House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has criticized the Trump administration over restrictions placed on several national news organizations, raising concerns about transparency and independent reporting. The affected media outlets have challenged the White House actions in court, citing First Amendment concerns.
Jeffries also used a healthcare roundtable in Rhode Island to outline House Democrats’ opposition to proposed Republican healthcare spending reductions. He said Democrats will push to protect Medicaid, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act, while seeking to reverse Medicaid cuts and extend ACA tax credits.
The developments highlight an ongoing political clash over press access, government transparency and the future of major U.S. healthcare programs.
#HakeemJeffries #Jeffries #TrumpAdministration #TrumpNews #USPolitics #AmericanPolitics #HouseDemocrats #HouseRepublicans #PressFreedom #FirstAmendment #NewsRestrictions #MediaFreedom #FreePress #WhiteHouse #Healthcare #Medicaid #Medicare #AffordableCareAct #ACA #ACATaxCredits #HealthcareCuts #Congress #CongressNews #Democrats #Republicans #PoliticalNews #BreakingNews #USNews #WashingtonDC
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Jeffries also used a healthcare roundtable in Rhode Island to outline House Democrats’ opposition to proposed Republican healthcare spending reductions. He said Democrats will push to protect Medicaid, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act, while seeking to reverse Medicaid cuts and extend ACA tax credits.
The developments highlight an ongoing political clash over press access, government transparency and the future of major U.S. healthcare programs.
#HakeemJeffries #Jeffries #TrumpAdministration #TrumpNews #USPolitics #AmericanPolitics #HouseDemocrats #HouseRepublicans #PressFreedom #FirstAmendment #NewsRestrictions #MediaFreedom #FreePress #WhiteHouse #Healthcare #Medicaid #Medicare #AffordableCareAct #ACA #ACATaxCredits #HealthcareCuts #Congress #CongressNews #Democrats #Republicans #PoliticalNews #BreakingNews #USNews #WashingtonDC
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NewsTranscript
00:00to improving the lives of the people of Rhode Island and the American people,
00:04and for the work that they have done and will continue to do to address the health care crisis
00:10that exists in the United States of America right now.
00:13Certainly want to thank Jesse and Lynn and Pat, of course, SEIU 1199, United Nurses, the AFL-CIO,
00:22all of the wonderful practitioners and health care providers who joined us at a very robust,
00:33comprehensive, thoughtful roundtable discussion where I learned a lot about the challenges
00:41that the people of Rhode Island are confronting in the midst of a Republican health care crisis
00:48that is worsening their ability to provide comprehensive and compassionate care
00:54to the people that they so ably serve.
00:59And unfortunately, it's a familiar conversation that I've had as I've traveled the country
01:05with people all throughout America.
01:09The Republican health care crisis is devastating the ability of health care providers to serve
01:20our families, our loved ones, our friends, and our neighbors in the way that they are committed
01:27to doing, particularly in an environment now where you have so many health care providers
01:32who are overworked and underpaid, as well as, of course, far too often underappreciated.
01:40House Democrats appreciate the work of our health care heroes and are committed to making sure
01:48that we provide them with the support necessary to enable them to provide the best possible care
01:56to people here in Rhode Island and all throughout America.
02:00As House Democrats, our core principle is that when you work hard and play by the rules,
02:07you should be able to live an affordable life, a comfortable life, and a good life.
02:12Yes.
02:13And that includes access to high-quality, affordable health care.
02:18Cannot be the situation where in this country, the wealthiest country in the history of the world,
02:24accessing high-quality, affordable health care is simply a privilege.
02:28Available only to the wealthy, the well-off, and the well-connected.
02:31No, it has to be a right available to every single person here in Rhode Island,
02:39every single American.
02:41That is our commitment.
02:43A lot of work that needs to be done because of the Republican health care crisis.
02:48So we're committed as a top priority as House Democrats to reversing these Medicaid cuts
02:55and extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits and then getting to work together with providers
03:03like those we had an opportunity to talk with today to construct the best possible health care ecosystem,
03:11a system, a system that the American people deserve so they can go see a nurse and go see a
03:19doctor
03:19and get high-quality health care whenever and wherever they need it.
03:27Republicans have made a lot of promises to the American people, and they've broken them all.
03:33Donald Trump promised to lower costs on day one, but costs having gone down in the United States of America,
03:40costs have gone up as a direct result of policies, including the Trump tariffs,
03:47which have increased costs on everyday Americans and the people of Rhode Island by thousands of dollars per year.
03:54Donald Trump promised not to start endless wars in the Middle East, but to stop them.
04:00And then turned around and has gotten us involved in a reckless and costly war of choice in Iran
04:06that has skyrocketed gas prices on the people here in Rhode Island and beyond.
04:11It was Donald Trump who promised to love and cherish Medicaid
04:16and then turned around, along with House Republicans and Senate Republicans,
04:21and enacted the largest cut to Medicaid in American history,
04:25putting a target on hospitals here in Rhode Island,
04:29putting a target on nursing homes here in Rhode Island,
04:33putting a target on home care workers here in Rhode Island,
04:36and putting a target on community-based health centers.
04:41Enough with this Republican assault on health care.
04:45We're committed as House Democrats to turning it around.
04:50I think that's true.
04:52You can tell you some questions.
04:53Leader Jeffries, I saw, I know you're also here for a fundraiser,
04:57and a House Republican said the other day they had the biggest cash advantage
05:00over the House Democrats campaign aren't they've ever had at this point in the cycle.
05:04Are you worried at all that despite the polling,
05:06you might get way outspent down the stretch and you could turn,
05:09turning back in the favor of the Republicans?
05:11Yeah, we're committed to making sure that all of our candidates have the resources necessary
05:15to communicate their message.
05:17It was an interesting observation because House Democrats' cycle to date
05:22have outraised our Republican counterparts.
05:26We've also raised, in terms of some of our outside allies,
05:32more resources than ever before.
05:34Now, in terms of, you know, whatever the MAGA Inc. Super PAC may have,
05:43which Donald Trump has engaged in the largest pay-to-play effort in the history of the country.
05:49And so, of course, he's racking in special interest dollars in amounts never before seen.
05:56But their money is not going to be enough to insulate them from their failed record
06:03of doing actual harm to the American people.
06:06One other question for Pat.
06:08We are, the White House is now enforcing this ban on CNN, Politico, I think MSNOW is in there too.
06:15What is your reaction to that move by the White House?
06:18Well, listen, a free and fair press is important to the integrity of our democracy.
06:24And what upsets Donald Trump, so he's decided yesterday to throw this unconstitutional temper tantrum
06:31because the reality is embedded in the First Amendment is the principle
06:37that we don't have state-run media here in the United States of America.
06:44We have independent journalism to hold power accountable
06:50for responding in ways that actually are designed to uplift the best interests of the American people.
06:56I know that the latest ban on several national media outlets will be challenged in court.
07:04And Donald Trump is going to lose that case.
07:08Just like he lost the case around the Trump tariffs,
07:13lost the case around birthright citizenship.
07:15And most recently, Democrats defeated Donald Trump in court
07:19to stop his effort to prevent mail-in voting from proceeding in a manner
07:26consistent with what's in the best interests of the American people.
07:29Donald Trump is losing case after case
07:32because his actions are unconstitutional and unlawful.
07:36And he's going to lose this case as well
07:38in terms of his attack on the free and fair press.
07:48So we're both long-suffering Jets fans.
07:52Though apparently, they're winning today.
07:55As you know, baby.
07:57Listen, what's the health care?
07:59Low reimbursement rates are obviously triggering a great deal of the medical crisis.
08:04But here in Rhode Island, we also suffer because the imbalance
08:07between reimbursement rates here and Little Rhodey versus, say, Massachusetts.
08:11And this is particularly true in the dental world,
08:14which isn't as often reported on.
08:16Oh, we're facing a real dental crisis here in Rhode Island.
08:19Dentists are fleeing to Massachusetts.
08:21Young dentists are taking, you know,
08:23I know several of them just moved to Maine, believe it or not.
08:25What can be done from a federal level
08:27to balance those reimbursement rates
08:30so that we're all playing on a level field,
08:32not just for the cost of medical care,
08:34but also the talents involved?
08:35Yeah, very important question.
08:36Let me yield to Seth and Gabe initially,
08:39and then I'll have a lot to say about it on the back end.
08:42Yeah, so you're absolutely right.
08:44One of the challenges we have,
08:45and we did discuss this down in the roundtable,
08:48is that Rhode Island has a hard time competing
08:50with the reimbursement rates of Connecticut and Massachusetts.
08:53And that's true not just in Medicare,
08:55but also in Medicaid and in private insurance as well.
08:58And so it's something that we in the Rhode Island delegation
09:02are very aware of and very intent on doing whatever we can to resolve.
09:08Myself, Gabe, Jack, and Sheldon as well, we talk about this often.
09:12And if there is an opportunity to get to better parity
09:15in reimbursement rates between Rhode Island and our neighbors,
09:17we are going to seek that opportunity.
09:20But, you know, to use a medical analogy,
09:23like first, when you're triaging,
09:25you have to start with where the greatest damage has occurred.
09:28And, you know, the first step in the triage
09:31is we've got to restore the Medicaid funding that was cut nationally.
09:36We've got to restore the Affordable Care Act tax credits,
09:38enhanced tax credits,
09:39because while those cuts hurt the entire country,
09:43they hurt Rhode Island more than most places
09:45because we were already in such a fragile place to begin with.
09:49So order of operations, number one, is restore that funding.
09:53And then number two, we as a delegation are very committed
09:55to making the case to why there needs to be better parity
09:58between Rhode Island and our neighbors.
10:00Alan, that we do.
10:02Listen, the Rhode Island congressional delegation may be small,
10:05but they're mighty.
10:06They punch above their weight.
10:08These two distinguished members of Congress
10:10partnering with the two U.S. senators.
10:12So this regional parity issue is a significant one.
10:16But as Seth indicated,
10:18we're certainly in a triage political environment right now
10:22with a healthcare crisis that exists.
10:26The whole system could collapse
10:28in ways that will have a devastating impact
10:30on the people here in Rhode Island
10:32if these Medicaid cuts are allowed to go into effect.
10:35So that's going to be a big fight
10:37that we will continue to wage
10:39on behalf of the people of Rhode Island
10:41and people all across the country.
10:43But this parity issue,
10:45it's regional in some cases here,
10:48certainly in the New England states
10:49in terms of what Rhode Island confronts
10:52relative to the reimbursement rates
10:54in Connecticut and Massachusetts.
10:56That was an issue that was raised and discussed.
11:00And I appreciated that
11:01because I hadn't fully understood that nuanced dynamic.
11:06And it's certainly something
11:08that we're committed to taking a hard look at
11:10and figuring out how it can be addressed.
11:12We confront this often across the country
11:15as it relates to parity issues
11:19connected to urban America,
11:22rural America, safety net hospitals
11:24in those two parts of the country
11:27versus suburban America
11:29or wealthier parts of America.
11:31And so we have to raise the floor
11:33certainly for everyone
11:36so that care doesn't depend
11:39on the zip code or the state
11:40that you live in.
11:42Should I lock some of the protocol
11:43for just a last second?
11:45It's my colleague.
11:46In very real time,
11:47we're watching factionalism
11:49divide the Democratic Party.
11:50We'll just call it the Democratic Universe.
11:52Of course, you've got Democratic Socialists,
11:54the Working Families Party,
11:55the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
11:57Much of that divisiveness
11:58has been spurred on by differences
12:00in foreign policy.
12:01Are we seeing the end
12:02of the traditional
12:03Kennedy-esque Democratic Party
12:05in America as we speak?
12:06I think what continues to connect
12:08Democrats going all the way back
12:10to FDR through Truman,
12:13to President Kennedy,
12:15to President Johnson,
12:17to President Carter,
12:18to President Clinton,
12:20to President Obama,
12:21and President Biden,
12:23I think I got them all in,
12:26is that Democrats,
12:28and this is the case in the House,
12:31whether it's Progressive Democrats
12:33or members of the New Democratic Coalition
12:36or Blue Dog Democrats,
12:38we're fundamentally committed
12:40to making life better
12:42for the American people.
12:45Understanding in this environment
12:47that we exist in right now,
12:48the cost of living is way too high.
12:51Life is far too expensive.
12:53There are too many people
12:54here in Rhode Island
12:56and across the country
12:57who can't thrive
13:00and they can barely survive.
13:01And that's just not acceptable.
13:04People are drowning
13:05in this failed economy.
13:07And what I can tell you
13:08across the ideological spectrum,
13:10within the House Democratic family,
13:12everyone's committed
13:14to improving the quality of life
13:16of the people
13:17that we're privileged to represent.
13:19And our party is very different
13:21than the other party.
13:22That's a cult over there, right?
13:24We're not a cult.
13:25We don't have a cult-like figure
13:27who just gives command
13:29and control orders,
13:31no matter how reckless
13:31or disattached from reality,
13:34and then everybody falls in line.
13:35We're a coalition.
13:37And we do have ideas
13:40and perspectives
13:42that could be nuanced at times
13:44about the best way forward.
13:45But everyone's committed
13:46to forward progress.
13:48And I think you're going to see
13:49a strong and unified
13:51House Democratic family
13:54proceed
13:55when the American people
13:56in 44 days
13:58give us the opportunity
13:59to govern in the majority
14:01on their behalf.
14:02Well, leader...
14:03That's one, Ted,
14:04and then we've got to finish.
14:06You know,
14:07they...
14:07Now you're better
14:08than the majority, right?
14:10Because they lost a beer.
14:11You had that.
14:11So if you're in the majority,
14:12what is the...
14:13We don't see the leader
14:14of the Democratic caucus here often.
14:15What is their role?
14:16What do you look to these two
14:18to lead on to do?
14:20Like, what are you...
14:21I want to hear this one
14:22and then we're going to stop.
14:24Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
14:25And they're...
14:26They're bringing you.
14:27Yeah, that's the way.
14:28Seth must have known
14:29that question was coming.
14:32But, listen,
14:34the...
14:34We're seeing
14:36great new leaders emerge
14:39within the Democratic Party.
14:40The baton has been passed,
14:42you know,
14:43in so many different ways
14:44in the House,
14:44and many of us are proud.
14:45We're proud.
14:46I served
14:46with Speaker Pelosi,
14:48her historic speakership,
14:50you know,
14:50along with Leader Hoyer
14:52and, of course,
14:54Whip Clyburn.
14:55And they've passed the baton
14:56to a new generation
14:57of Democrats.
14:59And that baton
15:00is being passed
15:01to leaders
15:02like
15:03Congressman Magaziner
15:04and Congressman Ammo.
15:06And they're bright,
15:07they're energetic,
15:08they're thoughtful.
15:09Most importantly,
15:10they really are in the job
15:12to deliver
15:12and make life better
15:14for the people
15:15that they represent
15:16here in Rhode Island.
15:17So there's going to be
15:18a lot of opportunities
15:19for these two
15:20distinguished members
15:22to lead
15:25in the next Congress
15:26and in years
15:27to come thereafter.
15:28and I certainly look forward
15:30to helping
15:31to facilitate
15:31their ability
15:33to deliver
15:34for the people
15:35that they serve
15:36here in the Ocean State.
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