Debbie Wasserman Schultz on Government Shutdowns and Healthcare Costs

The Impact of a Government Shutdown

• 📉 A government shutdown would lead to hundreds of thousands of government workers, including military personnel, being furloughed and going without pay.
• 🏠 Many Americans live paycheck to paycheck and are concerned about keeping their homes and feeding their families, regardless of who is to blame.

Healthcare Cuts and Rising Costs

• 🏥 Debbie Wasserman Schultz urges Republican members of Congress to negotiate a spending deal that eliminates healthcare cuts and lowers healthcare costs for Americans.
• ⚠️ Failure to act will result in millions more people facing difficult choices, and hospitals like Jackson South in Miami already closing services such as their maternity ward due to anticipated cuts.
• 📈 The current situation is described as Republican-inflicted problems that are entirely unnecessary.

Negotiating with Republicans

• 🤝 While Senator Josh Hawley is willing to negotiate, he suggested separating government funding from other issues.
• ⏰ Wasserman Schultz emphasizes the urgency, stating that premium increases and healthcare costs will rise starting tomorrow, and they do not have seven weeks to resolve the issue.
• ⚠️ She expresses distrust in Donald Trump's promises, citing threats of permanent federal worker firings, despite past experiences showing the necessity of these workers.
• 💸 The administration and Republican leadership are accused of not caring about working families struggling with skyrocketing costs and are absent from negotiations.