Rep. Neguse: “It’s time Donald Trump and Republicans finally see the writing on the wall and work with Democrats to reopen the government and address the healthcare crisis.”
Washington, D.C. — On day 15 of President Trump’s government shutdown, Republican leadership continues to refuse to call the House back into session. Meanwhile, Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse and his Democratic colleagues are in Washington, D.C. ready to negotiate an agreement that reopens the government. Rep. Neguse joined Morning Joe and All In with Chris Hayes on MSNBC to emphasize these efforts, see below for key highlights from each interview.
NEGUSE: I'm here in Washington with my Democratic colleagues. Republicans are now on week four of their paid vacation. Speaker Johnson has unilaterally decided to refuse to reopen the House, notwithstanding that the government has now been shut down for 15 days. We are continuing to build pressure, and my, I just, I guess I would caution folks, you know, this goes back to a point that Joe [Scarborough] was referencing a bit earlier. At the end of the day, part of what Donald Trump and his administration are attempting to do is to create this perception that he has all the power and that ultimately, sort of in some ways, create a sense of hopelessness or helplessness in the American public. We’ve got to resist the temptation on that front.
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NEGUSE: Some of the Republicans are beginning to break ranks. And not just some Republicans, MAGA stalwarts. Marjorie Taylor Greene, publicly saying that costs are going up across the board and criticizing the Speaker's procedural strategy in terms of keeping the House closed for four weeks and the substantive strategy in terms of these ACA credits expiring and health care costs ballooning across the country for everyday Americans. That, I think, is sending shock waves through the MAGA ecosystem…Let’s also be clear, Republicans here in Washington, D.C. work for one person and one person only — and that is Donald Trump. So, insofar as Donald Trump refuses to negotiate in good faith with democrats, I don't see this ending here soon. But one hopes that he would finally see the writing on the wall and work with Democrats to reopen the government and address the healthcare crisis.
Watch the full interview HERE.
HAYES: Congressman, it is notable I think this is the only person I'm hearing break with the party on this, at least in the House. Some Senators seem open to it. What do you make of Marjorie Taylor Greene's endorsement of extending the credits?
NEGUSE: Well, it's good to be with you, Chris. I would hesitate to proffer, you know, any guesses as to her motivations. But I think, my sense is…It's not rocket science. I suspect that [Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene] has seen what everyone else has seen, which is that her constituents are being completely left behind by President Trump. Costs are going up across the board. Everything is getting more expensive in Donald Trump's America, and that includes health care, which, of course, is exacerbated by the decisions that Republicans made earlier this year to cut Medicaid, to close rural hospitals, and now, of course, their failure to extend these ACA tax credits.
So, I suspect that [Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene] is seeing the same thing that so many of my colleagues are seeing. And I do think there are more members on the Republican side of the aisle, who are both privately and publicly signaling deep disagreement with respect to the Speaker's strategy, which, by the way, Chris, just for the record, and I think it's important, perhaps can't be overstated is just completely baseless.
I'm here at the Capitol, as you know, the House is now on week four of a paid vacation. The Speaker refuses to open up the House. We're now on day 14 of a government shutdown. It is absurd that the Speaker has not brought Republicans back to Washington. My Democratic colleagues, we’re all here ready to get to work, to negotiate and reopen the government. But I just don't think that this position that he has taken is sustainable or tenable.
Watch the full interview HERE.
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