By Lauren Burke
At a midday press conference on November 10 in a House side Capitol Hill recording studio, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) was asked the same question repeatedly: Was he still supporting his Democratic Senate counterpart, Chuck Schumer?
The questions once again arrived after eight Senate Democrats agreed to join Senate Republicans to open the government with no agreement on an extension of health care tax subsidies. Leader Jeffries decided to stay focused on Republicans who have now pushed the Affordable Care Act to the brink of destruction with decisions that will increase costs that would render health care unaffordable for many. Over 45 million Americans are covered under the Affordable Care Act. “The overwhelming majority of Senate Democrats, led by Leader Schumer, are opposing this bill in the Senate. They’ll articulate that there are a variety of different reasons that the bill is being opposed in the Senate,” Jeffries said when asked whether he supported Schumer’s leadership.
Eight Democrats joined with Senate Republicans on November 9 to start the process to end the 41-day federal government shutdown. The problem: The deal that the eight Democrats struck with Republicans who run the chamber did not include an extension of health care tax credits for the Affordable Care Act. The tax credits are set to expire on December 31. The Republican Party has focused on dismantling the Affordable Care Act, which they labeled “Obamacare” since 2010. “Donald Trump and Republicans, this toxic administration, they fired more than 200,000 federal employees prior to the shutdown that they started,” Jeffries also told reporters. Senate Democrats who sided with Republicans to start the process of reopening the government are pointing to a vote on the health care tax credits as part of the concession to reopen the government. But several of the eight Senators who were part of the deal with Republicans are being asked why they would trust the Republicans on any of the issues at hand.
The House is expected to reconvene and consider the Senate’s shutdown proposal on Wednesday. Democrats are likely to propose several amendments to the deal, which are likely to fail. During a November 10 House Democratic Caucus call, several members expressed gratitude to the House Leader Hakeem Jeffries for his management of the situation while Democrats in the House witnessed their Senate colleagues strike a deal with Republicans once again.
