Republican Rep. David Kustoff of Tennessee joins to discuss President Donald Trump's address to the nation, the U.S. House passing Republicans' healthcare bill, and more.

Washington

The House of Representatives approved a GOP healthcare bill by a vote of 216 to 211, which would allow Americans to purchase insurance in groups to reduce premiums. The legislation is intended to lower healthcare costs, particularly for small businesses, and includes provisions for increased transparency in pharmacy benefit managers.

The bill now moves to the Senate, where Democrats are expected to push for a vote on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies that were expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic. Congressman David Kustov emphasized the bill's focus on affordability and criticized continued government spending on subsidies for higher-income individuals.

House passes GOP healthcare bill

action on that and more, let's bring in member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, Tennessee Congressman David Kustov. Good to be with you today, sir. Thank you so much for coming on National Update. A lot to get to, but before we talk about the president, I want to get your reaction to HHS Secretary R.F.K. Jr. and the announcement that he made earlier. Well, first of all, we appreciate the secretary's diligence. He had a number of members of Congress that he referenced, and I think the announcement that he made today is important. It's in line with most of the people who live in my district and the beliefs. And obviously this is something that the president campaigned on and talked about a lot during the campaign in 2024. So Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was was spot on, and we appreciate his leadership. Yeah, no doubt about that. I want to get to the president now and what the president talked about last night. And he mentioned in his speech his many economic successes. Let's take a listen. Look at the facts. Under the Biden administration, car prices rose 22 percent and in many states 30 percent or more. Gasoline rose 30 to 50 percent. Hotel rates rose 37 percent. Airfares rose 31 percent. Now under our leadership, they are all coming down and coming down fast. White politicians also sent the cost of groceries. Sorry, but we are solving that, too. All right, Congressman, your reaction to what the president had to say and how effective do you think his messaging was on this? Well, Tracy, I'm really glad that the president went on national TV last night to give this address directly to the American people. It was sharp. It was crisp. It was clear. It was classic President Trump. Look, we know what the president inherited when he came into office. We all lived through those four years where inflation rose to its highest level in 40 years. And we were all paying more for everything that we use in everyday life. President Trump has been president now for 11 months. He has tackled these issues. We had really good inflation numbers that came out this morning that shows that inflation is in fact coming down. We're seeing the lowest gas prices that we've seen in more than four years. And people know that when they go to the pump every day. And something that we did here in the House of Representatives and in Congress with President Trump's leadership, the passage on July the 3rd of the one big, beautiful bill, which is going to help all Americans as it relates to affordability, putting more money in people's pockets, that they're going to start seeing next year. So I think for the president to make that address last night, to address these issues head on, to remind them, well, the situation that they were experiencing before he became president, how things are getting better now that he is president, and kind of giving a roadmap, if you will, to what these next several months are going to look like. That's what the American people want to hear from a leader. That's what they want to hear from the president. And he also kind of gave a little surprise announcement last night mentioning this warrior dividend that he will be giving out, handing out to our troops right before Christmas. What was your reaction when you heard that? Tracey, I thought it was classic President Trump. First of all, to reward these men and women in uniform that he truly admires, frankly, I think that we all truly admire because they put their lives on the line for all of us each and every day. But to give them a bonus check in the amount of $1,776, $1,776, that has President Trump's mark all over that. But the most important thing is, it is truly well-earned by these men and women in uniform. Oh, absolutely. And it's just going to garner even more support for him, indeed, by our troops. I want to shift to this. I want to talk about health care quickly. The House passed the GOP health care plan by a vote of 216 to 211, and that bill would allow Americans to buy insurance in groups and save money on premiums, now heading to the Senate. And Democrats are going to try and force a vote on extending the ACA subsidies. Where does this stand right now? Where do you see this going? Well, it's, you know, what we did in the House of Representatives yesterday is important. What we're focusing on is lowering the price and the cost of health care for everyday Americans by allowing them to purchase in associated health plans, which is important for small business. Everybody that gets pharmaceuticals know about the PBMs and providing transparency in the PBMs. So, to your point, that will go to the United States Senate. Hopefully that will get a successful vote on the subsidies. You know, one thing I hear from my constituents each and every day is, when are you all going to stop spending money, stop spending more money than the government takes in? And the fact of the matter is, is that these subsidies that the Democrats want to extend were dramatically increased by President Biden and by Nancy Pelosi and by Chuck Schumer when we were in COVID. We're not in COVID anymore. Frankly, the government doesn't have the money to spend. And for people who were making 400 percent over the federal poverty guidelines to be able to receive these subsidies, my constituents don't agree with that. I think most of the American people don't agree with it. So what we did yesterday in the House of Representatives is a problem-solving solution. And I hope that it gets a positive vote in the Senate. Well, sir, thank you so much for coming on the show today. We really appreciate it. Congressman David Kostoff, thank you. Thank you, Tracey.

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Breakdown