Democrat California Rep. Maxine Waters lashed out at a reporter Tuesday after fielding questions about whether Democrats would risk a government shutdown to secure health care for illegal immigrants.
The government will shut down at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, unless Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats agree to the temporary spending bill the House approved to keep operations running through Nov. 21. Outside the Capitol, LindellTV reporter Alison Steinberg pressed Waters on whether her party’s demands placed non-citizens ahead of American citizens.
“So you’re good with the government shutdown, even if it means giving health care to people who aren’t Americans?” Steinberg asked Waters.
WATCH:
“Well, you keep, that’s what you’re pushing on. What you’re trying to do is you’re standing here and you’re trying to make me say that somehow we’re going to put non-citizens over Americans. Quit it. Stop it. This is the kind of journalism we don’t need,” Waters said.
“You’re divisive. No, you’re not. You’re being divisive. No. Please. You don’t need to ask that question,” Waters fired back. “You’re just trying to get controversy here. You’re not going to get it from me. We want to save health care for all people.”
Waters said Democrats want sweeping reforms.
“Do Democrats want to prioritize the health care of illegal aliens over a government shutdown?” Steinberg asked. “Because if the government does shut down, Americans want it to be furloughed.”
“Excuse me. Stop it right there,” Waters said. “We’re not prioritizing. What we’re doing is saying simply we want to keep the government open, and we want to work with the Republicans and have a bipartisan agreement to keep this government open, and health care is at the top of our agenda.”
Waters defended her party’s stance on health care by framing it as a moral obligation.
“Democrats are demanding health care for everybody. We want to save lives. We want to make sure that health care is available to those who would die but having the help of their government,” Waters said when asked if Democrats are demanding health care for illegal aliens.
Democrats conditioned their backing of a stopgap spending bill on keeping the expanded Obamacare subsidies, saying that Republicans are attempting to strip health care from ordinary Americans. Trump sat down with congressional leaders on Monday but left without an agreement, as Democrats pressed for health care concessions while Republicans stood firm on a clean funding extension.
Trump canceled a scheduled meeting with top Democrats on Friday, brushing off their demands as “unserious and ridiculous.” The House narrowly approved the GOP’s temporary funding measure. Senate Republicans now require Democratic support to clear the 60-vote hurdle, leaving the showdown deadlocked.
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