Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey said Republicans can end the ongoing government shutdown “with one vote.”
And, as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced Thursday she would not seek re-election, Markey praised her “incredible leadership on issues that when people look back, will see were transformative in our nation’s history, affecting every single family.”
4 questions with Sen. Ed Markey
What do you make of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s announcement that she’s passing the torch?
“I have known Speaker Pelosi since her first day when she stepped foot on the floor of the House of Representatives, and she has been a leader on health care, LGBTQ rights, on civil rights, on education, on democracy, on climate change. Issue after issue, she has been the leader that the Democratic party has needed.
“She will go down at the top of the list as the greatest speakers of the House of all time, because she earned that right, because of all of her incredible leadership on issues that when people look back will see were transformative in our nation’s history, affecting every single family.”
Does the Trump administration’s plans to reduce air traffic create more pressure to end the shutdown?
“Safety obviously must always come first: air traffic controllers should be paid, all federal workers and contractors should be paid.
“It’s only further pressure for there to be a resolution of this shutdown issue, and the only way in which we can get to that point is if the Republicans, especially the House Republicans, return to Washington.
“We can resolve this issue, but we have to talk about health care. Obviously, voters across the country spoke very loudly and clearly Tuesday night. They want this issue resolved. They want health care protections to be put in place. So Republicans can end this with one vote.”
What do you think about the bipartisan framework touted by Republican Jeff Hurd of Colorado? Hurd told Morning Edition it would extend enhanced premium tax credits for two years, set reasonable income caps and build stronger guardrails.
“I would be more than willing to hear that proposal, but the ultimate question is going to be, ‘Does Speaker [Mike] Johnson support it. Do the most conservative Senate Republicans support that?’ That I don’t know, and I think that’s where the problem has been.
“We just have to get all the Republicans back immediately and have Trump come into the room as well. And then I think, if that’s the kind of proposal that they’re willing to make and all agree to, then we have something that we can negotiate over.”
As the Supreme Court hears cases on Trump’s tariffs, how are small businesses impacted?
“For small businesses, this isn’t about politics. It’s about survival. They’re telling me these tariffs could spell the end of their livelihoods. And this tariff regime that the Trump administration has put into place, is really turning Main Street into Pain Street.”
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Jill Ryan produced and edited this interview for broadcast with Micaela Rodríguez. James Perkins Mastromarino produced it for the web.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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