10CNBC’s Squawk Box host Joe Kernen shut down a fiery interview with Senator Rubén Gallego (D-AZ) Monday after the pair sparred for over the ongoing government shutdown.
Democrats claim they only want to keep their constituents from seeing their premiums double under Obamacare, a failed health insurance plan, but the issue doesn’t come up until December. Additionally, the subsidies could be extended for about $200 billion but they won’t do that because Democrats want to cover illegal aliens. They want a $1.5 trillion bill and they want illegal aliens to get Medicaid.
Democrats are trying to blackmail Republicans by sacrificing the American people.
Far-left Rubén Gallego kept talking in circles.
Republicans offered a clean CR to keep the government open while they negotiated with Democrats. Now Gallego is pretending Democrats offered a simple, clean bill.
With that allegedly clean bill, they demanded that the President not get to decide which employees are necessary and must be paid.
“Instead of debating it and actually putting it to a vote, [Republicans] stopped it altogether,” the Democrat said. “And our bill was actually very clean and simple, which is: give everybody, every employee that’s a government employee right now that is not being paid, pay while we work this out.”
“The other bill, I guess the criticism, did you agree with that from Democrats, that it gave President [Donald] Trump too much leeway on which ones to pay, or what was – why did that not pay?” Kernen asked.
Gallego replied: “Well, because he gave the president the power to decide which employee was essential or not. And like, let’s be honest, this president is quite temperamental. He acts like a child. He’s very petty. And if you give him that power, he would use it in a petty, temperamental, childlike way.”
They argued over the clean bill the GOP offered.
Gallego continued: “No, we’re demanding a very simple thing… We want to make sure that Americans, 24 million Americans, do not see their insurance premiums doubled.”
Kernen pressed Gallego on the size of Democrats’ proposed spending: “Well, by not extending it, it would go up. But what’s the $1.5 trillion, Senator? You could extend those for one year, you could extend the Obamacare subsidies for $40 billion. For 10 years, you can do it for $3.4 billion. You’re asking for $1.5 trillion.”
Gallego shot back: “I’m sorry, are you an insurance broker?” before insisting the longer extension was necessary to prevent insurance premiums from doubling for millions of Americans.
The host returned to his point: “What’s in the $1.5 trillion? You could do it for 10 years, Senator, for $345 billion. What’s the $1.5 billion that Democrats are demanding to open the government? And this is unheard of.”
Gallego falsely claimed Democrats only want the health insurance taken care of. He left out that it includes illegal aliens. He dismissed the other hundreds of billions of dollars of waste Democrats are demanding.
“So they’re screwing up on tariffs, they’re raising inflation, and now they’re going to go ahead and raise your premiums,” added Gallego.
Kernen pushed back: “Senator the Republicans are refusing to be blackmailed and held hostage into what Democrats want. Mike Johnson doesn’t need to do anything.”
“I want 24 million Americans to have inflation? No!” Gallego cut in: “24 million Americans want their insurance, want healthy and affordable insurance.
Kernen gave up and ended it abruptly.
As the senator continued to talk, Kernen made some effort to interject, asking if he could finish his point before losing patience and adding curtly: “Okay. We’re finished, Senator. Thanks for your time.”
The Republicans have offered to extent the ACA subsidies for 1 year. The dems refused. The Republicans have offered to pay essential workers. The dems refuse. The dems rely on the propaganda media to influence public opinion and force the Republicans to cave.
This is about the DEI/DNC Party fighting for the illegal immigrants and ignoring their oath of office!!!!!!!
This is about the left wanting to spend over $1T more, lots of it to help illegals. Because of that, the shutdown is the left’s fault. The GOP cannot give in on this and win next year. Thune would like to back down, notice he says little. He is Mitch’s protege, but would lose his spot if he backs down.