LEADER JEFFRIES: "THIS IS A DO-NOTHING REPUBLICAN CONGRESS OF EPIC PROPORTIONS"

Washington, DC – Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on MSNBC's The Weekend with Symone Sanders-Townsend, Alicia Menendez and Michael Steele where he emphasized that House Democrats will continue to put people over politics to grow the middle class while extreme MAGA Republicans attack our freedoms and hurt working families.

Image

SYMONE SANDERS-TOWNSEND: House Democratic Leader, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Welcome to you, sir. Thank you for being here. This is truly one of the most unproductive Congresses, in decades. What is your take here on the current border fight that is currently happening about funding. This is about Ukraine aid at the end of the day, but Donald Trump seems to be scuttling any potential for a deal that is going to come together.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, this is a do-nothing Republican Congress of epic proportions. And what we've seen, is that the one set of things that they have peddled consistently: chaos, dysfunction, extremism. And they've come into this new year– and as Democrats we've indicated, listen, we're ready to find bipartisan common ground on any issue, as long as it will improve the lives of the American people or address issues of significance, such as our national security interests abroad or border security here at home. Unfortunately, Republicans continue to put politics over people and I think, not surprisingly, have decided, that they're going to bend the knee to Donald Trump's whims, it appears as it relates to, the border security issue.

ALICIA MENENDEZ: So, Congressman, let's set some stakes here. If the House is not able to pass Ukraine aid, what does that mean, then, both for Ukraine and for the fight for global democracy?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, the fight between Ukraine and Russia is not just about a territorial dispute, of course. Although Russia's aggressive incursion into Ukraine is a complete violation of international law. But this is a fight between democracy and autocracy, a fight between freedom and tyranny, a fight between truth and propaganda. And Ukraine, the United States of America, the free world, should stand on the side of democracy. And that's what we have been doing in supporting the Ukrainian war effort. If we allow the Ukrainian war effort to falter, which, by the way, it's been very successful, more than 300,000 casualties inflicted on the Russian military, almost 80% of the regular Russian military has been wiped out, with not a single American life put at risk, in terms of Ukraine. And so I think if we allow Ukraine to falter because we don't continue our support, then we're likely in the fight with Russia because of our NATO Article Five obligations, because we know Putin won't stop in Ukraine, he will likely NATO ally and now American troops are in Europe. That's something that we should avoid.

MICHAEL STEELE: But that road to Ukraine funding, that road to Ukraine's, example of democracy and democratic values and principles being defended by NATO and the United States starts here on the question of our border, and the border policy and control. Speak, if you could, to this idea that Republicans seem to have sort of warped this conversation around Ukraine and the border in such a way that Mitch McConnell, who was at one time a very firm advocate for both of these ideas and in fact, backed the current bill that's in the Senate, strongly just recently in a meeting, seemed to backpedal, soften his position. How does the administration, how do you, as Leader in the House re-imagine this conversation to get the McConnells back– back home on the on the range, if you will, to getting this thing done because it needs to get done, in which case you solve the immigration problem because this bill is a good border bill. It's a strong border bill for Republicans out there who are second-guessing it – it is. And the, you know, validity of supporting Ukraine is upheld.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, about a week and a half ago, President Biden convened a meeting at the White House with all of the legislative leaders from the House and the Senate, the Appropriators, people on the Intel Committee, the leadership, as well as Foreign Affairs and Armed Services. And in that meeting, I think both of the Republican leaders and all of my Republican colleagues were very clear. They expressed before the president and all of us that they knew there was an urgent need for us to continue to support the Ukrainian war effort, because it's in America's national security interest and at the same time have been publicly complaining about the border issue for years. And there certainly is a challenge at the border that we need to address. We should do it in a comprehensive way. We should do it in a bipartisan way. We should do it in a manner that is consistent with our values, both as a nation of immigrants and a nation anchored in the rule of law. Now, the Senate Democrats have been working in good faith, along with the administration, to try to arrive at an agreement. And it's my hope that that momentum will continue. We'll have to evaluate the ultimate product. But politics should not get in the way here. This is why the American people are often disappointed in our institutions. We're going to continue to put people over politics. Hopefully our Republican colleagues will do the same.

SYMONE SANDERS-TOWNSEND: Do you think that Chuck Schumer, House Democrats– Senate Democrats should just put the bill on the floor and make their Republican colleagues take an up or down vote on it?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, far be it for House member–

MICHAEL STEE-LE: [LAUGHTER] Oh, you didn't walk into that one.

LEADER JEFFRIES: That's right. And, you know, that's my home state colleague as well. But, well, you know, I have full faith and confidence in Leader Schumer and Senate Democrats to figure out the right path forward. At a certain point, we are going to have to publicly call the question of our Republican colleagues in a variety of ways when it comes to doing what is right for America's national security interests and for fixing our broken immigration system. Or we're just going to make it clear that Republicans have no interest in dealing with the border issue. They'd rather try to weaponize it for political purposes. And I think, ultimately, that's something that the American people will reject.

SYMONE SANDERS-TOWNSEND: I have one follow-up question. You know, there is and, you know, I used to work on the root cause of migration when I worked at the White House. The Trump administration completely gutted the infrastructure as it relates to, you know, how we facilitate people coming into this country via the southern border. But in what the President said that he would do on Friday, he put the statement out. He promised to shut the border down if crossings overwhelmed the border, if Congress, you know, passes bipartisan immigration legislation. Seeking asylum is a right in this country. I saw that statement, and there are a number of people that said, this sounds like something from another era. Like, is that something that you and House Democrats support, the shutting down of the border?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, I have to understand the context within which, you know, the President is speaking based on whatever authority he may be given. The President, of course, I believe, will always, do what he believes is in the best interest of the American people, consistent, you know, with the fact that America is a safe haven for people who are fleeing oppression and persecution. But it has to be managed in a reasonable way. And clearly, the system is being overwhelmed right now. I think people on all sides within the Democratic family and coalition acknowledge that, figuring out the path forward so that it is consistent with who we are as America, but decisively addresses the clear challenges and the fact that you have people taking dangerous, perilous journeys because they are fleeing horrific conditions. How do we improve the conditions throughout the region, in these other countries, so that people don't feel compelled to have to run for their lives, literally.

MICHAEL STEELE: I was gonna say real quick, but that butts up against the political reality here at home. I appreciate Symone's concern about what the President said, but the President is right. You got to shut down the border at this point, a lot of Americans feel that–

ALICIA MENENDEZ: So what, people stay in Mexico?

MICHAEL STEELE: No, the question is, exactly what I think Hakeem said is, is finding that balance. So this bill apparently does that. Which is why I think you see so many Democrats and Republicans moving towards it as a potential solution because it recognizes that desire to flee oppression, but also to control the access points. And so the question politically is, how do you have that conversation in a much more polarized political environment today, to help people understand this bill does exactly what you want it to do. It brings– it touches that sweet spot of allowing those to come who are fleeing, as I said, tough, tough, life at home, but also recognizes that– this idea in the American people's mind of an open border, it has to end. And this administration is ending that.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, we're going to evaluate, you know, the bill once it's in the public domain, to make sure it strikes that right balance. And we're going to have to have a family conversation on our side about that issue.

MICHAEL STEELE: Yes you are.

LEADER JEFFRIES: However, you know, we've got, you know, many, different people who have worked for a long time on the House side on this issue who want to make sure we're doing the right thing by the American people, consistent with our values. And, the fact that we're a nation anchored in the rule of law. One of the things I think that will continue to be important is for us to decisively meet the other challenges of the American people, right, to fight for lower costs and better-paying jobs and safer communities to improve their quality of life. To address these issues of making sure that the middle class has a positive way forward, doesn't move backward. And I think what President Biden has done, we continue to see that significant progress has been made on these economic issues. And he will continue to articulate a vision forward for how to build upon that progress, build upon, you know, lowering the price of insulin to $35 a month, bringing domestic manufacturing jobs back home to the United States of America through the CHIPS and Science Act, clean water in every community. I think the more that we can show the American people that we are also working on these other challenges, it will create the space to be able to address some of these other issues, like national security and the border.

ALICIA MENENDEZ: Let's talk about that family conversation that you're going to have because as you all know, there are Members of your Caucus who are not happy with this legislation, and they're not happy with revoking parole authority for the President, they're not happy with increasing expulsion authority. And I think there is this larger question of everything Republicans are focused on has to do with enforcement. Is there any appetite within your own Caucus to counterpropose something that deals with the 11 million people who call this country home, who sit with us in our churches and our places of worship, who go to school with our kids. You know like for a Congress that in the past has passed bipartisan, the Dream Act, right- is is there any sense that there is something that can be done for folks on the interior?

LEADER JEFFRIES: It's a great question, and I think there is widespread consensus on our side that we should be putting forward, you know, ideas to comprehensively meet the challenges in this space. The Dream and Promise Act is something that Congress's under the leadership of Speaker Pelosi have passed twice. It's gotten some bipartisan support. The Farm Worker Modernization Act is another way forward, it's gotten some bipartisan support in the House. Doing something about our TPS system is important. I think a lot of people on our side also believe that investing in technology, additional personnel, there are things that can be done that President Biden has said to Republicans we should do in terms of additional resources. And we've seen Republicans reject it. We have a broken immigration system. It should be fixed in a comprehensive, bipartisan and forward-looking way. And I do hope we can get to that conversation sooner rather than later.

ALICIA MENENDEZ: Leader Jeffries is not going anywhere. After the break, the new evidence, President Biden is close to pulling off something many economists were not expecting a year ago, an economic soft landing. And later, the massive red flags flying for Donald Trump after his performance in New Hampshire. This is The Weekend.

ALICIA MENENDEZ: Money talks and numbers, well, they spoke very loudly this week. The Commerce Department reporting that in the last quarter of 2023, the U.S. economy exceeded expectations, growing at a 3.3% pace and avoiding a recession experts once thought was inevitable. So are President Biden and congressional Democrats ready to run on what was once a major vulnerability for them? House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries is back with us. I will say, my colleague Symone always reminds me it was like two economists who said that that was going to happen. The question, I imagine, as you lead into November is, can congressional Democrats win if voters don't believe they have an economy that's working for them?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, it is important for us to be able to continue to articulate a forward-looking message of working hard to bring about an economy that lifts up everyday Americans, lifts up the middle class, lifts up all those who aspire to be part of the middle class and ensures that everybody in every single zip code has a fair shot at the American dream. We believe that when you work hard in America, play by the rules, you should be able to provide a comfortable living for yourself, for your family, educate your children, purchase a home, one day retire with grace and dignity. And we, I think, are deeply committed to making sure that in the next four years, we help bring that about. President Biden now has this track record of success where significant progress has been made. Wages are up, gas prices are down, the stock market is up, inflationary pressure is down, small businesses are being created at record numbers and more than 14 million good-paying jobs have been brought about during the Biden economy. That's a tremendous foundation to continue to build upon. But we know that elections are not about the past, they're about the future. So it will be important to continue to say, over the next few years, here's our vision for continuing the decisive economic progress that has been made so that it is genuinely felt by every single American.

SYMONE SANDERS-TOWNSEND: I also think maybe the conversation needs to be accessible, and what you just said sounds very accessible to me. You were at a breakfast on Friday for the Association for a Better New York. You talked about freedom and that you believe that the freedom angle on abortion is also going to be something beneficial to Democrats from the top of the ticket, all the way down to state legislative races this November. My former colleagues have been very not happy with me about my shade for Bidenomics. I did not hear you mention the term Bidenomics. You just laid out all of the progress that was made, but it has not necessarily connected. So is abortion a way to lean into reproductive freedom, what the future looks like and then kind of slip those things in there? Because now, it's basically February, and I mean, y'all could spend the next couple of months trying to educate people on what has happened, to pull them to believe it's so, or not.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, there will be a whole host of issues that I think are going to be on the ballot in November. Certainly at the top of that list, reproductive freedom, is going to be on the ballot. The economy, of course, as we talked about on the ballot. Social Security and Medicare on the ballot. We want to strengthen and protect Social Security. My Republican colleagues want to end it as we know it. Gun safety will be on the ballot because we want to make progress on this issue, not flood our classrooms with weapons of war by doing nothing. And of course, democracy will be on the ballot. But as you pointed out, Symone, if you think about the issue of reproductive freedom, there's a clear difference between what we as Democrats believe in and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. We believe in a woman's freedom to make her own reproductive healthcare decisions. Period, full stop. It's a decision that should be between a woman, a doctor, her family, her faith, but certainly not right-wing, extreme politicians trying to intercede. Our Republican colleagues are of the view, that they want a nationwide abortion ban. They want to criminalize abortion care. They basically want to bring about a regime of government-mandated pregnancies. And so, on an issue where there's such a clear distinction- we are going to defend freedom, the other side is clearly opposed to it, and I think that's going to be a decisive issue.

MICHAEL STEELE: But the driver, though, is the pocketbook for people. Abortion clearly is going to be important for a lot of folks, but what the polls also show is that the economy is still a driver. 3.3% growth announced this past week. That's good, it's a good narrative for the administration. The administration also, as Axios reported, announced $5 billion in new infrastructure projects across the country. That's good. Talk a little bit about how that narrative. You make that narrative, to Symone's point, closer to home. I mean, it is the kitchen table- infrastructure is a kitchen table kind of conversation. Why? Because I just had to replace the undercarriage of my car because of that pothole that was there, but now I won't have to because the roads have been fixed. So make that connection for our viewers out there who are sitting here thinking, I hear all of that, but at the end of the day, you know, I still got to pay bills, I still got to make ends meet and, you know, yeah, this may be good because my daddy got a job on a construction project.

LEADER JEFFRIES: You know, I think our track record of accomplishment is incredibly important in that, it should validate that we mean what we say, we say what we mean. So when we talk about the American Rescue Plan, right? Saving the economy from a deep recession, from a once in a century pandemic, putting shots and arms, money in pockets, kids back in school, allowing the American economy to emerge as the strongest in the world. Or the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, millions of good-paying jobs in every single community, urban America, rural America, suburban America, the heartland of America, small town America. Of course, the CHIPS and Science Act, bringing domestic manufacturing jobs back home to the country, not our jobs moving in the other direction and doing things to lower costs like energy costs, health care costs and certainly the high price of lifesaving prescription drugs. We should cite that track record of accomplishment, not to say to the American people reward us, but to say, trust us. We say what we mean and we mean what we say. And we're going to continue to put people over politics and decisively work to build a healthy economy. Now we have to then connect that with a forward looking vision because elections, as we talked about, are about the future, not the past and the things that we want to do. Strengthening the Child Tax Credit, which helps middle class families, working families and low-income families. Leaning in to the creation and preservation of affordable housing because housing is a big issue all across America. And certainly continuing to work on lower health care costs and not do what my Republican colleagues want to do, which is to detonate the Affordable Care Act, blow it up, which is going to eliminate protections for more than 100 million Americans with preexisting conditions and cause their health care costs to skyrocket. So I think there are specific issues that you'll see us as House Democrats, the Senate presumably and certainly President Biden articulate with precision that are designed to continue to make life better for the American people.

MICHAEL STEELE: All right, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Thank you so much for coming to the table, man. It's a real pressure.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Thank you. Thank you. Congratulations again on the show.

Full interview can be watched here.