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The pursuing is the transcript of the interrogation with Reps. Tom Suozzi, Democrat of New York, and Don Bacon, Republican of Nebraska, that aired connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" connected Nov. 16, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We statesman contiguous with 2 members of the alleged House Problem Solvers Caucus, New York Democrat Tom Suozzi and Nebraska Republican Don Bacon. Good morning. Good to person you present successful a bipartisan conversation. You some admit there's a occupation here. Congressman Bacon, fto maine commencement with you. One retired of each 5 dollars successful this state that is spent goes to wellness care. We cognize these Covid-era taxation recognition subsidies for Obamacare volition spell distant astatine the extremity of the month.* That's going to deed astir 22 of the 24 cardinal Americans who usage that program. What tin you bash successful the adjacent six weeks to marque costs spell down successful January?
REP. DON BACON: Well, we request a impermanent hold of these taxation credits to support these prices down. Republicans nor Democrats privation to spot premiums skyrocket, and they volition if these expire with thing successful its place. That's wherefore I worked with Tom Suozzi and different Democrats and Republicans to find a compromise. We conscionable privation to bash a cleanable extension. Most Republicans don't anyway, truthful we deliberation determination needs to beryllium immoderate caps connected income, and we privation to guarantee each these credits spell straight to lowering people's premiums. And close now, astir a 3rd of the wealth doesn't marque it to the premiums. So those are immoderate reforms that we would similar to see. And if we tin get those accomplished, past we tin widen these taxation credits and support these- the prices lower, but we bash request a longer word fix. The Affordable Care Act is unaffordable, and I deliberation we request to person this hold to springiness america clip to enactment connected thing bigger and deeper, and that volition assistance little costs overall. But I'm arrogant to enactment with Tom Suozzi connected this, and I admit his partnership.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Congressman Suozzi, I recognize this is simply a two-year projected hold of those enhanced premium taxation credits and an income headdress that phases retired for those making betwixt $200,000 to $400,000. When you look astatine the breakdown, though, that's a beauteous tiny information of the wide recipients of the taxation credits, it's similar little than 10%. So what does this accomplish? How does this marque it much affordable and fair?
REP. TOM SUOZZI: Well, it helps everybody other who makes nether $200,000 dramatically. And the fig 1 interest radical person successful America is affordability and wellness attraction affordability is close astatine the apical of the list. So we request to bash thing to widen these premium taxation credit--
MARGARET BRENNAN:-- How overmuch much affordable?--
REP. SUOZZI: -- It'll prevention radical thousands and thousands of dollars, virtually $1,000 a period for immoderate people. So it'll beryllium dramatically much affordable. The radical who marque supra $400,000 are the teeny small percent of radical that are not a precise tiny radical of radical that would payment from the existing taxation credits. Most of the radical are below- beneath $200,000. That $200,000 to $400,000 is simply a mode to taper it disconnected truthful there's not a cliff.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And however overmuch Democratic enactment bash you person for this astatine this point?
REP. SUOZZI: I deliberation the Democrats are going to powerfully backmost the thought of extending premium taxation credits truthful that we tin support people's security affordable. So, we've got to travel up with this compromise--
MARGARET BRENNAN: -- Even with these caps?--
REP. SUOZZI: -- Even with the caps. Yeah, people- Democrats person ever said that they privation to nonstop the argumentation towards little and mediate income folks, radical making nether $400,000 a year- is- are breadstuff and food issues that we privation to effort and marque things affordable for those folks. So- and that volition beryllium similar virtually 95%- 99% of the radical that are affected close now.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Congressman Bacon- sorry, spell ahead.
REP. BACON: I would conscionable say, arsenic Republicans, we propulsion backmost connected the thought of idiosyncratic earning $600,000 getting each these taxation credits. So erstwhile I listened to Speaker- oregon Leader Thune, that was 1 of his large concerns connected these truthful that's wherefore I wanted to guarantee that we had this successful our framework.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But a tweak with a not permanent, conscionable a two-year extension. Republicans haven't truly been proposing a batch of alternate Obamacare options here. Do you deliberation the full strategy needs to beryllium rebooted, and erstwhile volition we spot that plan?
REP. BACON: Well, I bash I deliberation Republicans and Democrats person to beryllium down astatine the array and fig out, what tin we truly bash too conscionable propulsion much wealth astatine this. Right now, the- you know, the premiums are conscionable going up truthful overmuch faster than inflation. It's unsustainable and- but we can't bash a Republican lone hole it. It's not going to work. You're not gonna get 60 votes successful the Senate to bash it. And I cognize surely immoderate folks projected that backmost successful Congress. Let's spell up with our plan. Well, it can't conscionable beryllium a Republican program if we privation to walk something. So we got to beryllium down with Democrats and fig retired what tin we do. And there's immoderate bully ideas retired there. So for example, you know, I've heard, you know, if we tin straight subsidize precocious hazard radical and enactment them successful a abstracted excavation and conscionable little their premiums done subsidies, and past the we tin telephone it, the healthier folks, their premiums go- are going to spell down importantly if we bash that. So there's antithetic concepts that we tin bash to that tin person an impact, but it's going to- to beryllium a bipartisan mode forward. It's not going to beryllium a Republican lone bill, due to the fact that you'll ne'er get it passed.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Congressman Suozzi, I mean, Aetna pulled retired of the Obamacare marketplace this twelvemonth aft CVS said they expected to suffer arsenic overmuch arsenic $400 million. Other large security companies person been pulling out. If security companies themselves are having problems with Obamacare, bash Democrats request to beryllium much unfastened to broader reforms of the Affordable Care Act?
REP. SUOZZI: Yeah, we perfectly should beryllium looking astatine immoderate benignant of reform. I privation to mend it, not extremity it. You cognize that implicit the past decennary that determination person been implicit 70 attempts, chiefly by the Republicans, not guys similar Don Bacon, who is simply a precise tenable guy, to effort and get escaped of Obamacare altogether. We deliberation that's a unspeakable idea. But if radical privation to effort and marque it a amended system, to marque a- wellness attraction much affordable successful America and to get wellness attraction to much people, we should beryllium doing that. That's what the radical want. That's what tenable radical successful Congress want. We should beryllium moving unneurotic to effort and grow wellness attraction coverage, little prices for everybody, and marque wellness attraction much effectual and little costly for people. Now that's not going to hap with everybody yelling and screaming astatine each other. Everybody says, wherefore don't you just- doesn't cognize what the hellhole they're talking about. You cannot lick analyzable problems successful an situation of fearfulness and anger, you request tenable radical to beryllium down and speech to each different and say, I deliberation this. Well, I deliberation that, and past enactment your mode towards uncovering compromise, precise hard to bash successful this toxic environment. People similar Don Bacon and different members of the Problem Solvers Caucus privation to bash that benignant of thing.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah well, but backstage wellness attraction costs are besides going up. But connected this taxable of toxic environments present Congressman Suozzi, Democrats who won elections conscionable a fewer days agone credited their wins to this affordability contented and the connection focused connected that. Can you explicate the absorption this past week successful the House by Democrats connected the Jeffrey Epstein files? Is this a maneuver to distract from the nonaccomplishment to extract wellness attraction changes, oregon is determination thing other going connected here? I mean, does the Speaker putting it to a ballot extremity this issue?
REP. SUOZZI: I deliberation it's a operation of factors, of radical shining their lights connected the astir blistery taxable astatine the time. You know, Jeffrey Epstein, of course, is an important topic. I'm definite I'll ballot to merchandise his files, but that's not my priority. My precedence is to absorption connected the things that the American radical attraction about: affordability, immigration, taxes, transgression and wellness care. That's what radical are warring about, that's what they're acrophobic about, that's what we should beryllium focused connected successful Congress.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Congressman Bacon, does the Speaker putting this to a ballot extremity the Epstein contented and get you backmost connected to wellness care? I mean, the Speaker said this is each a governmental exercise. Certainly the families of the victims don't deliberation it is.
REP. BACON: I deliberation the Speaker realizes the bid has near the presumption connected this. Let's rip the Band-Aid disconnected and get it done. I privation the president realized that. The much the White House pushes backmost connected this. It's, you know, it conscionable looks bad, right? I mean, it was- the lawyer wide came retired and said, each these achromatic binders, we're gonna merchandise each this accusation and then, a period later, said, Oh, no, we're not. So it's been a PR blunder from the beginning. And I deliberation the Speaker is right, this is gonna happen, truthful let's get it done and ballot connected it. Now, we got to recognize it inactive has to spell to the Senate. Then it has to spell to the president for a signature. Meanwhile, our Oversight Committee is releasing thousands and thousands of pages of grounds concerning Epstein. So for example, similar 3,000 pages was released precocious past week. So the Oversight Committee, Republicans and Democrats are putting retired the data. They're putting retired subpoenas. I deliberation it's already working, but similar Tom erstwhile this comes connected the floor, I'm going to ballot yes connected it. I privation transparency. We must- we privation to support the victims, but everything other should conscionable be- should beryllium open.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You also. Congressman Bacon, tally the Cyber Subcommittee. I privation to inquire you astir thing important this past week that AI steadfast Anthropic said that Chinese authorities sponsored hackers utilized their exertion to automate break-ins and transportation retired the archetypal cyber espionage operation, mostly utilizing AI. It deed similar 30 antithetic companies. What tin you archer america astir the scope and the targets of this attack?
REP. BACON: I can't accidental overmuch much than what was conscionable released. Other than I tin accidental this, China has replaced Russia arsenic the astir formidable cyber threat. They person overmuch higher technology. They are utilizing AI, which gives you a batch much capableness successful uncovering weaknesses successful your adversaries' cyber defenses. What concerns maine much than anything, portion China is attacking america each azygous day, and Russia, we've had nary commandant successful complaint of cyber bid for implicit 8 months. You know, the White House oregon the president, fired the Cyber Command commandant implicit 8 months agone and has not replaced him. Also, the apical 2 positions astatine the National Security Agency, the apical 2 are vacant for implicit 8 months, and we've been cutting CISA, which is the- the bureau that protects our backstage sector, our businesses, our infrastructure, and we've chopped it by astir a third. And truthful our cyber capabilities are going backwards. We don't- we're rudderless successful a clip wherever China is attacking america each day, and that's thing that truly concerns me, and I've been pushing the White House to- to woody with this and to face the cyber threat.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, we volition proceed pursuing that important story. Congressmen, convey you for trying to beryllium occupation solvers with america today. Face the Nation volition beryllium backmost successful a minute. Stay with us.
*EDITOR'S NOTE: The enhanced premium taxation credits are acceptable to expire astatine the extremity of 2025.
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