On ABC's This Week, Leader Pelosi Blasts President Trump for Going Rogue on Health Care, Iran Nuclear Agreement
Leader Pelosi also reaffirmed Democrats' firm commitment to passing the DREAM Act by the end of the year to protect our nation's immigrants, who make America more American.
Below are the highlights.
On President Trump's Spiteful Decision to Cut off Funding for Cost-Sharing Reductions
The President says, 'repeal and replace.' Where is the replace? We haven't seen anything.
I think that this week, the week of Friday the 13th, is the week that President Trump went rogue. He went rogue on women's health in particular, Affordable Care Act, the Iran decision, that he made, and as he continues his war on the middle class, with his unfair tax plans. So, so many things that are not based on evidence and that's problematic – it's not based on evidence.
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You have Governors [John] Hickenlooper and [John] Kasich, a Republican, saying that this is ‘wholesale chaos' that he's inflicting on the system. You see what the Governor of Nevada, a Republican, [Brian] Sandoval said. Either he doesn't know or doesn't care – we would like President Trump to face the facts.
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What [President Trump] is doing is hurting the American people. This is not about policy or politics, it's about the American people.
On Finding Bipartisan Solutions to Improve Affordable Care Act
In terms of the health care, we're saying, ‘let's follow what Senators [Patty] Murray and [Lamar] Alexander are doing in the Senate.' They're trying to find common ground and that should be encouraged.
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We have a path in the Senate, a bipartisan path. I wonder if [President Trump] knows what that path is. Because, from what he says, it doesn't sound like he has knowledge, knows the facts, bases his decision on evidence and that's a problem.
On Republicans' Threat of a Government Shutdown
We're not about closing down government. The Republicans have the majority. They have the signature of the President. It's up to them to keep government open. We don't go down that path.
Republicans in Congress have to be responsible. Right now we're fighting them to get children's health insurance – the CHIP program reauthorized and funded to go forward – they're holding that up. All of this to give a tax cut to the wealthiest people in our country. A war on the middle class. It's very, very sad.
On Democrats' Commitment to Passing the DREAM Act
We intend, by the end of the year, to have the DREAM Act passed to protect young people. The President says – and I take him in good faith – he told us he cares about the young people. I think he cares about them because the American people care about them.
On Working with President Trump
I've tried to suggest that while we understand our differences, we can find common ground – if we have evidence-based decisions.
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When he speaks, he does not speak from the basis of knowledge. That's why it's so hard to deal with him. I have said to him, ‘we have had differences with Republicans across the aisle or down Pennsylvania Avenue, we have always been able to at least go forward based on data, evidence, facts, a bottom line in term of a number.' To say, ‘unless I get a wall, I'm going shut our government down,' is totally irresponsible for a President of the United States.