House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said replacing Nancy Pelosi would be like chasing after Michael Jordan.
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said replacing Nancy Pelosi would be like chasing after Michael Jordan.
Kevin Dietch/Getty Images
Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York made history six months ago when he was sworn into the 118th Congress as the first Black House minority leader in U.S. history.
During that time, the House has experienced many divisions, most notably the recent negotiations on the debt ceiling, which nearly put the US government in default. Last week, the House of Representatives passed a bill to suspend the national debt ceiling until January 1, 2025.
“It was very important to avoid this dangerous default, even though there were many extreme MAGA Republicans determined to cause it,” Jeffries told NPR.
Jeffries sat down with all considerations We ask Juana Summers to talk about recent negotiations and what they tell us about the direction Congress is headed.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Juana Summers: A number of progressive Democrats have also argued that they are unhappy with parts of the deal, particularly labor requirements and some environmental measures. Just seeing the Republicans use the national debt limit as a political wedge, feeling that perhaps the Democrats, and even the President, should have come to the table sooner to prevent the Republicans from using it. What would you say to a party member who is Isn’t everything they’ve done in this deal accurate in terms of the concessions they’ve been able to get here?
Hakeem Jeffries: Well, given the fact that the far-right folks across the aisle were actually willing to default and collapse the economy and cause job losses, President Biden has been very rude in difficult circumstances. did a good job on They hit a recession to maximize economic pain, thinking they could use it to maximize their own political gain in 2024. In that context, President Biden was able to protect the key priorities we care about and mitigate the damage that could otherwise occur. It has already been done, including some related to the SNAP program.
This is extraordinary given the fact that extreme MAGA Republicans are determined to reduce the number of people with access to nutrition benefit programs in the United States. But because the Biden administration was able to expand the waivers, the independent Congressional Budget Office said that changes made to the debt ceiling resolution for the SNAP program would result in about 1 million more Americans getting into supplemental nutrition assistance programs each year. concluded that it would be accessible. dietary benefits. That’s unusual.
Jeffries will speak with then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at a press conference in March 2022.
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Summers: There are 71 Republicans who defected and did not support McCarthy, even though he actually played a role in the negotiations. As someone who works with Chairman McCarthy on a daily basis, what does this tell us about his ability to govern a multi-factional caucus?
Jeffries: The House will be totally incapable of functioning as the extreme MAGA Republicans in the House Republican Congress are determined to bring about a “my way or the highway” situation. Alternatively, House Republicans could decide to work with President Biden, House Democrats, and the Senate to build bipartisan consensus on areas that invest in, not undermine, the health, safety, and economic well-being of the American people. You can. for all occasions.
Summers: I would like to ask you a few questions about what happened after you started this job. About half a year ago you became the Democratic leader of the House of Representatives. Your predecessor, Nancy Pelosi, was known for her political acumen and her ability to count her votes accurately. I’m curious, how would you characterize your style in this role compared to her style in this role?
Jeffries: Well, Speaker of the House Pelosi is an iconic and legendary leader who has served alongside her in leadership over the last few Congresses and has been privileged to continue to benefit from her advice, guidance and insight. was an honor and a blessing.
…it’s very hard to follow Michael Jordan, and I’ll leave it to others to characterize my style, other than to say, I follow Michael Jordan.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy discussed the debt ceiling deal with the White House.
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Summers: One of the things my colleagues have heard about you from Speaker McCarthy is that he tells his colleagues and others that he works better with you than he does with Speaker Pelosi. It means that do you think that is true?
Jeffries: Well, I can’t comment on what the relationship was between Kevin McCarthy and his previous leadership, but I can say that we have a very good working relationship. From the beginning, we decided to communicate honestly, honestly and consistently with each other, and we were able to do that. It doesn’t mean we always agree. We often disagree, but we can agree to disagree without being offended. And we both tried to adopt that approach.
