NEC director on government shutdown, food stamps and more
WASHINGTON (CBS, KYMA) - Kevin Hassett, Director of the National Economic Council (NEC), spoke with Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation Sunday about the government shutdown and how it's affecting the economy.
According to Brennan, this is the longest shutdown in American history, and she brought up her previous interview with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who said November 15 was "the hard stop for any paychecks" going to U.S. troops.
When asked if it remains the point of exhaustion, Hassett said:
"I think that's about the right number. And the problem is that under the law, we're not allowed to spend money that hasn't been appropriated. And there is a law, the Antideficiency Act, that says that if a government official spends money that isn't appropriated by Congress, which will only happen if the Democrats vote to open up the government, then you could even have criminal penalties. And so people are very carefully studying the law and trying to get as much money out the door as is legal."
During the interview, Brennan and Hassett talked about food stamps, with Brennan reporting that the Supreme Court put a temporary stay, blocking full food stamp benefits pending the lower court decision, Friday.
This prompted Brennan to ask Hassett why not tap into the Section 32 account at the USDA as a short-term patchwork solution, and Hassett said, "The president's job, and all of our jobs, is to uphold the law" after the Trump Administration argued that it would be illegal to move around funding and tap into the Section 32 account.
Later in the interview, Brennan and Hassett talked about the current cost of healthcare, with Brennan asking if Hassett agrees that there needs to be a deal on healthcare and if healthcare costs are to high, and he said:
"I think that if you look at the Affordable Care Act, these premiums weren't made permanent by the Democrats during the COVID emergency because they're worried about the budgetary costs. And so if you look at the premium increases, they don't affect most people below two times the poverty line, three times the poverty line. But there are a lot of senior citizens that are above, like, around four times the poverty level, which with a husband and wife team would be about 120,000, that are seeing really big premium increases. And I think that everybody's going to want to think about what the next step for that would be, because are seeing- again most people aren't seeing much of an increase at all, but the maximum increases you're seeing could be up to about $500 a month for seniors who have really costly plans."
To watch more of Brennan's interview with Hassett, click here.
