Sen. Jeanne Shaheen told Margaret Brennan her immediate priorities were reopening the government and preventing a sharp rise in health insurance premiums by extending ACA premium tax credits. She said bipartisan talks with Republicans like Sen. Cassidy aim to extend the credits now while pursuing longer-term reforms — such as generics acceleration and PBM reform — later. Shaheen backed public release of DOJ documents related to Jeffrey Epstein and warned that recent U.S. actions near Venezuela lack a clear endgame and could risk U.S. strategic posture overseas.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen on Face the Nation: Urgent Push to Extend ACA Tax Credits, Call to Release DOJ Epstein Files, Criticism of Venezuela Strategy
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen told Margaret Brennan her immediate priorities were reopening the government and preventing a sharp rise in health insurance premiums by extending ACA premium tax credits. She said bipartisan talks with Republicans like Sen. Cassidy aim to extend the credits now while pursuing longer-term reforms — such as generics acceleration and PBM reform — later. Shaheen backed public release of DOJ documents related to Jeffrey Epstein and warned that recent U.S. actions near Venezuela lack a clear endgame and could risk U.S. strategic posture overseas.
07:22 AM, 11/17/2025Politics
Transcript highlights — Face the Nation (Nov. 16, 2025)
The following is an edited transcript of Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D–NH) speaking with Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation on Nov. 16, 2025. The interview focuses on efforts to extend Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, the call for public release of Department of Justice documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, and concerns about the administration's actions near Venezuela.
MARGARET BRENNAN:
We turn now to Senator Jeanne Shaheen. Good morning.
SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN: Good morning. Nice to be with you.
On extending ACA premium tax credits
MARGARET BRENNAN: You spent much of the year pushing to extend Obamacare premium tax credits. Last Sunday you agreed to reopen the government without a guaranteed extension, with a promise of a Democratic-led ACA vote. Do Democrats want simply to extend the credits as they are, or are you open to broader reforms?
SEN. SHAHEEN: Since the shutdown began, I have focused on two priorities: reopening the government to stop the immediate harm to people who lost food assistance or paychecks, and preventing a spike in health insurance premiums if the premium tax credits expire at year-end. People could face dramatic rate increases — in some cases premiums doubling — and that would make coverage unaffordable.
We have been talking with Republican colleagues, including Sen. Bill Cassidy, and with House members across the aisle. My view is that the immediate, nonpartisan objective should be to extend the premium tax credits so we avoid chaos in the upcoming plan year. Major structural reforms — such as converting credits into flexible cash accounts — are reasonable policy discussions but are not feasible to implement within the short time frame we have.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Cassidy has cited roughly $26 billion he would redirect into flexible accounts. You're saying that can't be done in six weeks?
SEN. SHAHEEN: Correct. You cannot implement that level of change in six weeks. There are bipartisan, longer-term measures worth pursuing — for example, expediting approval of generics and biosimilars and reforming pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) — but those take time. Right now we must focus on extending the credits and mitigating immediate premium shock.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Can you get 60 votes or bring fellow Democrats on board for a compromise, possibly with income caps or anti-fraud measures?
SEN. SHAHEEN: We should move past the shutdown infighting and focus on solutions. Health insurers tell us major changes in the first year would be very difficult to implement. Reasonable steps like income caps make sense — today 94% of premium tax credit recipients earn under $200,000, and the average single recipient's income is a little over $30,000 — and both parties can agree on preventing fraud and abuse. Let's act quickly and pragmatically.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Insurers have filed rates that assume credits will end. Is it too late to extend open enrollment?
SEN. SHAHEEN: It is possible to include an open-enrollment extension in legislation, but that requires cooperation from the administration and insurers. Insurers have said it would be difficult but not impossible to adapt if Congress acts in December, which underscores the urgency.
On DOJ documents related to Jeffrey Epstein
MARGARET BRENNAN: Survivors and families have asked lawmakers to release DOJ internal communications about Jeffrey Epstein's case. The House plans a vote this week. Should the Senate follow, and would you support releasing the documents?
SEN. SHAHEEN: Absolutely. The documents should be public. Survivors and the American people deserve transparency. If the President believes there is nothing problematic in those records, he should not oppose their release.
On Venezuela and U.S. strategy
MARGARET BRENNAN: As ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee, you were briefed about strikes on small, fast-moving boats. Is there a clear endgame? Does the administration intend to remove Nicolás Maduro?
SEN. SHAHEEN: I do not see a clear endgame. The administration relied on a legal opinion about the strikes that it did not initially release publicly; Congress has now seen it, but the public has not. The escalation — including talk of land strikes by special operations — risks U.S. personnel. Redeploying assets such as the Gerald R. Ford from the Red Sea to the Caribbean reduces U.S. capacity in other regions at a time of global threats. While Maduro is a malign actor with ties to illicit activity, he does not pose a direct military threat to the United States, and the current approach raises significant strategic questions.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Senator Shaheen, thank you for your time this morning.
Edited for clarity and flow. This transcript condenses the full broadcast exchange.