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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) teamed up to release a Thursday video explaining why they voted against the House Republican-authored stopgap legislation. Its failure in the Senate led to a government shutdown.
In the clip that shows them taking a walking and talking together in Washington, the lawmakers raised concerns about the lapse in Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium subsidies as the main reason for their decision to withhold votes in favor of keeping the lights on in Washington.
“This is one of the dirtiest tricks that is being pulled on the American people right now. Starting today, October 1st and throughout the rest of the month, Americans across this country are going to start getting notifications that their insurance premiums are up to doubling…,” Ocasio-Cortez said in the nearly three-minute conversation.
The New York representative added the increase would hit millions of Americans.
“At a time when we’re already paying by far the highest prices in the world for health care, at a time when people can’t afford it right now. So what happens?” Sanders asked her.
“That means people getting bankrupt over chemotherapy, people going to the pharmacy and not being able to get their insulin,” Ocasio-Cortez replied, claiming many Americans would be “in danger.”
“Republicans want us to rubber-stamp that,” she continued, as they walked along a shaded sidewalk. “So what are we going to say to that, Bernie?”
Sanders cited studies from Yale and the University of Pennsylvania alleging that 50,000 low-income, working-class Americans would die because of Medicaid reductions approved in the One Big, Beautiful Bill and ACA subsidy removals.
To receive the subsidy, a person’s household income must be no more than 400 percent of the federal poverty line, among other criteria, according to the IRS.
“If you don’t have the money to go to a doctor, and you’re sick, you die. And that’s what we’re looking at. That’s what this clean bill is about…,” Sanders said.
Ocasio-Cortez told viewers that based on what Sanders said, “we’re saying no.”
“Remember, right now, our health care system is broken. Right now, we’re the only major country on earth not to guarantee health care to all people. And these guys want to make it even worse,” Sanders added. “We’re not going to let that happen.”
Republican leaders have hammered Democrats for blocking the “clean” stopgap bill that would keep current spending levels in place until Nov. 21.
Three members of the Senate Democratic caucus — John Fetterman (Pa.), Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.) and Angus King (Maine), an independent who caucuses with the Democrats — voted in favor of the bill.
“There were three Democrats that came over and voted with us because they know the strategy is a losing one,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said.
President Trump has been raising pressure on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) to encourage additional lawmakers to cave and fund the government.
His administration has promised mass layoffs in the face of a shutdown and other cuts to critical services amidst the standoff.
