House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) claimed Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that House Republicans were attempting to condition disaster relief to Californians for “massive tax breaks for billionaires.”
Host Kristen Welker said, “Let me get your take on disaster aid, Leader Jeffries. You just heard Speaker Johnson say very clearly that yes, there may be strings attached, that yes, it’s possible that they will move to try to link it to an increase in the debt limit. Would you vote yes if that were to come before you? If that were the only way you believe to get disaster relief to Californians?”
Jeffries said, “California delegation in the House has been very clear that they do not support conditioning disaster assistance to the American people whose lives have been overturned as a result of the historic wildfires in California. In the history of this country, we have never conditioned disaster assistance to Americans who are hurting. Why would we do it right now? Here is the answer in terms of why House Republicans are proposing to do just that. House Republicans want to pass massive tax breaks for billionaires and wealthy corporations to benefit the wealthy, the well off and the well-connected and to stick the bill with working-class Americans and those in the middle class who they claim to want to support. That is not an effort, that is not a scheme that Democrats will support.”
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