LEADER JEFFRIES ON MS NOW: “WE’RE GOING TO RELENTLESSLY FOCUS ON OUR AFFORDABILITY AGENDA”

Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on MS NOW's The Weeknight, where he emphasized that House Democrats remain committed to holding the crooks who are ripping off the American people accountable and lowering the high cost of living in our fight for an affordable America.

MICHAEL STEELE: Democratic Leader, House Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Sir, you are a Trumpbuster. Are you not? Welcome to the program.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, it's great to be with you. We're working hard to make sure that on November 3, we can begin the process of decisively breaking MAGA extremism in the United States of America and win back control of the House of Representatives.

SYMONE SANDERS-TOWNSEND: So, Leader Jeffries, how are you all going to do that? Give us the-I know you hate to make predictions, but give us some numbers, because I was looking, and the last time Donald Trump was President in the midterm election, he lost a little over 40 seats. Okay, Democrats gained about net, I think, 42, maybe 43 seats. Someone in my ear will tell me if I'm wrong. How many seats do you think you are going to get?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, listen, we're working hard to win every possible seat. We, of course, have to get to 218 and then we'll try to win as many seats on top of that as possible. What we do know from the 2018 election, where we were able to regain control of the House of Representatives, is that 75% of the seats that we flipped in 2018 were just won by Donald Trump in 2016. And so our opportunity to go deeper and deeper into the map is a real thing. And we have extraordinary candidates, whether those are doctors or nurses or farmers or pastors, police officers, firefighters, educators, union leaders, social workers, of course, a Tejano music superstar from the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, a smokejumper and combat veterans like Cait Conley as well as Rebecca Bennett, who are going to flip seats in New York and New Jersey.

MICHAEL STEELE: So, sir, Symone wanted the numbers, and I'll give you a number. I'll give you my number. My number is 40. Look, I know what we did in 2010. I was told I couldn't do much better than 39. This environment is nothing like 2010, you know, for Democrats as it was for Republicans in this cycle. So there's a real-there's a real opportunity here to, yes, get to that 218 and expand that majority because you're going to need it, to be quite honest, and you know that, I know that. It's going to work to the benefit of the Democrats to have some oomph behind that number so you don't have to live on the margins and the edges. And this, I think it's something-the reason I raised it, sir, because I think it's something for voters to know. You just can't half-step it, folks. You just can't pussyfoot around and just kind of give the Democrats a little bit of power. You're either going to fully commit, or you're not, right? You've got incredible races. You've got the opportunity to pick up a governorship in the state of Florida with David Jolly. You've got excitement in the state of Mississippi, sir. Mississippi. Symone calls Mississippi six weeks ago. Y'all need to pay attention. And here we are. So you're on the cusp of some really important stuff. I think at this stage, at least how I looked at it in 2010, is like, where do I advance the margin? Where do I advance the ball so I go beyond what I'm going to need to be successful? Because I know on the other side, if it's close, this team that you're dealing with in the House? Mike Johnson and crew? Oh baby, you know they're going to do everything in their power to get in your way. There's still a question, sir, about whether or not Mike Johnson is even going to turn over the gavel when you take the House. That's how much this number has to be a big one. So that's my thought. I wanted to share that with you. What do you think?

LEADER JEFFRIES: No, I appreciate that, Michael. We've got to run through the finish line and try to run up the numbers as high as we can, of course, so that we're in a position to decisively govern on behalf of the American people. Like, when we've made clear that we are fighting for an affordable America, that we are committed to driving down the high cost of groceries and gas and housing, that we've committed to fighting to make healthcare affordable for every single American, we mean it when we say it and we want to be able to do it.And the more robust the majority, the better we'll be able to overcome Republican obstruction in ways that, of course, will be designed just to stop progress. And we have an opportunity to be able to win big in the House, in the Senate, in governors races all across the country, certainly in state legislative bodies, where we can flip seats throughout America. And-but we can't take anything for granted because we know the other side is going to throw up every possible obstacle to try to stop this from being a free and fair election, which is why we've put together the largest voter protection effort in modern American history.

LUKE RUSSERT: Leader Jeffries, while Democrats certainly have the wind at their back, the popularity of the Party is still very low. But it seems that a lot of people want to vote for the Democratic ticket this time because they want a check on Donald Trump. I was thinking about the last time Democrats had a big House majority, and that was in 2009. And they passed the stimulus, they passed healthcare, they passed a lot of meaningful legislation, but the stimulus in particular, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, people did not understand it. It wasn't marketed well. It wasn't sold well. It was marketed so poorly that the man sitting to my right actually used it against Democrats just after the '08 recession and got 63 Republicans elected to the House. So my question to you is now, with the wind at your back, with a lot of Republicans saying, 'You know what? We're going to throw in the towel in the House. We're going to try and save these seats that are a lean red.' It's because the ones that are toss-ups are gone. What can you say to the American people that you're going to do in the first 100 days that lets them know that Democrats are checking Donald Trump? And for the Independents that might not like you that much or don't go to the Democratic side all the time, what can you offer them up in the first 100 days so that people can see the distinction between the two parties?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, what we've made clear is that we're going to relentlessly focus on our affordability agenda. There are some things that we are going to have to do immediately to reverse a lot of the damage that's been done. We're going to fight to reverse these Medicaid cuts. We're going to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, which will help make health insurance premiums more affordable for over 20 million Americans directly and tens of millions more whose premiums have increased indirectly, even if they may be on private insurance. That has to be dealt with. We're going to fight to end this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran, which we know has skyrocketed gas prices on the American people. Now, the average gas price being north of $4 for an extended record period of time, that's outrageous. And we also need to make sure we reclaim congressional authority in terms of tariffs so we can end these Trump Tariffs, which have also increased costs on everyday Americans in terms of groceries and goods by thousands of dollars per year. We also are going to focus on accountability because when you have folks in high office who are so focused on enriching themselves, their family members, their friends and their donors, then they're not focused on making life better for the American people. And so, we've made clear to anyone out there who's been stealing from the American people, shortchanging the American people or screwing over the American people that, beginning on day one, we're going to hold the crooks accountable and disrupt business as usual.

LUKE RUSSERT: Quick follow-up on there. Are special committees possible for corruption? Could you have a special committee about the corruption the Trump White House has engaged in, especially what he's been doing with his sons? And could you have a special committee about the Epstein files? Are those possible with subpoena power?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, the oversight work is going to be led by House Judiciary Committee Democrats. And of course, Jamie Raskin is the leader and the next Chair of the Judiciary Committee, along with House Oversight Committee Democrats, where Robert Garcia, the top Democrat and the next Chair of Oversight, has been doing a tremendous job pushing to hold the crooks accountable, even in the minority, and doing a tremendous job, of course, as it relates to the transparency and accountability that we need to deliver for the Epstein survivors and for the American people. We're going to follow the facts, apply the law, be guided by the Constitution and then let the chips fall where they may, without fear or favor relative to anyone.

LUKE RUSSERT: It's possible.

SYMONE SANDERS-TOWNSEND: Before we let you go, Leader Jeffries, obviously earlier this week, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar's D.C. home was raided. There was a warrant that was issued, and DHS officials, HSI specifically, executed that warrant at her home. The government says it is part of an ongoing criminal investigation. What can you tell us about what your knowledge is of this investigation? One. But two, are you concerned that more members of your Caucus are going to be targeted? I just-right now we've got Ilhan Omar. I'm thinking about Congresswoman LaMonica McIver, who is currently facing 17 years in prison for a felony if she is convicted for doing her job, I would argue. What are you doing to protect your members from this-well, it's not just a threat at this point? The government is making good on his promises of retribution.

LEADER JEFFRIES: As Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has bravely and heroically and courageously said, she's not going to be intimidated and she won't be silenced. And we're not going to be intimidated and we won't be silenced. What we have seen is this Trump Department of Justice, which is going to be held accountable, weaponize the criminal justice system against people they perceive to be adversaries of Donald Trump. We've seen them go after Jerome Powell. We've seen them go after Lisa Cook. We've seen them go after Tish James. They've gone after LaMonica McIver. They've gone after James Comey. And now, of course, they're targeting Ilhan Omar. And it's not clear to me why these crooks, these political hacks, think that they're going to be in a position to get away with this. These are the same folks who believe that we were heading into a prolonged era of MAGA extremism. That is about to come crashing down. And as a result, the wreckage that is left behind, we're going to work incredibly hard to clean up. And that will include making sure we push back aggressively against the weaponization of the DOJ and the fact that Todd Blanche clearly-who's deeply unqualified to be the Attorney General-lied to the Senate. Republican senators, of course, fell in line and believed them, and we continue to see this out-of-control behavior by this so-called Department of Justice led by Blanche.

SYMONE SANDERS-TOWNSEND: Leader Jeffries, we look forward to seeing you after the election to talk about what happens on November-

LUKE RUSSERT: Come to the table.

SYMONE SANDERS-TOWNSEND: -and what happens in January. We've got some more thoughts. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, we appreciate your time tonight. Thank you.

Full interview can be watched here.

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