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Let's stick with Venezuela for a moment, though, knowing that this boat has been seized and the look, we've got another six tankers that have been sanctioned, so we could soon have our own shadow fleet. It sounds like the President talked about this yesterday at the White House.
Listen.
It's about a lot of things, but one of the things it's about is the fact that they've allowed millions of people to come into our country from their.
Prisons, from gangs, from drug dealers, and from mental institutions, probably proportionately more than anybody else.
So it has to do with a lot of things.
They've treated us badly, and I guess now we're not treating them so good. That's where we start our conversation with the gentleman from Massachusetts who has authored a war Powers Act that could soon hit the floor less. Of course, the Speaker doesn't want to see that happen. This is a conversation that Democrats and Republicans are having here in Washington. Jim McGovern, Democrat from massachuse It's ranking member on the House Rules Committee with us in studio right now.
It's really great to see you. Happy to be with you for coming in combine pleasure.
You've introduced this War Powers resolution some time ago.
Will it hit the floor soit.
Yeah, I expect to force a vote on it next week. It'll be ripe to be considered on Wednesday or Thursday of next week. We have Republican co sponsors Representative Massy and Representative Bacon and Marjorie Taylor Green on our on boards on this resolution as well. You know, again, this
is not a democratic initiative. I mean these are This is a bipartisan effort by those of us who actually believe the Constitution means something and Congress has a role to play, and we don't want this president going into a war without a debate and without a vote and authorization by Congress.
Would this be specific to Venezuela or more broad.
It would be specific to Venezuela because that's you know, that's that's the conflict we seem to be getting sucked into. Although you know the clipp you just showed of the resident, he went on to further threat in Columbia, you know where he might do further action. But look at wars are easy to get into. Their hard as hell to
get out of. And we have a history, you know, of talking tough, of getting sucked into these wars that cost you know, billions of billions of dollars, and then we find ourselves in a quagmire that we can't get out of.
Now, I know for a fact that you understand the politics of the Caribbean better than most on Capitol Hill. You helped to begin normalizing relations with Cuba in the Obama administration. You've spent a lot of time in the region. So what do you think the president's aim is here? Is it regime change or something else?
Yeah, I think it's oil quite frankly, Yeah, I think this president is not about promoting human rights. He doesn't give a damn about democracy, and this is not about drugs. I mean, he pardoned the former president of Honduras who was one of the biggest ra narco traffickers in.
The world, hundreds of tons of coaches.
Yeah, so I think, I mean, there must be some financial interest in pursuing this policy for the president, because that's all he really cares about, making money for his family and money for those who are close close to him. Look, our history in Latin America has been one of arrogance, has been one of putting profits ahead of human rights. And by the way, this administration doesn't give a damn
about human rights. They just issued their National Security strategy and this is the first administration that has removed the word human rights from the from the strategy. So this is about Donald Trump's ego and it's about I think oil. I think that's at the end of the day.
I think that's that's why we're seasoned tankers.
You know. Again, it would be nice if we had a functioning Congress that would call his administration up and ask these questions like why are we doing this?
Why?
Now? Again, this is not about drugs. More drugs are coming from Mexico and China right than from Venezuela. So what is the strategy here? And the President's threatening you know, action on the ground in Venezuela. Now that's that's war. He's threatening to cut off you know, air traffic.
Are going to do the land.
So you think that he would actually strike with around targets in Venezuela.
Well, if he does, that's an act of war.
That's an act of war. Blowing up drug boats not an active war. Well, I mean I think it is.
I mean, we have some of my colleagues are debating that issue, but not only blowing up drug boats. I mean, it appears that we are guilty of serious human rights crimes by actually palmming survivors who are begging for help.
Again.
You know, Congress ought to be demanding a clearly defined mission in terms of what he is doing in Venezuela, and up to this point there have been very few question questions and he's provided very few answers.
You said something interesting of functioning Congress is back off what we're talking about here for a minute. We are in a world now where it does seem that discharge petitions and reconciliation bills are the only way to get anything done in the Congress.
Do you feel that way? Committee? You know?
Yeah? I mean this Congress under Republican leadership does not function. It is not working. It is a terrible disservice to the American people. This is a place where trivial issues are getting debated passionately, and important ones not at all. I mean, we have a healthcare crisis right now. People are seeing their healthcare premiums skyrocket. People are deciding to go without health insurance next year because the costs are
so high. We need to be talking about extending the ACA tax credits so that people can afford their health insurance. And we're not doing that. We're talking about stupid stuff, stuff that is probably not even going to go even be considered by the Senate, that is going nowhere. I mean, again, Congress, a functioning Congress means that we do the work of
the American people. And I'd like to think, no matter what your politics may be, you know, making sure that we are addressing issues of affordability, which includes the cost of health care, are front and center. I mean, if the Republicans have a plan, then bring the plan to us, let's debate it and vote on it. They've got nothing, Well, let's talk about healthcare. Because the Republicans put up bill in the Senate yesterday.
It failed.
Then the Democratic plan failed. The Democratic plan, of course, would extend Obamacare subsidies. The Republican plan produced by Bill Cassidy would have health savings accounts.
Congress.
When I spoke with Nicole Malia Takis yesterday, who is signed on to a bipartisan effort in the House, D's and ours that would extend the subsidies, would add some eligibility controls as well, because someone like Nicole Malia Takis is not.
A fan of the affordable character. She told us yesterday. Let's listen.
Well, there's so much fraud here, which is why we think we have the proper balance, and this gives us enough time, by the way, to then work over the next year or two to be able to come up with something that can truly replace the Affordable Care Act and bring costs down. Now, what the Speaker and leadership are saying is that we're going to take up a health savings account measure which will help people certainly with
their medical costs. And I support that initiative, but it doesn't go far enough.
Okay, but this is unlikely to see the floor unless the discharge petition makes that happen.
But we do with the discharge petition route, we won't be able to get to it until probably in early January.
Sure.
My question to Representative Malia Takasay is like, where the hell have you been? I mean, you're a Republican, your party's in charge. We've been talking about this issue from months. This is not something's just for the right since before the shutdown, well before, we've been talking about it during reconciliation. Right, So we go back months and months and months, and we've been saying we got to focus on this, and all we've been hearing from Republicans is like, oh, yeah,
we'll get to it, We'll get to it. And now we're out of time. People are going to lose their health insurance. Healthcare ought to be considered a fundamental human right for everybody in this country. You know, I mean you need health care. If you don't have health care, you end up in an emergency room, right, you know, I mean, this is this is crazy. So look, I there were a number of discharge petitions that are going to that have been introduced with various approaches to helping
people afford their health insurance. I mean, let's let let's figure out what the US one is and let's move on it. But the stalling and the excuses and the faker pointing it has to end. You know, we have been we want to debate this issue, we want to vote on this issue. We want to help the millions of people in this country who are about to get screwed.
What's the conversation in Worcester, Massachusetts. Right now, if you stop in Kelly Square and ask somebody about their health insurance, are they seeing these increases in dropping off the rolls or are they saying I can't afford it any way?
So to your point, I'm going to go to the emergency room, I guess so.
I mean, we're hearing some really terrible stories of people basically saying I can't afford by health insurance. Our office is getting innudated with calls. Look at people in Worcester just want us to do our job, and they get it. There are differences between Democrats and Republicans, but at the end of the day, they want us to get something done. You don't have to agree on everything to agree on something,
but whatever that's something is. It has to be about improving the quality of life for the people who live in Worcestern all around the country. And the problem with what some of the what the Senate did on the Republican side is the stuff that they're proposing.
You know, it doesn't mean anything in anybody's life.
I mean, you know, saying I'm fixing healthcare, but in reality, not fixing healthcare, not making it more affordable.
Well, that doesn't help anybody, right.
You know, we ought to have a larger discussion how we fix our entire healthcare system because it's a mess. It's two for profit oriented. But we're not going to do that in a week or two.
Right.
Right now, we need to extend these tax credits so that millions of people don't see their premium skyrocket and millions don't lose their health insurance.
We've only got about a minute left here.
A terminal user just wrote us while we're talking, ask the congressman why the ACA failed that they designed.
Maybe I can reframe that a bit.
A lot of Republicans come on the air and they say this thing was never affordable. Obamacare itself has raised premiums. Is this plan broken?
No, look at it.
I think it's not perfect. Yeah, but it is better than the alternative, which is no ACA.
Right.
I mean, the bottom line is millions and millions of people have now have coverage because of the Affordable Care Act. You know, if we extended the tax credits, it's affordable. But as I said, we need we need to have a bigger conversation look at it. If it was up to me, we would have a Medicare for All system. When I was the chairman of the Rules Committee, we were the first committee needed the House or Senate to do a hearing. I'm Medicare for All, and I'll tell
you it was a very, very powerful hearing. But you know, to fix healthcare holistically, you know it's going to take some time. In the meantime, let's extend those tax credits. Let's let's let's help people afford their health insurance.
Let's talk when the War Powers Act hits the floor. We've got a lot more to talk about. Congressman, Let's do this next time at Coney Island.
All right, I'm with you.
Onions or no, Yeah, with onions. With onions, it's the only way to That's how dogs in the world. They really are too. I'm Jill Matthew in Washington.
Congressman Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, this is Bluebird.