More of this please, NBC. Monday’s Today and co-host Craig Melvin followed through on its promise to speak with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) about the government shutdown after throwing down with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Friday. To his credit, Melvin used the limited time (3:47) to repeatedly press Jeffries on his past statements about government shutdowns and Democrats refusing to reopen it.
“First week where a lot of folks aren’t going to be getting their paychecks. Hundreds of thousands of livelihoods hanging in the balance. Democrats would end this, as you know, and you could access funding levels for seven weeks and kick the can down the road. Why not,” Melvin began, correctly posing the question as one Democrats have the power to end.
Jeffries argued “it’s very unfortunate that Donald Trump and Republicans have decided to shut the government down because they’re unwilling to provide health care to working-class Americans” despite the fact that, as the great Marc Thiessen explained last week, concerns health care subsides for those hundreds of a percent above the poverty line.
Melvin next moved to showing Jeffries a clip of himself from the December 2018-January 2019 shutdown:
Asked “what’s changed from then to now,” Jeffries argued Republicans could end the shutdown if they wanted on their own. Melvin saw right through this and hit back that “they would have to change the rules to do that” as in end the Senate filibuster (which he pressed Johnson on last week).
Jeffries then received the chance to hurl his talking points, including the incendiary rhetoric that Republicans only want “to reward their billionaire donors” and “rip food out of the mouths of children.”
Melvin was unmoved by this:
But, again, the majority of folks certainly don’t want their health care premiums to go up and I think a lot of folks are watching this and wondering, why fight this battle now? Why not reopen the government and still have these conversations and negotiate over the next few months?
After Jeffries said that’s “a really good question, but the time is now to address this health care crisis,” Melvin closed by telling Jeffries in part that he should “recognize how ridiculous it sounds” that the two sides haven’t had formal talks since the shutdown started (click “expand”):
MELVIN: President Trump did say yesterday he wants to “fix the ACA subsidies.” Is that an opening?
JEFFRIES: Well, he also mentioned that in the White House meeting that we had last Monday, unfortunately, the White House and Republican leaders have gone radio silent since then.
MELVIN: So, you guys haven’t talked since last Monday?
JEFFRIES: We have not talked, but they have my number. We’re willing to sit down.
MELVIN: But you recognize how ridiculous it sounds the leaders of the Democratic Party —
JEFFRIES: That’s correct.
MELVIN: — the President of the United States, no one is talking about reopening the government —
JEFFRIES: That —
MELVIN: and people won’t get paychecks this week?
JEFFRIES: — it makes no sense, which is why we’re going to be in Washington all week. Unfortunately, Republicans have actually canceled votes because they want to keep the government shutdown.
If the shutdown continues to drag on, it’ll be worth monitoring whether any degree of scrutiny toward the left would continue or whether NBC and co. would resort to decades-old talking points blaming the right for shutdowns.
To see the relevant NBC transcript from October 6, click here.
