Florida Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D) Talks Trump Tax Bill
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Bloomberg Audio Studios. Podcasts, radio, news. Now, as Republican lawmakers work to advance President Trump's tax bill today, we look across the aisle to see how House Democrats are watching this process. Joined by Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida. She's live with us from Capitol Hill. Congresswoman, it's great to see you. Give us a sense of what we're in for here tonight, the state of play. We understand the takeout food is arriving. Are you going to be there all night?

You know, it's unclear, because the Republicans are rounding up as many of their folks as they can to try to ram through the worst bill that I've seen in my entire career. It's an abomination. It would kick 17 million people off of their health care. It is the biggest cut to nutrition assistance, meaning they're going to force millions of people to go hungry, including veterans, the disabled, elderly, children.

This is a bill that is a massive tax cut giveaway to billionaires and wealthy corporations. That is what this whole bill is in service to, and their massive spending cuts are -- they

essentially trying to make as much room as they can to take care of their wealthiest, most fortunate donors. It also blows a $4 trillion hole in the deficit and makes -- increases the debt ceiling by $5 trillion. That -- from the party that says that they actually care about deficit spending, they should never say that -- have that come out of their mouths again.

Well, as we consider who will ultimately benefit from what is largely an extension of existing tax rates set by the 2017 tax bill, the president and your Republican colleagues argue that this is making sure that most of the country, including I'm sure the vast majority of your constituents, don't see a tax hike at the end of the year. Is it not good that that will be avoided? In the words of our previous president, who actually handed

President Trump the most, like, the best economy in the entire world, that's malarkey, because we -- it is July. We can deal with expiring tax cuts in separate legislation and focus on making sure that we have tax breaks that actually help the middle class and working families. And, you know, if they wanted to extend those tax cuts to the wealthiest, most fortunate Americans, you know, be my guest, but don't

skew the tax breaks so disproportionately to people who are already successful and leave the middle class out. This bill has, you know, taxes -- you know, cuts in taxes on tips that actually expire in a couple of years. They're capped at $25,000. I don't think folks who earn tips know that.

the tax breaks for the wealthiest, most fortunate Americans, the millionaires and billionaires, they're made permanent. So you know exactly where MAGA Republicans and Trump's priorities are, taking care of the most fortunate and taking health care and food assistance and energy tax credits that make sure that we can keep energy savings low -- energy savings high and our electric bills low. That's the goals of this bill.

Congresswoman, we have seen that individual components of this bill poll pretty well. And you know how this goes. You take out components of a bill and it polls differently than the big beautiful bill, as the president calls it. Some do poorly. In this case, we saw Tony Fabrizio's poll find that two-thirds of voters agree there's waste, fraud and abuse in Medicaid that justify reforms. How do you message against that as a Democrat? This bill...

This bill cuts a trillion dollars out of Medicaid. And the congressional -- the independent Congressional Budget Office says that it causes 17 million people to lose their health care through Medicaid and the ending of tax credits in the Affordable Care Act.

You know, when Republicans say that they are going after people who shouldn't have Medicaid, they cite undocumented immigrants. Undocumented immigrants are already prohibited from getting access to Medicaid, and they're not on Medicaid. There isn't a trillion dollars of Medicaid waste, fraud and abuse. They know it. And the analysis from the independent Congressional Budget Office says that as well.

Well, as we consider questions around immigration and the housing of migrants specifically, President Trump yesterday, of course, was in your state of Florida to visit a new migrant facility that's being dubbed Alligator Alcatraz. Take a listen, Congresswoman, to what the president said during his tour. Very soon, this facility will house some of the most menacing migrants, some of the most vicious people on the planet. We're surrounded by miles of treacherous swampland, and the only way out is really deportation.

Congresswoman, I know you've put out a statement around this facility, but if these migrants do need to be housed somewhere, what in Florida would be a better solution? What would you recommend to the president and Governor DeSantis for that matter? Kelly, Donald Trump is full of baloney. He isn't having the most violent, dangerous, undocumented immigrants detained. The overwhelming majority of people they're detaining are having ICE agents that are masked

He's snatched people off of job sites, and they're taking in people who are here making a better way of life for themselves and our family that have been contributing to our economy. He made a million people undocumented overnight by yanking TPS and humanitarian parole from half-a-million Venezuelans and half-a-million Haitians who did it the right way, followed the rules.

He is lying when he says that he is prioritizing the worst of the worst. And that alligator alcatraz, so-called alligator alcatraz site, is on a very environmentally sensitive site that was abandoned years ago when they were planning an airport because it was deemed too environmentally sensitive. We're in the middle of hurricane season. Just yesterday, while DeSantis was -- and Trump were doing their press conference, it

It started to flood while he was speaking because it was raining so hard and their infrastructure is so flimsy that it would blow away like matchsticks in a hurricane. To say nothing of the fact that it is on sacred tribal land that they have never consulted with the Miccosukee tribe of Florida on. This is a boondoggle and a stunt and an inhumane one at that. And it's wildly inappropriate.

We heard from the president yesterday when he was delivering remarks. He had advice for migrants on how to outrun alligators, Congresswoman. Don't run in a straight line. Run like this, he said, waving his hand from side to side. I'm not sure what motivates comments like this. What did the president mean?

JUDY WOODRUFF: Joe, have you ever reported on an ICE detainee escaping? I bet you haven't, because it doesn't happen. And it's also the fact that the majority of the detainees that Trump has been rounding up have been law-abiding people who are simply here to make a better way of life for themselves and their families, who have contributed to our economy. And, you know, just before this segment, you -- your reporter reported on

the hit to the economy that rounding up these undocumented immigrants and the fear of deportation are having on beer sales and soda sales. And it's going to hurt construction companies and restaurants and farmers. I mean, they're all sounding the alarm bell here.

So, the Trump administration is really going through a process of trying to bleach America, not making America safe, and with no regard for people who are fleeing countries where they're being oppressed, that they face danger. And they're going to try to send people back to that danger, when we are a refuge and always have been. And we certainly need to make sure we get rid of criminals. But that's not what Donald Trump is trying to do. It's very obvious.

All right, Congresswoman, we appreciate your time as always. Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida. Thank you.

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