Democrats know they have the upper hand on government shutdown.
The arguments Democrats have made to get Republicans to come to the table and end the lockdown have centered on the issue of health care, but there is also a deeper principle at work that resonates with a majority of Americans.
Since the Republican tax cuts for the wealthy, financed by the elimination of health care legislation, the question of fairness has lingered beneath the surface.
Why should the American people pay tax cuts for those who already have the most by losing their health insurance, or at best face exponential increases in costs?
During an interview on CNN’s This Morning, Hakeem Jeffries put this question in political terms when he explained why a one-year extension of Obamacare subsidies was not enough.
CNN’s John Berman asked: “Are you suggesting that when it comes to the Obamacare subsidies, you’re for permanence or broke? If they’re not made permanent, you won’t change your position on the shutdown?”
Jeffries replied:
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 expansion of the Affordable Care Act tax credits. But we are willing to have a conversation in good faith to try to resolve this Republican crisis in the health care system. It is ironic, however, that just a few months ago the Republicans passed their big, ugly bill, which included permanent tax breaks for their billionaire donors, the richest and most affluent people in the United States of America.
Learn more and watch the full interview below.