Call Your Senator: Sen. Andy Kim

Brian Lehrer (0:10)

It's The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC. Good morning, everyone, and thanks to Kusher for filling in. As I was out atoning for my sins, so many sins, so little time. But hey, one day is what they give you for Yom Kippur. So you do what you can, you know? Now I can start another whole year of sinning. Is that how it works? But seriously, it's Tuesday, September 22nd, the fall equinox. And this is also the day we launched this year's edition of our 30 Issues and 30 Days election series. Beginning today and for the next 30 shows in a row, we'll be looking at an issue a day as they relate to the midterm elections specifically to control of Congress and also the New York State governor's race. Issue number one today, how to make affordable health care an American right. We'll see how Democratic and Republican candidates are running on the issue, from Medicare for all to very different approaches, with Julie Ravner from KFF Health News that's coming up in about a half hour. And we'll touch on a version of this tangentially at least in our first segment today, which will start right now. It's our monthly Call Your Senator segment. My questions and yours for New Jersey Senator Andy Kim. New Jerseyans first priority, but anyone may call or text 212-433-WNYC.

Call or text 212-433-9692.

Senator Kim is trying to fill some of our health insurance gaps with his MediKids Bill, which is just what it sounds like, Automatic Health Insurance for Americans from birth to age 26 And his Medicare at Home Bill, which would add Medicare Home Healthcare for many seniors, Home Healthcare, so needed for so many seniors these days and so expensive, is not covered by Medicare as it exists. It never was. Senator Kim wants to add a version of it. I'll definitely touch on the war in Iran. Now past the half year mark, Kim used to work for the Pentagon and State Department, and maybe his thoughts on regulating AI. He's been talking about it. Obviously, that question is now more in play after the warnings this month from leaders of that industry. But all that still leaves plenty of room for your questions, for Senator Kim, on other things as well. Call or text 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692.

Senator, we always appreciate that you do this. Welcome back to WNYC.

Andy Kim (2:44)

Yeah. Good morning, Brian. Thanks for having me.

Brian Lehrer (2:46)

Let's start with the war. We have this very unusual moment in New York today at the UN General Assembly Session.

Where President Trump is speaking with the President of Iran in the audience, President Massoud Pesachian. And Trump has suggested he might be open to meeting with Pesachian. This is what the UN is supposed to be for, right? When it actually works, avoiding or resolving wars to save human lives and promote human rights. Do you see the General Assembly Session as an opportunity for that? And not just empty words this week?

Andy Kim (3:21)

Well, I've accompanied presidents in the past to the UN General Assembly event in New York. And surely, there's proximity of these leaders, but it also comes with what you're prepared with, what you have to deal with. And we've seen just over and over again, the Trump administration just ill-prepared to be able to engage with Iran, with the engage with Russia, engage with others, because they don't have a strategy. And so, they can get in front of each other and talk, but right now, we are rudderless when it comes to what's happening next on Iran. I mean, as you said, we're approaching seven months here with this war. It's cost the American people tens of billions of dollars through the government. It was cost of the American people over $113 billion more in gas and diesel over the course of the last seven months. That's about $866 per household in this country that we paid more for gas and diesel.

So look, like they just don't have a plan.

So Trump can talk all he wants to leaders there in New York, but they don't have a plan. And that's why I'm going to be pushing and leading the effort this week to call up a War Powers Resolution in the United States Senate to end this war. We need to put the pressure on this administration to actually end it, rather than what they're doing now, which is just currently, they're just dithering. I mean, there was a poll that just came out today saying that, you know, 78% of Americans are saying that Trump is not doing enough to end this war, overwhelmingly unpopular. So now is the time we need to put that pressure on the administration. And they're certainly going to feel it internationally, and people are going to be very, you know, very, well, Trump's going to be feeling very isolated there in New York, just given what I've been hearing and seeing from other world leaders.