Debate over Medicaid, state funding, and illegal immigrant coverage

President Donald Trump's deployment of the military domestically over the objections of local leaders has become a flashpoint in our national debate.

The Trump has justified these deployments by citing lawlessness in places like Portland and Chicago, but at least one federal judge has found these claims to be "untethered in reality."

North Dakota Rep. Julie Fedorchak has said in the past that a line Trump cannot cross is ignoring the courts, yet with these deployments, Trump is now ignoring court orders. How does she feel about that?

She's maintaining her position -- "I think he needs to follow the courts like I've said before," she said on this episode of Plain Talk -- but she also told guest co-host Zach Raknerud and I that she hasn't been following the situation closely.

"My conversations with the administration would be you've got to follow the courts, appeal it, and go through that process. That's how the system's designed," she said.

Asked about Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread's assertion that cutting subsidies for health insurance premiums would create a "death spiral" for the insurance industry, Fedorchak said that's a problem that needs to be addressed, but not in the context of the government shutdown.

"We want to address it. We want to address it, you know, as soon as we can, but you don't need to tie it to a continuing resolution to keep the government open," she said.

She also accused Democrats of making federal health coverage for illegal immigrants a factor in the shutdown. "Democrat states like California and New York were using to provide funding, federal funding to cover illegal immigrants on Medicaid," she said. "They were using federal dollars to cover their state match for legal aliens. We closed that loophole in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act and now by repealing this, they open up that loophole again. And they do indeed allow for coverage on Medicaid for illegal immigrants."

On trade issues, Fedorchak said she's sent a letter to President Donald Trump asking for "some sort of a market facilitation a grant program" to help impacted farmers make it through "this fall," but she was also supportive of Trump's trade policies, accusing China of "weaponizing agriculture."

Raknerud asked Fedorchak about some of the rhetoric coming from Republicans, casting Democrats as extremists and even "demonic." The Congresswoman said she's not supportive of speaking that way.

"I believe in leading by example and that's what I'm doing," she said." I am one that tries to use measured language. I treat people with respect. I have zero tolerance for any sort of political violence or violence as a whole in any issue."

Also on this episode, Zach and I discuss Trump's domestic troop deployments, the national debt, and the ongoing controversy around Rep. Dustin McNally's appointment in District 42.

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