CNN host Jake Tapper on Sunday pressed New York congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on where she intended to get the money to fund one of her main platform policies, Medicare for all.
WATCH:
Tapper began by laying out the policies — such as Medicare for all, tuition-free public college and the cancellation of student loan debt — and the price tag, saying, “According to nonpartisan and left-leaning Tax Policy Center, the overall price tag is more than $40 trillion in the next decade. You recently said in an interview increasing taxes on the very wealthy, increased corporate tax rate would make $2 trillion over the next 10 years. Where is the other $38 trillion going to come from?”
Ocasio-Cortez dismissed the question, arguing that a Medicare for all policy would ultimately save money over time. She expounded on the virtues on “investments that are better for our future,” citing the U.K., Canada, and France as working examples of the model she preferred.
Tapper continued: “Right. I get that. But the price tag for everything that you laid out in your campaign is $40 trillion over the next 10 years. I understand that Medicare for all would cost more to some wealthier people and to the government and to taxpayers, while also reducing individual health care expenditures. $40 trillion is quite a bit of money. And the taxes that you talked about raising to pay for this, to pay for your agenda, only count for two.”
Ocasio-Cortez again ignored the implied question, instead choosing to talk about people she knew who were crippled by the cost of premiums and deductibles. She then appeared to concede the fact that she wasn’t answering the question, saying, “We do know and acknowledge that there are political realities. They don’t always happen with the wave of a wand but we can work to make these things happen.”
Tapper then acknowledged that he “won’t get an answer for the other $38 trillion” from Ocasio-Cortez.
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