reason for those decisions. >> All right, Congressman
Grothman, thanks for your time today.
>> Thank you very much. >> For the opposing
viewpoint. We are now joined by Democratic
Congressman Mark Pocan. Thanks for being here.
>> Yeah, thanks for having me.
encourage Senate Democrats this continuing resolution?
>> I think we need to make sure that people understand
what's at stake, and I think people will by
November 1st, you have to will have the rate
increases for the Affordable Care Act for
almost everyone's group plans. And I think that
will show what we've been talking about all along,
which is 15 million people are going to ultimately
lose their health insurance because of the big ugly law.
And right now, I had an employer told me just a
couple of weeks ago that their new increase for next
year insurance is 41%, and that's because of the
uncompensated care created by the Affordable Care Act.
So I think they just need to make sure that
Republicans I know are getting the calls like we
are when it comes to this, and it's going to only
intensify by November 1st rates. So, you know, I
would just say, hold tight, federal workers who are
really being heroes in all this right now, going
without paychecks, is about. But we've got to
make sure that people don't lose one of the most
important economic, you know, legs to a stool that
they have. >> So the Trump
administration doesn't seem to mind the shutdown.
They're trying to lay off thousands of federal
employees. Trump's building his white House ballroom
right now, not worried about any fiscal situation.
What is their incentive to negotiate even after
November 1st? think we're going to be
about two and a half weeks out from the original seven
weeks they had. Anyway, we've kind of got to get
together and do something because the time will have
run out for even their original kind of arbitrary
deadline they did without negotiating to begin with,
with us. So I think that's what's going to happen. But,
you know, as you pointed out, I mean, Donald Trump,
you know, he's using this as an excuse to fire people,
but he's already fired 200,000 people either
firings since he's been president, which he doesn't
have the authority. There's been all kinds of lawsuits,
but this has already been happening. That's part of
the problem. If you can't actually have an agreement
like we used to in Congress, and that somehow the
executive branch is going to steal the funds that
we've agreed to in a bipartisan way, then you
don't really have an unfortunately the place
you know, this is really right now about protecting
people's health care. And by the way, all of us are
going to pay more for health care because of that
law, because of that uncompensated care. And it
will help everyone in having this fight.
>> So how long can the government function in
shutdown mode? At what point do things just they
don't they can't function at all. And they shut down.
>> Yeah. Places like Wisconsin. You feel it less,
right? I think I was doing a town hall in Derrick Van
Orden district last week and I asked about 50 people.
I said, who's feeling the impact directly? And one
person raised their hand out of 50 people. But
that's because we're in Wisconsin. But, you know,
if you're trying to get Ahold of Social Security,
you want to go to a national park. But now if
you're eligible for Snap benefits, right, you're
going to start feeling it. So you're going to see more
of those things now happen. I just think by the time
next week I'm going to go back to Washington, even if
the House Republicans aren't, I'm going to show
up because that's my job to be there. But at the same
time, we're going to be at two and a half weeks out
from their artificial deadline anyway, right? So
at some point we have to quit holding our breath. If
you're the House Republicans, show up in
Washington and let's this, let's negotiate the
farm bill that's two years overdue. Let's do the Older
Americans Act overdue. But let's do
something. Just simply taking another week of paid
vacation doesn't solve anything.
House Republicans and Speaker Mike Johnson
newly elected Democrat from Arizona. Do you think that
is related to this discharge petition over the
Epstein files, or is it simply they're just not in
session? There's no need to come back because there's
the government shutdown. things. I think they think
this is leverage to try to bring us back, to reopen
the government without fixing health care. I think
some of it is about is the 218th signature in Donald
Trump, for, for whatever reason, now doesn't want
the release of the Epstein files after campaigning on
releasing them, but I don't. I've learned I can't
predict Republicans anymore. Right? I mean, it's been so,
you know, the fact that you just don't even try to come
to Washington to do your job to negotiate, whether
it be the shutdown, health care, farm bill, anything,
you just think you don't have to show up. That's a
weird dynamic that, you know, I've been doing this
for a long time in local, state and federal
don't know if I understand their messaging. I'm not
sure they do because they keep changing your
messaging. We're very clear. We're fighting for the
affordability of health care so that people don't
lose their health insurance, and we all don't pay more
for it. And I think that's a fight people understand.
>> So the midterms are still a year away.
Historically, there's little evidence that
government shutdowns this far out from an election
impact the election. Do you think this time could be
different? >> I really don't know
where this is going to end. Right. Are they going to
continue it? And because again, Donald Trump kind of
likes parts of this, as you said. I mean, he's already
been acting unilaterally. And unfortunately, the
Republican majorities in the House and the Senate
have allowed him to do that. Article one of the
Constitution gives us the power of the purse, but
he's stealing funds that we've approved. The
Constitution gives the Congress only emergency
but he's getting away with it. So this is anything but
normal times, I think. You know, when you watch the
East wing of the Capitol being demolished right now,
see what he's doing to democracy. Right. He's
literally demolishing the institutions that we
understand fundamentally. many people last weekend at
the no rally, 7 million people speaking out. I just
think these are times that are hard for anyone to give
you honest predictions. >> So finally, the consumer
price index came out today. It's at 3%. It's an
increase year over year. It's tariffs right.
>> Trump's tariff taxes are absolutely affecting us.
We're all paying for that We're all paying for that