LEADER JEFFRIES: "DEMOCRATS ARE READY, WILLING AND ABLE TO FIND BIPARTISAN COMMON GROUND FOR THE GOOD OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE"
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on MSNBC's Morning Joe where he emphasized that House Democrats put people over politics to keep government open for everyday Americans and will continue working to counter House Republican extremism.
WILLIE GEIST: Joining us now, House Minority Leader Democratic Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Leader Jeffries, thanks for being with us this morning. So, there is a continuing resolution that was passed through the House thanks to a whole bunch of Democratic votes. The government will, in fact, be funded at least for a few more months. Tell us about your support of this bill, why you thought it was important to get on board and work with Speaker Johnson, at least in this case.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Good morning, great to be back with you. From the very beginning of this Congress, Democrats have maintained that we are ready, willing and able to find bipartisan common ground on any issue for the good of the American people. And we've repeatedly done just that. We've done it in the context of now avoiding two government shutdowns. We've done it in the context of securing $16 billion in disaster assistance for the American people. We've done it in the context of avoiding a catastrophic default on our nation's debt that would have crashed the economy and triggered a job-killing recession. And so this has been the pattern that House Democrats will continue to follow for the American people. We've said repeatedly we're going to put people over politics. We don't just say it. We do it. And so we were able to come together and reach this continuing resolution that did three important things: no spending cuts, no hard-right conservative policy changes, no government shutdown.
JONATHAN LEMIRE: Leader Jeffries, those are certainly three accomplishments, but what has not been done yet, any aid to Israel or to Ukraine, as well as border security and Taiwan and others. And we're now more than a month from the terror attacks, the October 7th terror attacks in Israel. Congress has still not sent a dime to our allies there. What happens now? Do you have any sense as to when a supplemental may go forth?
LEADER JEFFRIES: In my view, the most likely path forward is for the Senate to continue to do its bipartisan work and find common ground in order to fund Israel, fund Ukraine, fund our allies in the Indo-Pacific, fund the border security request that President Biden has put forward and make sure that we are funding humanitarian assistance for Palestinian civilians who are in harm's way in Gaza through no fault of their own and for civilians in other parts of the world. The Senate has been in negotiation with each other, Senate Democrats and Senate Republicans. And it's my hope that sooner rather than later, they'll reach an agreement, they'll send it to us in the House, and we can move expeditiously to send the bill to President Biden's desk so we can get this done.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Leader Jeffries, I'm curious if anyone in your Caucus ever shouted down another member and called them a Smurf and launched insults in their direction or elbowed another member? Would that happen? And what would you do? And are you concerned about the behavior that we've been seeing on the Republican side when there are so many big issues that need to be addressed?
LEADER JEFFRIES: We certainly are concerned because our focus should be on solving problems for hardworking American taxpayers. We're going to continue to fight for things like lower costs and to grow the middle class for safer communities, fight for reproductive freedom, defend democracy, build an economy that works for everyday Americans. These are the things that we should be fighting for. Republicans are fighting each other, literally. Yesterday was another episode of Republicans Gone Wild and, unfortunately, it wasn't the season finale because we're going to continue to see it.
MIKE BARNICLE: Congressman Jeffries, let's get back to Ukraine. Can you give us a specific timetable? Ukraine seems to be lost in the shadows right now with everything else is going on in the world. The Middle East is in flames. The world is on fire, actually. But Ukraine is still out there, still fighting every day, losing personnel, fighting a vaunted enemy with much more in terms of population growth. They can keep sending people into the front lines, Russians, all day long, every day. But Ukraine cannot. They need us. What's the timetable for getting something done to help Ukraine?
LEADER JEFFRIES: It's an incredibly important question, and it was unfortunate that we were on the verge of providing significant support to Ukraine at the end of September, and then the rug was pulled out from under the Ukrainian people when a continuing resolution was presented that cut out the bipartisan progress that had been made in the Senate and the House. So here we are, in terms of the Ukrainian people continuing to fight an important struggle. It's a struggle of democracy versus autocracy, of freedom versus, you know, tyranny, of truth versus propaganda, of good versus evil, literally. And we want to stand on the side of the Ukrainian people because it is in America's national security interest. The challenge that we have is that there is a loud and growing pro-Putin caucus in the House Republican Conference, and it is led by people like Jim Jordan and Marjorie Taylor Greene on the inside and Donald Trump and Tucker Carlson on the outside who are on the side of Vladimir Putin, not on the side of America's national security interests. And that's very challenging. That's why it's important for the Senate to act in a bipartisan way sooner rather than later, send us a bill and then I think the votes will exist in the House to get it done.
KATTY KAY: Leader Jeffries, I just want to ask about the elections that we saw, the off-year elections last week, and the motivating force that abortion still seems to be. I know that Republicans and particularly the Trump campaign are planning to position themselves as the kind of 15-week national ban, which they say they feel a lot of Americans would sign up to. How would you counter that message and how do you carry on making abortion a driving force to get people to the polls next November?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, our view on this issue is simple. Democrats support a woman's freedom to make her own reproductive health care decisions. And that's a clear contrast with the ideological view of the individuals on the other side of the aisle who want to criminalize abortion care and want to impose a nationwide ban. They basically want to force government-mandated pregnancies on the women of America. That's the contrast. And I believe the reason why we are seeing such success electorally in places like Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, certainly in Virginia is because the American people understand that dynamic. And no one is buying that Republicans are trying to moderate their position on this issue. Their goal is simple–a nationwide abortion ban and we're going to do everything possible to stop it.
WILLIE GEIST: Congressman, you spoke yesterday at that D.C. march for Israel where more than 100,000 people turned out and showed up support not just for Israel, but for Jews around the world and in America. You led the crowd in a chant of never again. You've been unequivocal in saying that we have to do everything as a nation to support Israel. You've condemned antisemitic hate on college campuses. You've been very strong in your support of Israel and American Jews since October the 7th. So what do you say to some of your Democratic colleagues who are saying the opposite? Things like 'from the river to the sea' or saying that 'Joe Biden is responsible for genocide?' These are Democratic Members of Congress. What's your response to them?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, I've made clear that I believe from the river to the sea is a dangerous chant, because effectively, as has been echoed by Hamas, it is calling for the destruction of the state of Israel. And we're going to continue to support our close friend and ally. We have a special relationship between the United States and Israel. We have shared democratic values and shared strategic interests. But I think it's also important to make the moral case for Israel, which is the reality that, for thousands of years, Jews have been ejected from country after country, subject to pain and persecution and pogroms, antisemitic hatred, of course the Holocaust and the horrors of that crime against humanity. And I think we should all find it in our hearts to be able to make the case that in this world there can be one country the size of New Jersey as a Jewish and democratic state and as a safe haven for the Jewish people. And we want to get to a just and lasting peace where Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in safety and security and prosperity, dignity for the Palestinian people, dignity and safety and security and prosperity for the Israeli people. Dignity for everyone.
WILLIE GEIST: Some of your colleagues on the Democratic side also are calling for a ceasefire in Israel. What's your reaction to that? Do you think that's a good idea?
LEADER JEFFRIES: I think that the three things that need to happen are, one, Israel has to be able to decisively defeat Hamas, this brutal terrorist organization. You can't have a ceasefire if there's no legitimate negotiating partner on the other side of the conflict. And Hamas is not a legitimate negotiating partner. So they have to be decisively defeated for the good of Israel, for the good of the Palestinian people in Gaza and throughout the region, for the good of the free world. We also have to make sure that we do everything possible to bring the hostages home safely. Third, we have to surge humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian civilians who are in harm's way through no fault of their own as a result of fog of war.
WILLIE GEIST: House Minority Leader Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of New York, covered a lot of ground for us this morning. Leader Jeffries, thanks for your time. We appreciate it.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Thank you, Willie.
Full interview can be watched here.