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The pursuing is the transcript of an interrogation with Rep. Tom Suozzi, Democrat of New York, that aired connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" connected July 6, 2025.
WEIJIA JIANG: We crook present to New York Democratic Congressman Tom Suozzi. Congressman, convey you truthful overmuch for your clip this morning.
REP. TOM SUOZZI: Yeah, acknowledgment truthful overmuch for having me.
WEIJIA JIANG: Well, you conscionable heard from Kevin Hassett- you know, similar President Trump, helium said, without this bill, it would beryllium 1 of the top taxation hikes for the American public. They accidental it is the top taxation chopped successful American history. You beryllium connected the Ways and Means Committee, truthful I person to wonderment however you picture it.
REP. SUOZZI: I picture it arsenic the big, disfigured bill, not the 'big, beauteous bill.' It's going to bash a batch of things that are going to wounded a batch of radical successful our country. The biggest one, which you talked astir with Mr. Hassett, is summation the shortage enormously successful the country. And what that does, is that creates inflation, that keeps involvement rates high, that makes it hard for radical to bargain homes, makes it hard for them to get money, to bash the things that they privation to do. In addition, it's going to sound a clump of radical disconnected of wellness care. We cognize the Republicans person tried for a decennary to undo the Affordable Care Act- Obamacare, and this is benignant of a backdoor mode to instrumentality wellness security distant from radical that truly request it the astir present successful our nation. And it's going to origin wellness security costs to spell up for a batch of people. One of the President's biggest issues helium campaigned connected was reducing prices rapidly connected time one, we're going to chopped the costs. Well, costs are not going down, inflation- ostentation is going to beryllium affected by this deficit. Interest rates are going to enactment high, and this is going to person a antagonistic interaction connected wellness security costs for galore radical successful our country.
WEIJIA JIANG: I cognize that you conscionable brought up Medicaid and imaginable nonaccomplishment of coverage. What bash you accidental to immoderate Americans who mightiness wonder, well, wherefore should the capable bodied not person to enactment successful bid to entree Medicaid?
REP. SUOZZI: Well, you person to recognize that 92% of the radical that are capable to enactment are presently working, and the 8% that are not are often radical that are taking attraction of disabled children. Remember that 2 thirds of the radical successful nursing homes are connected Medicaid. One-tenth of each the veterans successful the United States of America are connected Medicaid. Medicaid is simply a lifeline for truthful galore radical that are facing specified hard circumstances that we can't adjacent perchance imagine. And wherefore would we beryllium taking wellness security and nutrient benefits distant from immoderate of the astir needy Americans portion we're providing what I judge is an unnecessary taxation interruption for immoderate of the wealthiest Americans. It conscionable doesn't marque consciousness that you're reducing taxes for immoderate of the wealthiest people, hurting immoderate of the lowest income people, portion blowing the biggest shortage successful the fund that we've had successful the past of the country. Those things conscionable don't adhd up.
WEIJIA JIANG: Well, conscionable past week, you said you hold with 75% of what's successful this package, that's a beauteous important number. So wherefore isn't it worthy the 25% that you don't like?
REP. SUOZZI: Because those things that I conscionable mentioned are truthful devastating. I similar the thought that we're investing much wealth to unafraid the border. I similar the thought that we are providing taxation breaks to little income folks and hard moving mediate people folks and radical aspiring to the mediate class. I similar the thought of providing taxation breaks for those folks. But wherefore are we providing- and erstwhile the system is doing arsenic good arsenic it has been implicit the past respective years, wherefore would we beryllium providing a taxation decrease- taxation breaks for immoderate of the wealthiest Americans successful our country, portion blowing a monolithic spread successful the deficit?
WEIJIA JIANG: Congressman, I privation to crook to an op-ed that you wrote successful The Wall Street Journal past week saying, Zohran Mamdani's triumph successful the New York City's Democratic mayoral superior should beryllium a quote, 'loud aftermath up telephone for Democrats.' What lessons bash you deliberation your enactment tin larn from- from his campaign?
REP. SUOZZI: Well, you know, I disagree with Mr. Mamdani. I person to marque that precise wide that, you know, I'm a Democratic capitalist. I'm not a Democratic socialist. And- but you person to admit that helium tapped into something. He tapped into the aforesaid happening that Donald Trump tapped into, which is that radical are acrophobic that the system is not moving for them. Affordability and the system is the fig 1 contented successful the country. And excessively often, Democrats are not perceived arsenic being focused connected affordability and the system and the mediate class, and radical aspiring to the mediate people and their economical concerns. They spot Democrats arsenic being chiefly focused connected reproductive rights and connected LGBT protections, which are important issues, but they're not the issues that radical deliberation astir each nighttime erstwhile they're lying successful furniture reasoning astir paying their bills oregon erstwhile they're talking astir however they're going to nonstop their kids to school. So Democrats person got to bash a amended occupation learning from some Trump and Mamdani not with their solutions, which I deliberation are wrong, but with the diagnosis of the occupation that we're frustrated, we're concerned. Everybody successful America, whether you're a close helping blimpish oregon a near helping progressive, should judge that successful instrumentality for moving hard, you marque capable wealth truthful you tin unrecorded a bully life. You tin bargain a home, you tin amended your children, you tin wage for your wellness insurance, you tin discontinue 1 time without being scared. People don't consciousness that currently, and we person to bash a amended occupation of communicating that.
WEIJIA JIANG: Well, I'm gladsome you brought up the perception, due to the fact that you besides wrote that 'Democrats indispensable admit the aboriginal starts with a connection of economical information for American families.' I covered the Biden campaign. I covered the Harris campaign. That was the halfway of their messages. So what's the occupation here? Is it the messenger? Is it the messaging? Because they person that connection already.
REP. SUOZZI: It's a combination. Number- the Democratic Party arsenic a full has to person this level that focuses connected what the radical attraction about. They attraction astir the economy, they attraction astir immigration, they attraction astir taxes, they attraction astir crime, they attraction astir wellness care. But past we person to admit that the media infrastructure is fractured, and Trump figured it retired earlier the Democrats have, which is that it's not conscionable accepted media similar your shows and newspapers, but it's societal media. It's podcasts. Podcasts, the apical 500 podcasts successful America, 400 of the apical 500 are close leaning. 100 are near leaning. And of the 100 near leaning ones, fractional of them bushed the, you cognize what, retired of the Democrats. Then you person different nationalist media, and past you person immoderate of this taste and underground media related to WeChat and WhatsApp and antithetic types of apps that radical use. So we person to pass crossed each those platforms, due to the fact that radical are getting their messages successful these fractured environments and surviving successful these echo chambers, and we person to bash a amended occupation communicating crossed each these platforms and getting Democrats arsenic a full to absorption connected the economy, immigration, et cetera.
WEIJIA JIANG: Alright, Congressman, we are each trying to larn each those caller languages. Thank you truthful overmuch for your clip this morning. And we'll beryllium close backmost with a batch much Face the Nation. Stay with us.
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