Appearing on “CBS Mornings,” Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) stated that a guaranteed vote on Democratic health care priorities is not enough to end the government shutdown, as he voiced his alarm over the nation’s “broken” and “dysfunctional” health care system.
Sanders highlighted the financial strain on Americans, citing the impending rise in health insurance premiums if Affordable Care Act tax credits are not extended. He also pointed to recent legislation that restricts Medicaid, arguing it will harm lower-income individuals and result in thousands of preventable deaths.
The senator dismissed an offer from Senate Majority Leader John Thune to hold a vote on the tax credits, calling it “no good.” He explained that even if such a measure passed the Senate, it could still be vetoed by the president or ignored by the House of Representatives.
“You know what’s going on right now in the House? The Speaker of the House, Mr. Johnson, has given his people a five-week vacation. They’re not even in Washington, D.C.,” Sanders said. “Before I vote on a bill that will… allow 50,000 people to die unnecessarily, yeah, I want it absolutely clear that that will not happen, period.”
Sanders described the Republican strategy of refusing to negotiate until the government is reopened as “unprecedented.” He argued that since the GOP needs Democratic votes to pass a funding bill, “they need to negotiate.”
“You know how much negotiations they’ve done? Zero,” Sanders said, characterizing the Republican position as, “Our way or the highway.”
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