Copyright go
Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., on Sunday dismissed President Donald Trump's call this weekend for senators to redirect Affordable Care Act funds away from insurance companies and instead be sent "directly to the people," telling ABC "This Week" anchor George Stephanopoulos that the proposal would undermine the ACA's protections for preexisting conditions. "We have no idea what the president means by that, except it sounds like what he means is the same old, tired proposal of repealing the Affordable Care Act, giving people a benefit in the form of a health savings account, but allowing insurance companies once again to cancel policies and refuse to write policies for people who have preexisting health conditions," Schiff said. On Saturday, Trump claimed on social media that Americans could purchase their own, "much better healthcare," and have money "left over" if funds weren't allocated to "money sucking Insurance Companies" through the ACA. "So the same insurance companies he's railing against in those tweets, he is saying 'I'm going to give you more power to cancel people's policies and not cover them if they have a pre-existing condition,' -- that was one of the main problems the ACA helped address," Schiff said. The California Democrat said Trump's new proposal reveals the absence of a real health care plan from Republicans. He referenced a moment during Trump's general election debate against Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in September 2024, when he was asked if he had a replacement plan for the ACA and said he had the "concepts of a plan." "So, no, I think what the president is revealing, once again, you know, more than eight years after he came down that golden escalator, they still don't have a health care plan. They're still back to what Trump once called 'the concept of a plan,'" Schiff said. "In the middle of a shutdown, when people are really hurting, we need more than concepts of a plan," Schiff said. "Let's just extend the ACA for a year, reopen the government, and then we can negotiate a more permanent fix to this crisis," he concluded. Schiff suggested on Sunday that Republicans would "cheat" on any agreement Democrats ultimately reach with them in order to end the shutdown. Following the Democratic proposal made on Friday by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer that asks for a one-year extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies in order to reopen the government -- an offer that Republicans have called a non-starter, maintaining that any health care negotiations would need to still come after the government opens back up, Schiff said that any agreement Democrats eventually reach to end the stalemate would require "really solid guarantees" in legislation that wouldn't be able to be defaulted on. "We have the president telling us now, Republicans telling us now: they're not going to honor any agreement we reach with them. They're telling us 'We'll put money in whatever, money we agree on for a continued resolution to fund the government. But we're telling you in advance, we are going to rescind the funding you want,'" Schiff said. "They're telling us they're going to cheat on an agreement, and we need in whatever agreement we reach, to have some really solid guarantees in that legislation that they simply can't go and renege after it's done," he added, noting that there have been "some talks" in the Senate between members of both parties on a possible compromise. On the 40th day of the shutdown, Schiff blasted Trump for his refusal to negotiate with Democrats in order to end the standoff, claiming too that Republicans are unable to make any deals without his approval. Trump said as recently as Sunday morning on his social media platform that he "stands ready" to work with both parties to solve the issue of health care "once the government is open." "[An end to the shutdown is] not going to happen until the president gets off the golf course, gets out of his ballroom planning, and sits down and negotiates," Schiff said. "Otherwise, I think this is going to go on because Senate Republicans are going to do anything without the president's agreement and approval, and House Republicans are just content to stay away while people suffer." Schiff, who has been a proponent in the past of ending the Senate filibuster, said he'd still be "happy" for the rule to be eliminated -- but questioned the motives for Trump, and some other Republicans, pushing to see it go. "I have continued to oppose the filibuster, and would be happy to do away with the filibuster, but the question is…for what reason?" Schiff said. Schiff didn't say outright whether he'd now vote to oppose the filibuster. "I would do away with it so that we can expand and protect people's freedoms and their rights. The Republicans and the president right now are talking about doing away with a filibuster so they can raise people's health care costs. That is the wrong reason to do away with a filibuster. And ultimately, what's going to protect American people?"
