is the time to give your Republican congressmen an earful. Now is the time to text your family chat group.
(06:15)
Now's the time to do everything we possibly can to protect healthcare for our kids and families. Every American should understand their story and their voice will make a difference in this fight. Congress needs to hear you, so my advice is get loud. I will be using my voice and my vote to make sure kids can see a doctor, to make sure that kids do not go hungry. I'll be voting no to give billionaires more tax cuts while kicking kids off their healthcare.
Senator Schumer (06:51):
Senator Baldwin.
Senator Tammy Baldwin (06:54):
5,373. That is exactly how many phone calls my office received just in the past week from Wisconsinites who don't want President Trump slashing Medicaid, who don't want the world's richest man to rig the government so that he can profit even more, who don't want veterans benefits or services being cut and who don't want hardworking public servants fired for no reason at all. These are the people who recognize that this is just the tip of the iceberg regarding how Republicans are going to pay for their tax breaks for billionaires. Because at the very center of all these unpopular policies, what binds them all together is Republicans North Star, a massive tax break for the wealthy and the biggest corporations on the backs of our constituents. Look, we have seen this movie before. Last go around, the Republicans gave tax breaks to the very wealthy.
(08:10)
And in my state, one taxpayer, one single company got a bigger tax break than all Wisconsinites combined in the first year of that plan. That company was ExxonMobil. Just think about that. One taxpayer got a bigger tax break than every Wisconsinite put together. This time, the tax break will be bigger and it will be paid for by taking food from hungry kids, shutting nursing home doors, and ripping healthcare away from kids and disabled Americans. Their number one target is of course, Medicaid. No matter what my colleagues use as a policy cover, the end result will be the same. Elderly people will be left without care, vulnerable kids will be left without a doctor to go to, and disabled individuals without the help they need to live healthy and dignified lives.
(09:16)
Let me quickly tell you about a Wisconsinite who reached out to me. She's a sixty-year-old woman who was diagnosed with stage four metastatic breast cancer and it's metastasized to her brain, lungs, and liver. She depends upon Medicaid for treatment. And without Medicaid, she said, and I quote her, she'd be forced to ration or forego cancer treatment, hastening my death, or send me and my husband into bankruptcy while trying to keep me alive. Let that sink in. Let that sink in. The Republican plan puts her cancer coverage on the chopping block. And make no mistake, it will rob seniors, kids, and the disabled to pay for the rich to get richer. It's wrong.
(10:15)
We're going to use every lever we have at our disposal to lift up the concerns that we are hearing from our constituents, band together and organize with them and fight to stop this tax break for billionaires on the backs of our constituents. Back to leader Schumer.
Senator Schumer (10:35):
Yes, sir.
Speaker 4 (10:35):
Leader Schumer, heard what you said yesterday marking the three-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine. But what do you think is the path forward for the US vis-a-vis the war in Ukraine? Does it make sense to try to negotiate a peace deal?
Senator Schumer (10:50):
Look, the Ukrainian people have fought long and hard. We know who started this war, Putin, who's a bully. The Ukrainian people are fighting very hard. We should not abandon Ukraine or forced a decision down their throats that they don't like.
Speaker 5 (11:07):
Leader Schumer. Will Democrats support a clean continuing resolution if that's what it takes to [inaudible 00:11:12] March 14th?
Senator Schumer (11:13):
Look, we're negotiating right now, and I'm not going to get into the private details of negotiation.
Speaker 4 (11:18):
And would you support a bill though that does not require Trump to use appropriated funds?
Senator Schumer (11:18):
As I said, Patty's negotiating very well. We're not going to get into the details right now. Yes.
Speaker 6 (11:30):
Lori Chavez-DeRemer has her committee vote this week, she [inaudible 00:11:34] democratic support to save her nomination. Have you talked to Democrats on the committee about whether not to intervene to help her out there?
Senator Schumer (11:40):
Let's see what happens in committee.
Speaker 7 (11:42):
Leader Schumer.
Senator Schumer (11:42):
Wait, I promised I'd call… No women have raised their hands. I only don't like to call on men. So you get the last one.
Speaker 7 (11:48):
Are there any ideas that Democrats could pursue at some point this Congress that deals with waste, fraud, and abuse?
Senator Schumer (11:54):
There's lots of them, and we want to get rid of waste, fraud and abuse definitely. But you don't use a blowtorch, you don't use a meat ax and cut all the good things as well as things that are waste, fraud and abuse. No smart businessman would do that. And I think what they're doing is just outrageous. It's hurting people and I think the people in America are going to hate what they're doing, which is cutting people who are working hard and doing very needed jobs that help the American people. Thank you everybody.
Speaker 8 (12:24):
Call on [inaudible 00:12:34], should have called on you.
(12:24)
Not going to say anything.