Gabby Birenbaum’s Washington Journal segment dissects the 2023 fiscal cliff standoff, where gubernatorial candidate Defonic slammed Speaker Johnson for inaction while Chuck Schumer defended a one-year extension to ease $1.7T in expiring tax cuts and spending reductions. Unknown 3346 mocked Republicans’ vague proposals, citing Leader Thune’s past demands for specifics, and accused Johnson of blocking bipartisan talks—only allowing limited exchanges with Liz Stefanik. Frustration peaked over income caps vs. urgent fixes like healthcare and housing, mirroring 2010’s Affordable Care Act deadline chaos, exposing partisan gridlock as the real cliff threat. [Automatically generated summary]
The first time I ever heard anyone say anything about these reforms in a concrete way is when Leader Thune lost his school because he was mad that we were asking for people not to get votes starving across America.
unidentified
And he rattled off five or six.
Has Mr. Thune put it on a piece of paper yet?
I've not seen it.
Maybe you all should ask him.
You're going to have a press conference for him in a little bit.
But if you're putting a starting point to talks here at three years, the question is, do you want the issue or do you want to solve it?
Republicans have said actually wanting to solve it.
Since 2010, when I came into the House and we passed the Affordable Care Act, Republicans have said, get rid of it, we have our own plan.
I don't know how many years it's been since then, but it's been a little bit.
We're asking you about your plan.
Right.
The three years.
Three years is in the city.
The Republicans have said they're going to replace this thing.
Do the Republicans care that their constituents are going to land up in a hospital bed like I did and then have to worry about trying to find a place to live because they're going to lose their home.
unidentified
We're not going to be able to pay rent?
That's what this comes down to.
It's about affordability.
I mean, it's nonsense.
You all know that.
Hold up.
Look at this shit right here.
You guys see this?
Do you see this?
I can attest to the fear that comes with sitting on a bed and not knowing if you're going to live.
I went through it.
This is not okay for folks.
I mean, I get the posturing and the this and the that and the votes.
And sure.
Step back and just, when you're not doing your job and you're worried about your life and your families, what are you thinking about?
What are you thinking about?
Like, I just hope that everyone can have that conversation because right now it's not happening.
It's just, it's not.
But that's where I ask, you know, say three years.
Lisa said, others said.
Liz Stefanik should run for speaker and come up with her own health care plan that she's running for governor.
Show speaker Johnson what it takes to have a backbone and care about the...
Johnson says the two of them work things out.
It looks like it.
Thank you.
Merry Christmas everyone.
Thank you.
What that means is we're going to be here on December 24th voting, right?
Like we did Obamacare in 2000.
All in high school students, join C-SPAN as we celebrate America's 250th anniversary during our 2026 C-SPAN Student Cam Video Documentary Competition.
This year's theme is Exploring the American Story through the Declaration of Independence.
We're asking students to create a five to six minute documentary that answers one of two questions.
What's the Declaration's influence on a key moment from America's 250-year history?
Or how have its values touched on a contemporary issue that's impacting you or your community?
We encourage all students to participate, regardless of prior filmmaking experience.
Consider interviewing topical experts and explore a variety of viewpoints around your chosen issue.
Students should also include clips of related C-SPAN footage, which are easy to download on our website, studentcam.org.
C-SPAN's Student Cam competition awards $100,000 in total cash prizes to students and teachers and $5,000 for the grand prize winner.
Entries must be received before January 20th, 2026.
For competition rules, tips, or just how to get started, visit our website at studentcam.org.
Friday on C-SPAN's ceasefire, at a time when finding common ground matters most in Washington, host Dasha Burns sits down with Democratic California Congressman Roe Conna and Republican Nebraska Congressman Don Bacon for a bipartisan dialogue on the top issues facing the country,