LEADER JEFFRIES: "EXTREME MAGA REPUBLICANS WANT TO CRIMINALIZE ABORTION CARE"
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on MSNBC's Alex Wagner Tonight where he emphasized that House Democrats will continue to push back against MAGA extremism and Republican attempts to criminalize abortion care.
ALEX WAGNER: Joining me now is Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Leader Jeffries. Thank you so much for being here on this very busy night. I am struck by the ways in which Republicans are in both a state of shock and denial. It has come to my attention that, in the last hour, Senator Lindsey Graham says he plans to reintroduce his 15-week abortion ban. Senator J.D. Vance agrees with the introduction of this bill, saying he believes they can get a majority of the American people on board with something. What is your reaction to Senate Republicans who think the answer to last night's problems is to double down on an abortion ban?
LEADER JEFFRIES: We're dealing with extreme MAGA Republicans who have one objective, which is to jam their extreme right-wing ideology down the throats of the American people. And fundamentally, what that has meant is that they want a nationwide abortion ban. What the extreme MAGA Republicans want to do is criminalize abortion care. What they want to do is to create a society where women have to live in a place with government-mandated pregnancies. And so this issue is one that will see them continue to double and triple and quadruple down on, because it's fundamentally why many of them are in elected office. We're going to continue to make clear that we believe in a woman's freedom to make her own reproductive health care decisions. And reproductive freedom will certainly be on the ballot next November, just like it was this November.
ALEX WAGNER: They seem to think, Leader Jeffries, that there's some difference that the American public sees in a ban versus a 15-week what they call limit, or at least that's what Virginia Governor Youngkin calls it. And they-despite the results of last night, they keep hammering down on this notion that the public sees a difference between giving a woman reproductive freedom for an entire pregnancy and just part of the pregnancy. What is your response to that specific strategy?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Abortion care should be a choice between a woman and her doctor. Period, full stop. Not these extreme politicians who are trying to jam their ideology into this incredibly important, sensitive health care decision that a woman should be able to make. That's what freedom in America is all about. And the American people, as was evidenced in Kentucky and Ohio and certainly in Virginia, are not fooled by the Republican efforts to spin what they fundamentally are trying to do, which is to eradicate reproductive freedom in America, as the former president has indicated. That was their agenda. That was their objective. That's why they stacked the Supreme Court. And now they've got to live with the consequences of their extremism being made clear to the American people.
ALEX WAGNER: And I know that you've been fired up about this particular topic. I know that the mood inside the House Democratic Caucus has been one of, I don't know, I let you characterize it, but it's been a positive day for the Democrats in the House. But I do have to ask you, because there has been some certain amount of hand-wringing among Democrats nationally about President Biden's chances. And I wonder how much you think the results of last night are inextricably linked to President Biden or whether those results are more a testament to the strength of the Democratic Party platform?
LEADER JEFFRIES: President Biden continues to be underestimated and President Biden continues to exceed expectations. He's not just the leader of our country, the leader of the free world, but he's the leader of the Democratic Party. But yet, what we've seen under President Biden's leadership, governmentally, is incredible things being done for the American people. We're going to have to lean into that and, of course, articulate that. We will continue as Democrats, led by President Biden, to put People Over Politics, but also to point out that President Biden will be on the ballot. He supports reproductive freedom. He supports Social Security and Medicare. He supports democracy. He supports building an economy from the middle out and the bottom up. And whoever appears on the ballot is on the other side of the aisle is just going to try to jam their extreme ideology down the throats of the American people. It will be a clear contrast, we believe, with President Biden at the top of the ticket. And as he has consistently shown, we will do what is necessary to win electorally and to continue to deliver results for the American people.
ALEX WAGNER: I just want to hang on something you just said. You said we need to lean into the president's accomplishments. What does that practically mean to you?
LEADER JEFFRIES: We, of course, have been busy governing in the previous Congress, producing big results for the American people. But when you can talk about what we've been able to do, clean water in every single community, infrastructure, gun safety legislation for the first time in 30 years, the CHIPS and Science Act, which brings domestic manufacturing jobs back home to the United States of America, certainly through the Inflation Reduction Act, dramatic investment in combating the climate crisis and lowering the price of insulin $35 a month. It's important that we talk about these accomplishments, not to say to the American people, reward us, but we do want to be able to articulate what we've done, to say, trust us, we mean what we say and we say what we mean when we talk about putting people over politics and making life better for everyday Americans. And if you give us the ability to continue to govern, we will build upon these accomplishments to make life better for hardworking American taxpayers.
ALEX WAGNER: Yeah, the operative word there is continue to govern, because as you lay out the laundry list, there is a lot of governing that Democrats have done. Which brings me to the cliff that we are all barreling towards, the government shutdown in nine days. There- we have a deadline, a hard deadline. You had your first meeting with the new Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, a week ago. How are the discussions going with your colleagues across the aisle and what's your impression of Speaker Johnson?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, from the very beginning of this Congress, under prior management, and now with Speaker Johnson, we've made clear that we are going to, as Democrats, try to find common ground with our House Republican colleagues whenever and wherever possible in order to improve the quality of life for the American people. However, we're going to push back against their extremism whenever necessary. And one of the ways in which we've seen their extremism manifest itself throughout this year and in prior years is the Republican attempt to shut the government down or to try to extract these extreme policy proposals that they know they can't otherwise achieve through the normal legislative process. And as has been the case in past years, we are not paying a single extreme Republican ransom note. We're going to defend the American people. And what we need to do is to make sure that we continue to fund the government so the government can provide for the health, the safety and the economic well-being of the American people. We're willing to have reasonable, bipartisan conversations, but we're not going to be subject to any extortion effort that is designed to shake down the American people by threatening us with a government shutdown.
ALEX WAGNER: Just to get a bit in the weeds. Does that mean you're not going to vote for anything that's not a clean continuing resolution?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, certainly my view is that a continuing resolution should reflect the spending levels at the current fiscal year 2023 numbers. And to the extent we arrive at a year-end spending agreement, that should also be consistent with the bipartisan Fiscal Responsibility Act. Alex, basically, what we're saying to Republicans is that you made an agreement with President Biden, set top-line spending numbers, keep your agreement, keep your word so that we can do what is necessary for the American people.
ALEX WAGNER: I mean, you've laid- you lay out the facts of what has happened and yet this House Republican Conference is, shall we say, unpredictable. Do you think Speaker Johnson is any good at this?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, listen, I think that he believes what he believes authentically. And so far, we've had a very cordial relationship and I expect that that will continue, hopefully in a positive, forward-looking fashion to try to solve problems for the American people. But there is a clear blue line in the sand that we will continue to draw in terms of some of their extremism. We're not going to let them cut Social Security and Medicare. We're not going to let them undermine reproductive freedom. We're not going to let them blow up our democracy. And we're going to try to make sure we are building an economy that works for the middle class and all those who aspire to be part of it. And if they're willing to meet us in a bipartisan way in that space, then we can really make some positive changes for the American people.
ALEX WAGNER: I got to ask you one more question, because we focus a lot on the infighting inside the House Republican Conference, but there has most certainly been a fracture inside the House Democratic Congress over Israel and Hamas and what is happening in Gaza. In the 2022 election cycle, you started something called Team Blue PAC to raise money to defend incumbent Democrats against primary challengers. Outside groups are threatening to primary incumbent Democrats to support a ceasefire in Gaza. There are a number of vulnerable incumbents in your Caucus- Cori Bush, Jamaal Bowman, Summer Lee, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib. Are you going to dedicate resources to defending those Democratic incumbents?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Many of those individuals are people who I've clearly indicated I'm going to support- all of our Members, from whatever part of the Conference or Caucus they come from in terms of their ability to be able to communicate with the people that they represent. That's what House Democratic leadership has traditionally done. That's what House Democratic leadership should continue to do.
ALEX WAGNER: So that's a yes.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Absolutely.
ALEX WAGNER: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, on the record being straight up. We appreciate it, sir. Thank you for your time. Please come back whenever you have the inclination, the energy and the availability. I really appreciate it.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Thank you very much.
Full interview can be watched here.