Tim Ryan: I Support Single-Payer; Republicans Want To Kick People off Health Care

MARGARET BRENNAN: Former President Barack Obama was speaking in Germany recently over the weekend and said that he’s concerned about rigidity. That was the word he used among liberal Democrats who are kind of—

REP. RYAN: Yeah.

MARGARET BRENNAN: —hurting the party arguing amongst themselves was the gist of what he says. Do you agree with him?

REP. RYAN: Sometimes. I mean sometimes that can happen. But as long as we’re united on our values- look, we got to make progress. Here is the key: progress. We’re going backwards. I’m an old quarterback. Look you got to get first downs, you gotta move the ball down the field if you’re going to score and we’re going backwards right now. So we’ve got to find issues we can- we can unify around and pass them—

MARGARET BRENNAN: What’s that?

REP. RYAN: —and move the ball down the field.

MARGARET BRENNAN: What is that?

REP. RYAN: Well like for single-payer for example, I’ve been a supporter of single-payer but I think if we can—

MARGARET BRENNAN: But you also support the Affordable Care Act.

REP. RYAN: I did because that was moving the ball down the field. That was providing more health care for more people, making it more affordable—

MARGARET BRENNAN: So you want both?

REP. RYAN: I’m sorry?

MARGARET BRENNAN: You- you want both options? How does that work?

REP. RYAN: Well when you’re sitting there negotiating, I can’t negotiate with you right now with the House and the Senate and the White House. But I want more people to have more affordable coverage. I want there to be some kind of public option where middle class people who work hard and pay by the rules can get some help so they’re not getting squeezed by the pharmaceutical companies and the health care companies. That’s what I want. And so what does that look like after it goes through the process? It ended up with the Affordable Care Act, so I voted for it. But you know what? I also supported the public option in the Affordable Care Act but we couldn’t get it done. I’m saying let’s move the ball forward. President Trump and the Republicans right now want to kick people off of healthcare. That’s going in the wrong direction. So progressives, independents, we need to unify around policies that move the ball down the field and start helping more working class people.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Alright, Congressman Tim Ryan we will watch your campaign in a crowded Democratic field.

REP. RYAN: Thanks for having me.