California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Democrats are leaning into the "right issue" amid the government shutdown, as the party holds firm on opposing funding bills without a deal to extend expiring health care subsidies.
I sat down with Newsom at the California Democratic Party headquarters in Sacramento for an interview yesterday and asked him if the party had picked the right fight, with the shutdown on the verge of becoming a record-setting stalemate.
"We're fighting for the people that voted not just for our party and our values and principles, but voted for Donald Trump and his party," Newsom said, noting rural areas and red states will be "disproportionately" affected by higher health care costs when the Obamacare subsidies expire.
"We have their back," Newsom said. "Donald Trump has betrayed them. He's turned [his] back. The Republicans in Congress have turned their backs. ... Absolutely, it's the right issue because it breaks through. At a time of great economic anxiety, the idea that you're going to face a 100% to 300%-plus increase in your premiums in a matter of months is the issue that defines more issues in more ways, on more days, for more Americans. So it's absolutely the right call."
As the shutdown drags on, crucial safety nets, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, are at risk without federal funding. The U.S. Agriculture Department announced last week that assistance would not be distributed on Nov. 1, stating that contingency funds are "not legally available." But a federal judge today ordered the USDA to distribute money owed to SNAP recipients "as soon as possible."
"I think it's a disgrace. The USDA's never done this in the past. They said they have a contingency fund for precisely this moment," Newsom said in the interview before the judge's ruling.
Newsom also decried "unprecedented prices for beef, and coffee, and other basic goods" due to Trump's tariff policies. He noted higher costs for candy ahead of Halloween and for toys ahead of the holidays, saying the higher costs amount to a "war on Christmas."
Asked if he is concerned Democrats could pay a political price amid the government funding fight, Newsom said, "I don't think it's about who's to blame. It's not about who's up, who's down. It's about all of us. We're all better off when we're all better off."
Newsom called on Trump to negotiate with congressional leaders, saying, "You don't get to do always what you want, Mr. President. It means you have to work with Congress. And right, you have congressional leadership, Republican leadership, that is completely supine. They're appeasing this president. At least the Democrats are standing up for the people they represent in this republic, and what they're asking for – overwhelmingly, the American people are asking for relief on health care costs."
"He was never serious about a deal. He wanted this shutdown," Newsom later added, referring to Trump. "And if you think I'm overstating it, why was he golfing over the weekend before the shutdown? Why has he been overseas, the last week, cleaning up his own mess, as it relates to trade and tariff policies, and not negotiating in good faith, knowing Nov. 1 was around the corner? He's not serious. He doesn't want this shutdown to end. And that's what we're up against. And I think the American people understand that."
Tune into "Meet the Press" this Sunday for more of my interview with Newsom. We'll also be breaking down the latest results of the NBC News poll with Steve Kornacki ahead of Election Day on Tuesday.
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