Despite their usual disagreements, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has stood against the push to oust embattled Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Following Johnson's collaboration with Democrats to pass a foreign aid bill that allocated $61 billion for Ukraine, Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia, who opposed the bill, declared her intention to remove Johnson by initiating a vote on her motion to vacate him. In response, Democrats issued a statement indicating their opposition to Congresswoman Greene's endeavor to remove Johnson, with Jeffries mentioning that Johnson has not sought his assistance.
"Typically, we would take the stance of 'Let the other side handle their own issues,'" Jeffries remarked. "However, when those issues begin to impede the ability to fulfill the duties on behalf of the American people, it may be necessary for us to clarify that we will not permit extremists to plunge Congress and the nation into turmoil."
Division in the House
The United States Congress is not particularly popular these days and it's easy to understand why. The current session will likely be the least productive Congress since the Civil War, in terms of laws passed, according to historical data analysis by J. Tobin Grant, a professor of political science at Southern Illinois University.
To hear Jeffries tell it, the Democrats are already in charge.
"Even though we're in the minority, we effectively have been governing as if we were in the majority because we continue to provide a majority of the votes necessary to get things done," he said. "Those are just the facts."
Indeed, in the 118th Congress, House Democrats provided a majority of the votes on bipartisan bills to avert a government shutdown, send aid to Ukraine, and pass the National Defense Authorization Act, which went on to be signed into law by the president.
Jeffries, who represents New York's 8th Congressional District, in Brooklyn, views being a member of Congress as being an emissary of the American people to get things done and solve problems. But he said some Republicans have a different take on the job.
Jeffries Criticizes Republican Colleagues for Chaos and Extremism
During a recent interview, Jeffries expressed his frustration with Republican colleagues, accusing them of prioritizing chaos, dysfunction, and extremism over effective governance.
Impact of Jeffries' Stance on Israel in Upcoming Election
The foreign aid bill championed by Johnson, which includes $26.4 billion in support for Israel's conflict with Hamas, has sparked controversy within the Democratic Party. In response to protests on college campuses regarding the Israel-Gaza situation, some left-wing members of the party have aligned themselves with demonstrators.
Recently, 37 House Democrats voted against increasing military aid to Israel, setting the stage for a contentious debate leading up to the November election. With control of the White House and Congress hanging in the balance, Jeffries and President Biden face a challenging road ahead.
Jeffries emphasized the need to earn every voter's support, highlighting the importance of prioritizing the needs of everyday Americans over political self-interest. Despite representing a district with a significant Jewish population, Jeffries affirmed his commitment to upholding the First Amendment rights of protesters while denouncing violence and antisemitism.
Following the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 that triggered the conflict, Jeffries defended Israel's right to respond forcefully to defeat Hamas and restore peace in the region.
"At the same time, my view has been that we have to do everything possible to get the hostages out, and to surge humanitarian assistance into Gaza," Jeffries said.
Jeffries acknowledged that Israel needed to do more to get humanitarian aid into Gaza and that more surgical precision was needed in its military strikes, but he seemed reluctant to criticize Israel.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has spoken out on the issue. In a nearly 45 minute speech on the Senate floor in March, he called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an obstacle to peace and urged the Israeli government to hold new elections once the threat of Hamas is reduced.
"Anything that Chuck Schumer has to say on the subject is going to be incredibly important and received. But at the same time, every single member of Congress has the responsibility of answering to their constituency," Jeffries said.
He added that any suggestions by Republicans that Schumer, a staunch supporter of Israel, was somehow undermining the U.S.-Israel relationship are ridiculous.
Issues facing voters at the polls: Immigration, abortion, guns and the economy
Closer to home, voters are concerned about the influx of migrants; Jeffries' home city of New York is a hot spot for immigration issues. Shelters to house thousands of migrants have gone up in and around Jeffries' district in Brooklyn.
"We have a broken immigration system and we have clear challenges at the border that we have to confront decisively and in a bipartisan way," Jeffries said. "And the American people are crying out for us to do something about the situation at the border in a manner consistent with our values."
Jeffries also views abortion rights as a major issue in the upcoming election.
"Extreme MAGA Republicans have set in motion the erosion of reproductive freedom. We're going to fight for it with everything that we've got at our disposal," he said. "If Roe v. Wade can fall, anything can fall. Social Security can fall. Medicare can fall. Voting rights can fall. And God help us all, but democracy itself can fall."
Jeffries also pointed toward Democratic legislative wins during his wide-ranging discussion with CBS Evening News anchor and 60 Minutes correspondent Norah O'Donnell. Though CBS News polling earlier this year found two-thirds of voters think the economy was better under former President Donald Trump, Jeffries said the view is inaccurate.
"We have to do a better job of laying out the facts," he said. "That the economy has dramatically improved under the leadership of President Joe Biden."
There are challenges that remain when it comes to lowering costs, ending price gouging, growing the middle class, keeping communities safe and solving problems at the border, Jeffries said.
"We're confident in our stance on these matters," Jeffries stated. "Our task is to effectively present our argument to the American public in a persuasive, coherent, and thorough manner."
When questioned by O'Donnell about whether he acknowledges that Democrats have not yet achieved that, Jeffries grinned. "It's a process," he replied.
