In the News

 House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) joined Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” ahead of the House’s vote to reopen the government to discuss the Democrats’ longest government shutdown in American history and the Unaffordable Care Act.

Click here to watch Whip Emmer on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends.”

Whip Emmer on vote to reopen the government:

“We’re going to reopen the government as soon as these Democrats in the House give us the chance to vote on it, it will get done. In the meantime, what you just played, it’s very sad. Forty days plus they shut down this government and for what, Brian? For absolutely nothing except to hurt the American people. It’s the exact same CR that we passed back on September 19th. The only difference is you now have a new date of the end of January, and then they added the three appropriations bills that were basically ready to go back in September. So, this has been a bunch of nonsense…”

Whip Emmer on Congressional Democrat leadership:

“[Jeffries] has not risen to the occasion. He thinks this is a college, young Democrats group, but this is America. He’s dealing with Americans’ lives, he’s not playing a gotcha game, and that’s what he thinks he’s playing. He has been a complete non-factor in this whole process. This has literally been driven by the aging Chuck Schumer in the Senate, who’s another guy who’s past his prime. [Schumer] either consented to this deal, Brian, in the Senate, or he doesn't have control of his caucus over in the Senate. I think you’re going to see leadership changes in both bodies.” 

Whip Emmer on the Unaffordable Care Act: 

“This is the whole point, Brian. [Speaker] Mike Johnson is not making any commitments other than Republicans in the House, and we believe Republicans in the Senate, and our great President Donald J. Trump are committed to fixing the problem that Democrats created. They created the Affordable Care Act. They’re the only ones - it’s their law, it’s the law of the land. They like to call it Obamacare because I think it distracts people from the problem they’ve created, the Unaffordable Care Act. Since it was created, Brian, health care costs have gone up 80% for the average family. It’s not affordable, and to throw more money at insurance companies [that] are gorging themselves at this trough of disgust is not the right answer. The answer is: reform the system, create more transparency, more choice, more competition. That’s what Republicans are about. You’ve got to fix the problem, you don’t just keep throwing good money [at it.]”