Shutdown not about winning or losing : NPR
Senator Raphael Warnock, D-GA., Expresses when the Secretary of Health and Social Services, Robert Kennedy Jr.
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Andrew Harnik / Getty images
The Democratic Senator of Georgia, Raphael Warnock, said that the closure of the federal government did not aim to know whether the Republicans or the Democrats “win or lose”.
The leaders of the two parties remained firmly in their positions after the start of the closure on Wednesday: Democrats want to extend subsidies to the Act respecting affordable care (ACA) to which millions of people rely and cancel the health expenses of the Grande Act on President Trump. The Republicans say they want to negotiate subsidies after having concluded an agreement to finance the government.
Warnock said Morning edition That the Georgians in rural areas have expressed concerns about loss of access to health care. He said that a owner of a small business had told her that she had decided to close his business because paying health insurance would be too expensive without subsidies to the ACA.
The senator told Leila Fadel of NPR that the White House should “stop acting as if they are pieces on a failure. These are people’s lives”.
The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, blamed the Democrats for the closure during an interview with Morning editionSaying that they have chosen a “partisan fight” on “ninth hour” health expenses.
Leavitt also defended the Trump administration plans for permanent layoffs when closing. She said President Trump planned to meet the management and budget office to decide which agencies are essential and which “do not align themselves with” priorities and values ”of the administration.”
The White House distinguished Warnock and its colleague Democrat of Georgia Jon Ossoff in an article on X, claiming that their votes in the Senate left the members of the military service without salary in Robins Air Force in Georgia and injured the companies that surround it. The federal government employs more than 100,000 people in Georgia, according to the State Ministry of Labor.
Warnock defended his recent votes, saying that he “had voted to keep the government open several times this week”, referring to a plan supported by the Democrats who would have financed the government, expanded subsidies to the ACA and repealed cuts to health care programs. “Why don’t they go down in Georgia and don’t look at the faces of the people I see?”
As a pastor, Warnock said that he “hopes against hope” that the members of the GOP will come to negotiate and realize that the federal cuts in health care expenses will harm their own voters.
“They bet I care more about these people in Georgia who lose their jobs and who are struggling with health care than them. And unfortunately, it seems to be the case,” said Warnock. “I hope they will center people, then we have the chance to achieve the right public policy.”
Ally Schweitzer published the digital and radio versions of this story. Nia Dumas produced the radio version.
