MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
As you might imagine, we've been reaching out to members of both parties as the shutdown continues. Today, we hear from Republican Congressman Mike Lawler of New York. He's on the line with us now. Good morning, Congressman.
MIKE LAWLER: Good morning. Thanks for having me.
MARTIN: Thanks for coming. So you and other House Republicans from your state have called on New York's Democratic senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, to vote for what's called a clean CR to reopen the government. I don't know what kind of communication you have in other times, but have you heard from either of them? Have they responded?
LAWLER: No. Unfortunately, they have not. And this has been entirely driven by Senator Schumer and Leader Jeffries. They've created a mess by refusing to pass a clean CR, which they did 13 times under Joe Biden. They have always said that they believe in clean CRs, that we need to keep the government open and funded. And unfortunately, they've changed their positioning because they are concerned about their left flank and wanting to appease the progressive base of their party, who want to see Democrats fighting back against President Trump.
MARTIN: Their argument is that the budget and spending bill was crafted without their input, and they just don't agree with substantive position. So why should they vote for it? What do you say to that?
LAWLER: It's just not accurate. The CR is based on the Biden spending levels that were negotiated and agreed upon with Democrats and Republicans. And so when you pass these clean CRs - a truly clean CR - that is a continuation of current spending, there's nothing to negotiate. And that's the fundamental point. They are trying to throw in extraneous policy issues that are not rooted in the CR. The CR is to continue current-level spending so that we can negotiate other issues, including finishing our fiscal year '26 appropriation.
MARTIN: But they say that this just kicks the can down the road on this substantive issue, and the substantive issue here is extending the subsidies to help people buy insurance through the Affordable Care marketplace at a time when these premiums are expected to rise. I mean, the reality is that these programs have to be priced out, like, a lot of private companies, like this one. We're in open enrollment now. The premiums have to be priced out for the following year. The marketplace opens on November 1. So their argument is that the timing really is crucial. You just don't agree with that? You don't think the health insurance premiums are going to rise? You just don't think the timing really is critical?
LAWLER: Well, are they solving the issue by shutting the government down? It doesn't seem like it. It seems like what they've done is created a mess. If you want to solve an issue like the Obamacare subsidies that Democrats put in place for four years and were slated to expire at the end of this year - they knew that they were slated to expire. They passed the bill.
And so I have already signed on to legislation to extend the subsidies by a year. And that was part of my point to Hakeem Jeffries. If you're serious about this, if this is the issue you claim it is, then why won't you sign on to this bill with me? Why won't you join this bipartisan bill to do the very thing you claim you want to and extend the subsidy by a year and give more certainty in the marketplace and help ensure that health insurance premiums don't spike? But by the way, since Obamacare took effect in 2010, health insurance premiums have skyrocketed across the country because the whole program is rooted in subsidies. It requires subsidies to make it affordable. That's the fundamental flaw with the whole program.
MARTIN: Well, but in fairness, look, in the first Trump term, Republicans controlled both the House, the Senate and the White House, as they do now. I mean, the argument is, since you know that this is a problem, why haven't you as a caucus come up with a solution?
LAWLER: Well, I've offered many plans to actually address the challenges with health care. For instance, you shouldn't have an insurance company owning a provider, OK? That should be prohibited. That was allowed under Obamacare. You look at things like the workforce. I have a plan to actually expand out the waivers that allow those who are educated in the United States to remain here if they're here on a visa so that we actually have the workforce we need, expanding out the Conrad 30 to the Conrad 100, prescription drugs, what the president is doing right now to ensure that Americans aren't subsidizing Europeans' prescription drug plans. There are a lot of things that we can and should do to actually reduce overall cost in our health care system. But what the Democrats are talking about here is just continuing subsidies without any reforms, without any change to actually reduce...
MARTIN: But again...
LAWLER: ...The overall cost.
MARTIN: The Republicans control the House, the Senate and the White House. Couldn't you do this on your own as a caucus?
LAWLER: Right. But you know as well as I that you need 60 votes in the Senate, and that's why we're having this discussion. And if Democrats are serious about addressing these issues, they should quickly get back to work and pass a clean CR through the Senate.
MARTIN: OK.
LAWLER: And then we can address all these other issues that we're talking about.
MARTIN: That is Congressman Mike Lawler of New York. He is a Republican. Congressman Lawler, thanks so much for talking to us.
LAWLER: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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