Kamlager-Dove Discusses Israel, Biden Administration, Affordable Care Act with MSNBC’s Alex Witt
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - December 4, 2023
Media Contact: Maya Valentine | maya.valentine@mail.house.gov
WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) joined Alex Witt on MSNBC’s “Alex Witt Reports” to discuss the breakdown in hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas, the Biden Administration’s handling of the crisis, and Donald Trump vowing to take down the Affordable Care Act. Below are excerpts from the interview and a link to the video.
To watch her full interview, click here.
ON DONALD TRUMP
“…Let's not forget that people died under Donald Trump. While we had COVID, this was a president who had COVID, and then still denied that it existed. And now we've seen North Carolina become the 40th state to fully expand Medicaid under [the Affordable Care Act]. That proves to all of us that Americans want health care coverage, they want affordable health care coverage, they want expanded health care coverage, and that's been coming under Democratic administrations.”
“…American voters, constituents, are saying we want more rights — abortion rights, health care rights. We want lower prescription costs. And that is something that President Biden and Vice President Harris and Congress, under Democrats, have been working to deliver... We need to make sure that [Trump]… lose[s], and we also need …to talk about…how he has been incredibly dangerous…”
ON U.S. WARSHIP SHOOTING DOWN DRONE IN YEMEN
“I'm deeply concerned. I think the instigations that are coming from the Red Sea are really Yemen and the Houthis testing our commitment to our allies overseas and our commitment to our own national security…I am certainly hopeful that there will not be additional escalations, but we do need to take these things seriously. They've been attacking U.S. warships and also commercial vessels, which impact our supply chain. So, this is something we must be watching. I’m hoping to get a briefing sometime next week with other Members of Congress, and it goes to the continued war that we’ve seen in the Middle East and why we need to work to bring that to an end.”
ON BIDEN ADMINISTRATION REACTION TO RENEWED OFFENSIVE
“I think [President] Biden has been really clear — Israel cannot permanently occupy Gaza. We cannot see a shrinkage of the borders. We need to not, you know, harm folks in southern Gaza. The importance of protecting civilian life should be a high priority. Of course it is important that Israel defend itself, but how it defends itself matters. We must continue to send humanitarian aid. We must work to get out the remaining hostages, and we must continue to socialize the need for a two-state solution.”
ON ISRAEL AND HAMAS
“I think that we saw [a] ceasefire because of [the] incredibly delicate and persistent diplomatic negotiations between the United States and Israel and with Qatar and Hamas. So I think it speaks to the fact that diplomacy is incredibly important, that [the] Biden Administration was persistent in pushing for a surge in humanitarian aid, getting out the hostages, real information about how to administer a very incisive military operation, and … Palestinians deserving to live in peace and security, as well as Israelis…”
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