Hakeem Jeffries Asked: 'Has Sen. Schumer In Your Mind Acquiesced To Trump' By Supporting CR?

2 days ago

At a House Democratic leadership press briefing, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) was asked if Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has acquiesced to President Trump.

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Transcript

00:00Has Senator Schumer, in your mind, acquiesced to Trump?

00:07That's a question that is best addressed by the Senate.

00:11The vote hasn't taken place yet, and the House Democratic position is very clear.

00:19We strongly oppose any efforts to cut the health care of the American people,

00:26veterans' benefits, and nutritional assistance, all of which are in the partisan Republican bill.

00:35We're going to continue to support Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' benefits, and public schools,

00:44while Donald Trump and House Republicans try to take a chainsaw to these important priorities of the American people.

00:51We'll see what happens over in the Senate.

00:54There are still undecided and undeclared senators, and we anxiously await that vote.

01:02Is it time for new leadership in the Senate?

01:06Next question.

01:07Mr. Leader, first, can you clarify, are you encouraging your Senate colleagues to vote no on cloture, not just the bill itself?

01:14We've been very clear. We strongly oppose the reckless Republican spending bill, period, full stop.

01:23Opposition, repeatedly articulated this week, speaks for itself.

01:28Mr. Leader, can I ask, has Senator Schumer talked to you before making his announcement?

01:34Can you tell us what he told you and what you said back then?

01:37He and I have had repeated and private conversations throughout the week, and those conversations will remain private.

01:43Leader Jeffries.

01:44Leader Jeffries.

01:45Have you lost confidence?

01:51On the Senate side, they have a much more difficult path than you do on the House side.

01:55You guys could all remain united and the bill would still pass.

01:58If Democrats stay united against this, the government will shut down.

02:02What would you have expected Schumer to do?

02:06This is not about one individual. This is about the American people.

02:11That's our view. We made a decision based on the four corners of this bill.

02:16It will hurt everyday Americans in our opinion, as Donald Trump and House Republicans have been doing for the last several weeks.

02:26Donald Trump promised to lower the high cost of living in the United States of America.

02:32In fact, to lower grocery costs on day one.

02:35Costs aren't going down, they're going up.

02:38Inflation is going up.

02:40You know what's going down? The stock market is going down.

02:43Consumer confidence is going down.

02:45Consumer spending is going down.

02:48Republicans are crashing the economy in real time and driving America toward a recession.

02:54That's what we're concerned about.

02:56Not individuals. Not individuals.

03:00The American people.

Hakeem Jeffries Asked: 'Has Sen. Schumer In Your Mind Acquiesced To Trump' By Supporting CR?

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