At a "Fighting Oligarchy" rally in Missoula, Montana on Wednesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) called on Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) to hold a town hall and take questions from voters.
00:00So when we stand together and overcome what Trump and his friends try to do, and that is to divide us up by the color of our skin, or where we were born, whether we were born in the United States or someplace else, or our religion, or our sexual orientation, wherever it may be, that is what demagogues always do.
00:28They always find some minority and they say to the whole country, you've got all kinds of problems, that's who it is. It's the immigrants, it's transgender people, it's gay people.
00:44That's how they win, they divide us up. But when we stand together, black and white and gay and straight,
00:58there is nothing that can stop us.
01:04And right now, in the United States Congress, they are working along with Trump on what is called a reconciliation bill.
01:24See, it is not good enough for them that Musk owns more wealth than the bottom 56% of households.
01:38Not good enough for them that the top 1% owns more wealth than the bottom 90%.
01:44Not good enough. Not good enough that CEOs of large corporations now make 300 times what their workers make.
01:56Not good enough.
02:00So now they are working on legislation that would provide $1.1 trillion in tax breaks to the 1%.
02:14And they do that by cutting Medicaid by $880 billion.
02:20They do that by cutting nutrition programs for hungry children.
02:29They do that by cutting education and other programs that working families desperately need.
02:40Now you have a congressman here, his name is Ryan Zinke.
02:52Now I come from Vermont, traveled a long distance to get here.
02:56Alexandria comes from New York, traveled a long distance.
03:00Mr. Zinke does not have to travel a long distance to meet with you.
03:06So I would suggest that you ask him to sit down, have a meeting with a few thousand people, and ask him one simple question.
03:22Mr. Zinke, are you going to vote to cut Medicaid and education and nutrition to give massive tax breaks to billionaires who don't need it?
03:32So Mr. Zinke, have the courtesy to do what we do in a democracy.
03:44Sit down and have a little chat with your constituents.
03:48And right now, it's not only tax breaks for the rich and cuts to Medicaid.
04:02Unbelievably, you have Mr. Musk, wealthiest guy on earth, running all over Washington, D.C.
04:10He is cutting the staff at the Social Security Administration big time.
04:18And here is the truth.
04:22The truth is that before Trump came in, the Social Security Administration was understaffed.
04:30And I, as a senator, I am sure that every member of Congress and senator gets the same calls.
04:36We have calls from constituents.
04:38We're trying to get a hold of Social Security to talk about an issue that we have.
04:42Can't do it.
04:44You don't cut thousands and thousands of workers from the Social Security Administration when they are already understaffed.
04:58And let me tell you exactly what that means.
05:02People who are old and with disabilities die when they can't get the benefits they are entitled to.
05:10That's a fact.
05:12They have done it in the past and you cut the Social Security Administration,
05:15you're going to see thousands of people dying who should not be dying.
