Hakeem Jeffries gets into heated clash with CNBC host after being pressed on ACA negotiations
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and CNBC host Becky Quick got into a heated argument on “Squawk Box,” Friday, after the host pressed Jeffries over Democrats’ negotiations to extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits.
The exchange grew tense when Quick accused Democrats of allowing Obamacare subsidies to lapse for political gain — a claim Jeffries called “ridiculous.”
The two debated what would be the best strategy to persuade some Republicans to vote in favor of an extension of the ACA credits. Jeffries blamed Republicans for repeatedly refusing to “take yes for an answer” during the negotiations that occurred while the government was still shut down as to why a deal hasn’t been reached.
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Quick questioned why Democrats are pursuing a three-year extension to these subsidies, rather than a one-or two-year deal which Republicans would be more likely to accept.
After Jeffries mentioned that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer had offered a one-year extension of the tax credits during the shutdown, Quick jumped in and told the Democratic House leader: “Let’s not go back to what’s done in the past and what has not been extended. If you want to get something that has actually done, you need to do something that will have bipartisan [support]. Let’s not go back.”
Jeffries argued that the “context” of past negotiations was imperative to understanding the dynamics of the current negotiations.
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“It’s important context to make me realize that I don’t think you want to get a deal done,” Quick shot back. “I think this is something where you’d like to see the rates go higher and allow the Republicans to hang themselves with that. Is that the answer? Is this politics?”
“That’s absolutely a ridiculous assertion and really shame on you — shame on you for saying that because we’re fighting,” Jeffries fired back over crosstalk from Quick, who continued to assert that the three-year deal “is not going to get passed.”
“It’s not a partisan issue for us. In fact, the states that are most impacted as it relates to an Affordable Care Act tax credit expiration are all Republican states,” Jeffries added.
Quick agreed, noting that Democrats could “probably have some Republicans who would sign on if you guys could come up with something that actually looks like a bipartisan deal.”
Closing out the segment, Jeffries reiterated that “this is not a partisan fight” for Democrats, but rather a “patriotic fight” to restore the ACA tax credits and help Americans.
The funding bill to reopen the government, signed last week by President Donald Trump, did not guarantee funding for the tax credits but ensures the Senate will vote in December on a Democratic-backed bill to extend them.
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