DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene appeared on NewsNation and “Endless Urgency w/Mike Nellis” to call on House Republicans to get back to work, come to the negotiating table to address the health care crisis they created, and re-open the government.
DelBene makes the case that House Republicans, during their monthlong vacation, are ignoring the public at their own political peril. She contrasted how Republicans are running scared from their own constituents while House Democrats are in their communities working and fighting to protect their health care.
“House Republicans won’t even show up for work. It’s been a month that the House has been closed, and they’re not even around to help negotiate.”
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“The American people understand this too. They want folks who are going to stand up for working families. And health care costs are skyrocketing – and it’s happening right now. Notices are going out with premiums for next year. People are seeing huge increases across the country, and Speaker Johnson won’t even ask his folks to show up.”
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“We only need three more seats to take back the majority. And with the Republican Party running scared, House Republicans not even showing up for work, we’ve heard outrage from people across the country. They want to elect representatives who are going to stand up for them. We have incredible candidates that we have been working with across the country who are stepping up to run because they see what’s happening, and they understand how important it is to have folks who are going to stand up for the American people, stand up for working families. […] And right now, in special elections across the country, Democrats are running 15 points ahead of where we were in November of 2024. Folks are speaking out. They’re speaking out with their vote. We have great candidates running, and that’s why I feel confident we’re going to take back the House next year.”
“[Republicans] said on day one, and Donald Trump said as well, that his top thing he would do for the American people is to lower costs. He said he’d lower costs on day one. Number one issue when you talk to folks across the country is the cost of living, the cost of health care, child care, food, housing, energy costs – all going up because of actions of this president and this administration. And yet their focus has been the wealthy and the well-connected.
“They created a health care crisis in our country, are incapable of even bringing people back into town to make sure that we are addressing the needs of the American people. Premiums are skyrocketing for folks for health care for next year. And we’ve got to solve that problem right now, a problem that they have created, but they won’t even show up.
“I think it’s been really clear what Republicans stand for. They stand for their billionaire donors, for the wealthy and the well-connected. We are fighting for working families, and people across the country want to see tax credits extended for people’s health care. […] Republicans are nowhere to be seen.
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“Instead of talking about how they help people, you have Donald Trump trying to figure out new ways to inflict pain on working families, to gut programs that people care about, impact federal workers, taking away investments that were made in communities that are making a difference.
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There couldn’t be a greater contrast. We’re trying to help working families. They’re trying to figure out new ways to make life more painful. People are feeling that everywhere, and people are speaking out. And when people speak out, that makes a difference.
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“We have incredible members in swing districts across the country who are out meeting with their communities every day, talking about the top issues on their mind. You know, Derek Tran and Gabe Vasquez, who are talking about troop pay […]. Kristen McDonald-Rivet in Michigan, making sure that she’s talking about the shutdown impacts in her community. We have incredible members, and I think those voices on the ground are important. Having your representative be present, working, highlighting the issues and the impacts right at home makes all the difference.”
