Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) held a 'Medicaid Day Of Action' press conference on Tuesday.
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NewsTranscript
00:00So, good morning, good morning, and I would like to thank everyone for coming.
00:04My name is Prasanna Alston.
00:06I am the Interim Executive Director for One Brooklyn Health Interfaith Medical Center.
00:11I also want to give thanks to Congressman Hakeem Jeffries and Congresswoman Yvette Clark
00:16for being here and allowing us to participate in this very important conversation regarding
00:21the destabilization of Medicaid.
00:24I would now like to introduce Dr. Jason Hershberger, who is the Chair of our Psychiatry for One
00:28Brooklyn Health.
00:29Thank you, Dr. Alston.
00:35Thank you, Congressman Jeffries.
00:36Thank you, Congresswoman Clark.
00:38Thank you for all the fierce advocates in this room here to defend Medicaid.
00:42It's my honor to start this ceremony and introduce Congressman Jeffries on this very important
00:50topic.
00:51You know, being poor in America is really difficult.
00:54It's really hard.
00:55It's really hard.
00:56But one thing that provides stability and hope for people going through that is Medicaid.
01:03Cuts, threatened cuts to Medicaid sow fear across our country.
01:08It sows fear here in the inner city.
01:10It sows fear in rural counties of New York City.
01:13It doesn't matter if you're a red state, a blue state, everywhere, everyone in America
01:18is affected by Medicaid cuts.
01:20So I'm very honored to introduce Congressman Jeffries, who is the House Minority Leader.
01:27He's been a great advocate for health equity, for mental health initiatives, because I'm
01:33a psychiatrist, and for the safety and hospital system that provides hope and care for people
01:39who really need it.
01:40Good morning, everyone.
01:41Thank you, Dr. Hershberger.
01:42Thank you to the chairman, the entire Interfaith Medical Center team, as well as the One Brooklyn
01:55Health team for all of the tremendous work that you do on behalf of the people that Congresswoman
02:00Clark and myself are privileged to represent here in Central Brooklyn.
02:03I want to thank George and the SEIU family for all of the incredible advocacy and work
02:11that you do.
02:121199 family.
02:13Of course, to Michelle, to Nisna, as well, to all of the advocates, to the Reverend Dr.
02:19Waterman, who is here, this is a moment that we need prayer and leadership from the clergy
02:25as well.
02:28Republicans have proposed the largest Medicaid cut in American history.
02:35It will devastate children, families, people with disabilities, older Americans, women,
02:47and everyday Americans in this community, in the city of New York, and across the country.
02:54Why have they proposed the largest Medicaid cut in American history?
02:57It's because they want to pass massive tax breaks for billionaire donors like Elon Musk
03:06and wealthy corporations.
03:08It's unacceptable.
03:10It's unconscionable.
03:12It's un-American.
03:13Together, we're going to do everything we have to do to stop these cuts from ever taking
03:19effect.
03:20We're going to hear from a variety of different individuals who will personally be affected
03:32by these cuts and or have the people that they care for be impacted and hurt by this
03:44Medicaid cut that has been proposed.
03:47All across the country, we're having a Medicaid Day of Action to save Medicaid, here in New
03:55York City, in New York State, in blue states, in purple states, in red states, all across
04:03America.
04:06Medicaid is healthcare, and we believe that in the United States of America, healthcare
04:11is not simply a right.
04:14It is a privilege that should, not simply a privilege, it is a right.
04:19Making sure y'all are paying attention.
04:22Medicaid is healthcare.
04:25It's healthcare for the people in this community, in this city, in this country, and it is not
04:36simply a privilege to have healthcare in the United States of America.
04:43It is a right, and we're going to fight to make sure that that right is alive and well
04:48and save Medicaid in the United States of America.
04:52It's now my honor to introduce my sister, who represents the neighboring congressional
05:02district.
05:03We're in the eighth congressional district right now in Bedford-Stuyvesant, and the Interfaith
05:07Medical Center is such an important part of healthcare in this community.
05:12For the Bedford-Stuyvesant people that I represent, but also for the people of Central
05:16Brooklyn that Yvette Clark represents right across the street in Crown Heights in the
05:22ninth congressional district.
05:23She's also the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congresswoman Yvette Clark.
05:30Yes.
05:31Greetings and good morning, everyone.
05:36As has been stated, I'm Congresswoman Yvette Clark, and I proudly represent the people
05:40of the ninth district of New York, and I am chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.
05:45Let me thank my leader, the Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries,
05:51for today's press conference, and to all of the advocates, professionals who stand with
05:59us as we say no cuts to Medicaid.
06:03We all know why we've gathered here today, and that is to address the partisan spending
06:09bill, Congressional Republicans passed, that represents an extremely direct, extremely
06:15dangerous attack on veterans, families, seniors, and everyday New Yorkers.
06:23We can call this attack what it is with certainty, because it is an assault on healthcare of
06:30our neighbors that depend on it just to live.
06:35Healthcare in our nation was promised to them, and so I'm proud to stand at Leader
06:41Jeffries' side for this Medicaid Day of Action, just as I am proud to call myself a colleague
06:48to Democrats across this nation who are speaking the same message we are today, relaying the
06:55same dangers of this spending bill and standing for the same people and families it will hurt.
07:02I also serve on the Committee of Jurisdiction for Healthcare in the House of Representatives,
07:07the Energy and Commerce Committee, and we have been sent a mandate essentially to cut
07:14$880 billion from the federal budget in order to provide space in the budget for the trillions
07:27of tax cuts to the wealthiest, the wealthiest in the United States of America.
07:34This is a humanitarian crisis, and unfortunately, there is a move afoot to make sure that we
07:44all are impacted by these draconian cuts.
07:49We've engaged in this national mission to speak to millions of Americans across the
07:53country who have lived good, decent lives, the people who are now at risk of losing
08:01their healthcare and housing, safer communities, and retirement security due to the cuts made
08:09by those who haven't come close to the same standard of decency.
08:15In the face of this latest scheme to slash Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security to
08:21pay for tax breaks for billionaires, know that House Democrats will use every tool
08:29at our disposal to stop this devastating scheme that it requires all of us.
08:35It is clear that Republicans have put a bullseye on the most vulnerable Americans among us,
08:41and we will not sit down and stay quiet while they do.
08:46In New York's 9th District alone, the community that I've called home my entire life, cuts
08:52to Medicaid will severely impact over 65,000 people over the age of 65, 24,000 disabled
09:03children and adults, 146,000 young adults, 85,000 parents and caretakers, 149,000 children,
09:16and 11,000 pregnant women.
09:20And those numbers up, we can see that these cuts will hurt roughly 500,000 people within
09:29my district alone.
09:34That's almost half of our district.
09:38There are real people who will lose more than $5 million in Medicaid benefits and the services
09:45they rely on.
09:47I can tell you that you'll see similar disturbing figures across this nation.
09:55Republicans continue to rob Americans to fill the pockets of the rich, and their actions
10:02are costing lives.
10:06Democrats will continue to fight back by holding Republicans accountable.
10:12And let me just close with this.
10:14Human beings are human beings.
10:17They are born into this world without party affiliation.
10:22This is going to impact all Americans, all of us.
10:27The cascading effect of cutting $880 billion out of healthcare will not only mean the threat
10:36to our health and well-being.
10:39It will mean higher unemployment.
10:42It will mean the closure of hospitals and federally qualified healthcare institutions
10:49within our communities.
10:52It will mean devastation at every turn.
10:56We have just recovered from a pandemic.
11:00We are seeing the outbreak of measles across this nation.
11:05This is not the time for the most wealthiest in our nation, the top 1%, to line their pockets
11:13at the expense of the health and well-being of the people of the United States.
11:19It's time to stand up.
11:20It's time to fight back.
11:26It is now my honor to bring to the podium at this time Shoshana Salvador, one of the
11:33constituents of the 8th District, who has her story to share with you today.
11:42Good morning, everybody.
11:43How are you guys?
11:45Thank you, Jeffries and Congresswoman.
11:49My name is Shoshana Salvador, and I live in Gravesend.
11:52I'm also a single woman and a mother to this amazing two-year-old, Aviana, who just celebrated
11:58her birthday.
12:00I am also a Massachusetts National Guard veteran, and I am a member of MomsRising.
12:06Thank you, Leaders Jeffries, for all you are doing to fight for working families like mine
12:13and for the opportunity to share my story today.
12:16My family depends on Medicaid to stay healthy, and I am horrified that this critical program
12:21is under attack.
12:22I first enrolled in Medicaid when I was pregnant with Aviana.
12:25At that time, I was working at a child care program, and I did not have health insurance.
12:30Medicaid made all the difference for me.
12:32Because of Medicaid, I was able to access the prenatal care I needed to maintain a healthy
12:37pregnancy.
12:38I didn't have to avoid going to the doctor or skip filling prescriptions for fear I couldn't
12:43pay.
12:44I could deliver my daughter without worrying about going into deep medical debt.
12:48And I'm not alone.
12:50Nearly half of the births in New York are covered by Medicaid.
12:54Since Aviana was born, Medicaid has also been critical for her health care.
12:58Medicaid is the reason I can take her for all her check-ups that support her growth
13:03and her development.
13:04It also means that if I'm worried she's seriously sick, I can take her to a doctor.
13:08What could be more important than keeping our nation's kids healthy?
13:12I can't tell you what it feels like to watch your health care and your baby's health care
13:17get debated in Congress like it's a political chess piece, but I can tell you I feel like
13:22Republican lawmakers have their priorities upside down.
13:26Billionaires don't need another tax cut.
13:29Families need health care.
13:31I'm counting on lawmakers to stop playing games with programs like Medicaid and focus
13:35on real problems, problems that are holding our families and economy back.
13:41Like the child care crisis, I had to leave my job at a child care program because I could
13:46not afford child care.
13:51We barely scraped by, and I used to squeeze in door-to-door shifts where I could.
13:56Right now I work weekends and care for Aviana during the week, and I'll do almost anything
14:00to provide for her, but it's exhausting.
14:03In short, Medicaid is God sent for my family.
14:06I have no idea what we'd do without it.
14:08The thought of losing Medicaid is chilling.
14:11So instead of slashing funds or proposing more burdensome work requirements for Medicaid
14:16and SNAP that would punish caregivers, let's invest in the care infrastructure that parents
14:22need to be in the workforce and provide for our families.
14:26I'm so grateful for Leader Jeffries and Congresswoman and everyone here today for standing up for
14:33Medicaid.
14:34The program is essential for families' health and well-being, and moms like me will fight
14:38to protect you.
14:39I promise you this.
14:41Thank you, and God bless us all.
14:47Thank you, Shoshana, for your strength and your courage and your resilience and the passion
14:54within which you have shared your story, and I want to thank MomsRising for partnering
15:00closely with us on the fight to save Medicaid.
15:03I want to yield to Dr. Flores, Dr. Stephens, and then we'll open it up for questions.
15:09Thank you so much, Congressman Jeffries, and thank you, my Congresswoman.
15:16I am – yeah, that's where I live – and I'm a pediatrician, but I'm also the kind
15:25of physician that runs hospitals, meaning I have to look at the budget.
15:29In my career, I've had to look at budgets, how we spend money, how we make due.
15:34With these proposed devastating cuts, we will not be able to make due anymore.
15:40That means it impacts the services that are provided.
15:43It impacts those decisions we make as to how we're going to staff a hospital, how we're
15:48not going to have nurses, how we can't hire physicians, and everybody else that's employed
15:53in a hospital.
15:55That is what people are going to have to face, and I want to remind people that this is not
16:00just an inner-city problem, a brown problem, a Latino problem.
16:06It is all our problem.
16:08I've worked in many different types of hospitals – voluntaries, municipals, federal, international
16:15– and I will tell you that this is going to impact mostly people that live in rural
16:21areas more than even urban areas.
16:24That is – it is going to hurt all of us.
16:27Once a hospital closes, people don't stop getting sick.
16:31Once a hospital closes, those people that have had to defer or deny themselves care
16:37because they no longer had coverage through Medicaid have to go somewhere when they're
16:41very sick and dying, have to go somewhere when they have chronic disease.
16:45Where are they going?
16:46They're going up the street to the next hospital, maybe.
16:49That ambulance is going to take them to a hospital where perhaps other people who do
16:54not rely on Medicaid have comfortably been able to use those services.
17:00It's not going to be there.
17:01I've run those hospitals also.
17:03We have to serve everyone.
17:05The person that comes in need will be at the front of the line.
17:08We will all have to wait.
17:10We're all going to be impacted by these cuts.
17:12I also want to bring up one more thing that has not been mentioned and others will mention
17:17is prescriptions.
17:20Prescriptions are supplemented by Medicaid.
17:24The control of many prescriptions is through Medicaid.
17:28So especially as we age, those prescription costs are going to go up.
17:33So all that needed medication that we can barely afford now, we will not be able to
17:38afford.
17:39This is a problem that affects us all.
17:42This is a cut that is going to affect everyone.
17:46It is impossible to go forward with these kinds of cuts.
17:50And I say that as a physician, a pediatrician, and a member of the community.
17:54And thank you so much for being here, the mother that spoke before me.
17:58It's not a time of fear, it's a time of action.
18:01So let's get going.
18:20Good morning.
18:21Good morning.
18:22My name is Gary Stevens.
18:23I am the chief medical officer of One Brooklyn Health and a cardiothoracic surgeon.
18:24So when I'm not helping my colleagues run this great institution, I'm in somebody's chest
18:25doing heart surgery.
18:26But it's important to us that I want us to cast our vision a few years down the road.
18:33While there is an immediacy to the impact of Medicaid cuts, Medicaid cuts will affect
18:40chronic disease management.
18:42And I want you to think brain, heart, and kidney.
18:47Untreated hypertension and diabetes is going to lead to heart attacks 15 years from now,
18:55is going to lead to stroke 15 years from now, and is going to lead to renal failure and
19:00increased cost.
19:02So it's important that we understand that this cut is really cost avoidance.
19:08It's transferring debt to later on down the road.
19:13And while we can spend a dollar today managing somebody's hypertension, it's going to cost
19:20you $100 to manage their stroke by comparison.
19:25And I think that's an important part of this conversation.
19:28And this debt will come due, and we need to be able to stop it now.
19:34The decisions we make today is going to impact the life of that young lady because she's
19:40going to be responsible for paying for this.
19:42We need to be smart.
19:44We need to join this fight.
19:45And we need to be joining with the congressman and the leader to make sure that we stop these
19:52cuts because it's important to some unsuspecting person out there who is going to pay the cost
19:57of this in a few years' time.
19:59Thank you very much.
20:00Thank you, Dr. Stevens and Dr. Flores, for your incredible service to our community.
20:10Before we open it up, I did want to yield to SEIU 1199.
20:14We have the president, George Gresham, who is here.
20:17George, I don't know if you wanted to say a few words.
20:20And as you make your way over here, let me yield to Michelle, who is a tremendous, forceful
20:26community advocate, leader of SEIU 1199 here at Interfaith Hospital.
20:38Good morning, everyone.
20:40My name is Michelle Nedd.
20:42I am a delegate.
20:44I'm an employee here at Interfaith Medical Center for the past 42 years, going on 43
20:50years.
20:51At this time, we have some serious business to talk to you about today.
21:00Media, listen up carefully.
21:03Medicaid and Medicare cut in this community is unacceptable.
21:08Mr. Akeem Jeffries, our speaker, congresswoman, this information needs to get back to Washington.
21:16This is no joke.
21:17Look at where you are.
21:19This is Bedford-Stuyvesant.
21:20In this community here, we need the funding.
21:24We cannot tell patients that come to our doors through this ED that we cannot see them.
21:30We have to treat every patient that come through this door as if they were at Mount Sinai and
21:35all the other North Shore hospitals.
21:37If we don't get funding, we will not be able to serve this community.
21:42I started off in healthcare early, at the age of 12, because I had to get in the back
21:47of an ambulance every week to take my mother to this very hospital, St. John's at the time,
21:53because of asthma.
21:55If she did not have insurance, she would not have been seen, and she would have died.
21:59Again, the message is that we need funding.
22:03We are a part of a safety net hospital, OBHS.
22:07We don't get money unless it comes from government subsidy.
22:11So at this time, I'm urging every one of you to take this message back.
22:15We need the funding.
22:17Do not cut Medicaid.
22:18Do not cut Medicare.
22:20The community needs it.
22:22We will not have staff to work if we don't get the tools to work.
22:26At this time, I am pleading to you, Mr. Jeffress, bring this message back.
22:31And thank you all for hearing me.
22:55Can you hear me now?
22:58Yes, sir.
23:00Good morning, everyone.
23:02Good morning.
23:05We're here today for a very, very serious reason, but we shouldn't be here.
23:16We should not have to direct the priorities of this country based on humanity.
23:24And that's what we're doing.
23:27Over 60 years ago, Dr. King said to 1199 in a speech to us that of all of the discriminations
23:40that occur in this country, the most egregious was that of healthcare.
23:48That was 60 years ago, and is as true today as it was then.
23:54We cannot sit by and allow those who have the resources that would last them three,
24:01four, five lifetimes to say that they're going to cut money out of Medicare, out of Medicaid,
24:10have they lost their mind, or do they think we've lost our mind by allowing them to do
24:17that?
24:18And so we in 1199 are going to speak up as loudly as we can, because the consequence
24:27of not doing that is death.
24:30People don't like to be dramatic, but I'm not going to sanitize it.
24:34That is the reality of what happens.
24:37So when they no longer have primary care that they can get, the emergency room becomes
24:43their primary physician.
24:45If you go into the average hospital now into the emergency room, it looks like a mass unit.
24:53Just imagine, if you will, what will happen.
24:57And as was said before, we did not expect the last pandemic.
25:02Imagine how wise we would look if we allow $880 billion to be transferred out of healthcare
25:12to give people a tax break, and we get hit with another pandemic.
25:18This community knows well what it feels like to be hit by a pandemic, because we had the
25:24highest deaths in this community.
25:28Because COVID really was a symbol of survival of the fittest when it first came out, when
25:36we didn't have a vaccine.
25:38And so those that were not getting the best care, period, were the ones that were to die
25:45the quickest.
25:47We cannot put that burden on Interfaith Hospital or one Brooklyn Health Hospitals or any hospital
25:55in Appalachia in the South.
25:59They may not look like us, but they are humans.
26:03They deserve the same quality of care.
26:07Life in healthcare should show no humanity.
26:11Your healthcare cannot depend on your zip code or your life expectancy.
26:17So we urge you, sometimes we are quiet.
26:21Me as the President of 1199, it's my privilege to speak for 450,000 healthcare workers in
26:30this country.
26:32Congresswoman Clark, it's her privilege to speak for the areas that she represents in
26:38Brooklyn, the same with our leader, Hakeem Jeffries.
26:45But there comes a time when we must speak for ourselves.
26:51Everybody needs to hear this voice.
26:53I do not have the voice of 450,000, but I'm going to work very hard to make sure that
26:59the 450,000 stand.
27:02What we need, the beginning of this country was founded because things were not being
27:07treated right.
27:08I say today, we need a non-violent healthcare revolution in this country.
27:16Let's all stand up.
27:23There's nothing more to say, let's just do the work.
27:26The work got to get done.
27:28We cannot afford for that cute little sweetheart where she is.
27:33We can't think about it.
27:35They're taking away our future.
27:37How dare they?
27:39So they can get a lower tax break.
27:41Have they lost their mind?
27:43Or do they think we've lost ours?
27:53Questions?
27:55Good morning, Leader Jeffries.
27:57It's been mentioned that Democrats are willing to use every tool in the toolbox in order
28:01to fight these cuts.
28:02Can you give some specifics as to what those tools might be?
28:06And then also, recent days we've seen what appears to be some division amongst Democrats
28:11being very critical of Chuck Schumer.
28:14Can you talk to whether or not you are standing by Chuck Schumer?
28:17Do you feel like you'll be able to unite Democrats particularly at a time like this?
28:21Sunday we had a good conversation about the path forward, particularly as it relates to
28:26making sure we all speak with one voice in the effort to stop these Medicaid cuts from
28:32ever being enacted into law.
28:35All across the country, led by House Democrats, we're having a Medicaid day
28:40of action, engagements, site visits, town hall meetings, press conferences, interactions
28:48with our constituents, hearing from health care providers all across the country to elevate
28:55their voices to make sure that the American people understand that this is a matter of
29:01life and death when it comes to saving Medicaid.
29:05And so the next few weeks in Washington, D.C., Republicans are going to try to jam
29:09this budget down the throats of the American people.
29:12Every single House Democrat and every single Senate Democrat voted against the initial
29:19budget resolution at the end of February, and we remain united in stopping these Medicaid cuts.
29:27Thanks.
29:29Leader Jefferson, you and Leader Schumer issued a joint statement about Medicaid and
29:33the threat today.
29:34Why isn't he here now and when do you think he'll appear together on this call?
29:38Yeah, I assume that he's participating in other engagements throughout the state, but
29:45Senate Democrats have been very clear.
29:47They're partnering with House Democrats to stop these cuts from ever taking effect.
29:54These are the largest Medicaid cuts in American history, and Medicaid is a vital health care
30:01program for over 90 million Americans, millions here in the city and across the state.
30:09Women and children and families and seniors and Americans with disabilities all rely on
30:18Medicaid to get their health care.
30:21It's inhumane.
30:22It's inhumane what the Republicans are trying to do, and we're going to expose their scheme
30:28all across the country.
30:29It's a scheme to jam these massive tax cuts down the throats of the American people for
30:34their billionaire donors and wealthy corporations who don't need it, and then they want to
30:40force working class Americans to pay the bill by robbing working class Americans of their
30:46health care.
30:47We will not let it happen.
30:49That's all.
30:50Awesome.
30:54Peter Jeffers, I know that you and Chuck Schumer issued a joint statement a while ago supporting
31:00this Medicaid Day of Action so there's unity on this, but Mr. Schumer actually was on CBS
31:06this morning, and he was talking about his controversial decision to let the continuing
31:12resolution go forward, and what he said today was sort of interesting in that he said that
31:17he was told by a Republican senator that if they didn't do this bill that there would
31:24be a shutdown of government between six and nine months, and that the damage that the
31:30Republicans could do in terms of furloughing people and stopping this economy could be
31:35devastating.
31:36So I wonder if now after the dust has cleared and the smoke has cleared, if you can somehow
31:42see his logic in the decision that I know you didn't like about his decision to try
31:47to let the government go forward.
31:49Well, you know, as House Democrats we stand by our decision to oppose the Republican spending
31:55bill because the partisan Republican spending bill that was not negotiated with Democrats,
32:02it was written by Donald Trump and House Republicans, would hurt families, hurt veterans, and hurt
32:09seniors.
32:10It would cut health care, cut veterans' benefits, and cut nutritional assistance from children
32:16and families all across America, including in the communities that Congresswoman Clark
32:20and I represent.
32:22So that was not an acceptable thing for us.
32:25Our view was that the choice was between voting down the partisan, reckless Republican spending
32:35bill, and then forcing Republicans to explain why they were unwilling to accept a four-week
32:41spending agreement that would simply allow Democrats and Republicans to try to arrive
32:48at a spending bill that would meet the needs of the American people.
32:52It was the Republicans' choice, in our view, to potentially shut down the government, and
32:57they would have to explain that to the American people.
33:00If I could just follow up, if you could just tell us how you feel about Chuck Schumer's
33:04decision to do what he did, and the fact that he continues to take incoming bullets day
33:09after day after day, and it hasn't stopped.
33:11Is that right?
33:12Is it wrong?
33:13And do you support his leadership of the Senate?
33:15Yes.
33:16Yes, what?
33:17Yes, I do.
33:18Thanks.
33:19Yeah, this is not about the Democratic brand.
33:37This is about the American people and the folks whose health care is under assault.
33:44I think that the politics of this will take care of itself.
33:48And it will take care of itself as early as next year in the midterm elections.
33:53But right now, it's about stopping these extreme things from happening that are wildly
34:01inconsistent with what Donald Trump and Republicans were talking to the American people
34:07about last year.
34:08All last year, all last year, Donald Trump and Republicans were talking about they were
34:13going to drive down the high cost of living in the United States of America and rebuild
34:18the economy, their words.
34:21And then they were running away from Project 2025 as if it didn't exist.
34:26This year, they've done nothing to improve the economy, nothing to drive down the high
34:32cost of living in the United States of America.
34:34We believe that the cost of living is too high and that we have to lower housing costs
34:40and child care costs and the cost of groceries and insurance costs and utility costs.
34:45We, as Democrats, want to work on that.
34:47Republicans have done nothing to improve the economy.
34:50In fact, costs aren't going down, they're going up.
34:53Inflation is going up.
34:56And Donald Trump and Republicans are crashing the economy in real time and potentially
35:01driving us toward a recession.
35:04So they've done nothing on the economy.
35:07And everything we're seeing is all part of Project 2025, which they claimed didn't exist
35:14last year.
35:15And now they're trying to jam it down the throat to the American people.
35:18They lied to the American people.
35:19We're going to hold them accountable.
35:22The politics will take care of itself.
35:24But I'm very confident that next November, we're taking back control of the United States
35:28House of Representatives.
35:31You know, I think that the way that this has been constructed is incorrect.
35:41Like I said, human beings are human beings.
35:44We are not born into partisan politics.
35:47We are born into a life that we expect will respect human dignity.
35:55And here we are, 2025, with a new administration that has demonstrated that they value some
36:05lives over others.
36:07And we cannot stand as Americans, regardless and irrespective of political party, and just
36:15take it.
36:16We have to fight back.
36:18This is about the lives that we lead, whether you're Republican or you're Democrat.
36:24Without your health, nothing else matters.
36:27And so we are appealing not only to Democrats, but to people of goodwill, irrespective of
36:34party, to stand up.
36:36Stand up for your neighbors.
36:38Stand up for your coworkers.
36:40Stand up for the families.
36:41Stand up for those you worship with.
36:44Because in this moment, we will all be paying a dear price if we don't stand up.
36:51Last question.
36:53Last two questions.
36:55Mr. Jeffries, you said that you support Chuck Schumer's leadership.
36:58There are some in your caucus who disagree and have been sharply critical of him.
37:03To those voices, I know Steve has been talking among them.
37:07Does that help democratic unity?
37:09And have you urged your caucus to align itself with Schumer and the rest of those?
37:13Yeah, we all align on the fights that are in front of us on behalf of the people that
37:19we represent here in Brooklyn and New York City and across the country.
37:23And that's saving Medicaid, saving Social Security, saving Medicare, all of which
37:30Elon Musk and Donald Trump and Republicans, they want to take a chainsaw to Medicaid.
37:37They want to take a chainsaw to Social Security.
37:40They want to take a chainsaw to Medicare.
37:44But let me be clear.
37:45We're going to take a chainsaw to Project 2025.
37:48That's right.
37:49Mr. Jeffries, this is just kind of a clarifying question, but I did just want to underline
37:56that.
37:57Does this mean that you have confidence in Schumer?
38:00Yes.
38:01Thank you very much.