Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., clashed with a reporter outside the Capitol on Tuesday as negotiations over a looming government shutdown hit a fever pitch.
The government is set to shut down at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday unless Senate Democrats, led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, agree to a short-term spending bill already passed in the House. The stopgap measure would extend funding through Nov. 21.
But outside the Capitol, LindellTV’s Alison Steinberg pressed Waters on whether Democrats were putting health care for illegal immigrants above the needs of American citizens.
“So you’re good with the government shutdown, even if it means giving health care to people who aren’t Americans?” Steinberg asked.
Waters bristled. “Well, you keep — that’s what you’re pushing on. What you’re trying to do is you’re standing here and you’re trying to make me say that somehow we’re going to put non-citizens over Americans. Quit it. Stop it. This is the kind of journalism we don’t need,” she shot back.
The California Democrat accused Steinberg of fueling division. “You’re divisive. No, you’re not. You’re being divisive. No. Please. You don’t need to ask that question,” she said. “You’re just trying to get controversy here. You’re not going to get it from me. We want to save health care for all people.”
When pressed again, Waters defended her party’s position. “Excuse me. Stop it right there. We’re not prioritizing. What we’re doing is saying simply we want to keep the government open, and we want to work with the Republicans and have a bipartisan agreement to keep this government open, and health care is at the top of our agenda.”
Waters framed the issue as a moral one. “Democrats are demanding health care for everybody. We want to save lives. We want to make sure that health care is available to those who would die but having the help of their government.”
Democrats have conditioned their support for the GOP’s stopgap bill on preserving expanded Obamacare subsidies, accusing Republicans of trying to strip health care away from ordinary Americans.
Talks between Trump and congressional leaders on Monday ended without a deal. The House narrowly passed the Republican-backed funding extension, but with Senate Republicans needing Democratic votes to break a 60-vote threshold, the showdown remains deadlocked.