LEADER JEFFRIES ON MSNBC: "WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE INTIMIDATED. WE'RE NOT GOING TO BEND THE KNEE."
Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries joined MSNBC's All In with Chris Hayes, where he pointed out how Donald Trump and the extreme MAGA Republicans continue to impose a reckless healthcare crisis and government shutdown on the American people, while House Democrats continue to stand up for the best interests of everyday Americans.
CHRIS HAYES: Joining me now is Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Leader Jeffries, it's good to have you on. I know that you have known Tish James for a long time, so first just your response to the news today.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, good evening, Chris. Great to be with you. Tish James is a strong, brilliant, courageous, faithful and patriotic woman and a great Attorney General. And it's a shame that she's being victimized in this way by Donald Trump and his corrupt Department of Justice. We're in the midst of a Trump-caused government shutdown. The military is on the verge of not being paid, notwithstanding the fact that our men and women in uniform continue to put their lives on the line, we have a Republican healthcare crisis that is devastating people all across the country and Donald Trump could care less. The Republicans who are sycophants in the House and the Senate could care less. Instead they're focused on bringing baseless charges and weaponizing the Department of Justice against perceived political adversaries.
CHRIS HAYES: You put a statement out in response to the news of Tish James' indictment in which you said, among other things, that those sycophants who aid and abet the President's vengeful schemes will not be able to hide from serious legal consequences of their behavior. They will be held accountable. What do you mean by that?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well there's two things to keep in mind here. First of all, there's accountability for the corruption and the chaos that Donald Trump has unleashed on the American people from the very beginning of his presidency on January 20 that should be tied directly to the Supreme Court and the six right-wing justices who basically gave Donald Trump, without justification, blanket immunity. And he's been out of control ever since. So that's problem number one. Problem number two, of course, is the fact that there are so many different corrupt sycophants within the Trump administration, including but not limited to within the Department of Justice. Now these people don't have immunity. And the reality is, the statute of limitations is five years, and there will be accountability with the next administration, if not before, when Democrats take back control of the House of Representatives.
CHRIS HAYES: There has been now a spate of obviously politically motivated, I think it's fair to say, indictments. We've seen James Comey. We've seen now Letitia James. A member of your caucus, LaMonica McIver, already indicted for her presence near an ICE facility, a contracted ICE facility. What are you telling your Members? I mean, you've got Adam Schiff, who appears to possibly be next. It's like, what are you telling your Members about how to operate in a world in which the President seems intent on abusing the Justice Department to go after political opponents.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, we're not going to be intimidated. We're not going to bend the knee. We don't work for Donald Trump. We don't work for JD Vance. We don't work for corrupt billionaires who fund these Republicans. We work for the American people. And this moment is gonna continue to require bravery and courage and character and conviction. But we stand on the shoulders of giants like John Lewis, who many of us served with, who also faced adversity, storms, turbulence, as they were trying to turn things around in this country. And we're going to have to continue to rise to the occasion, and I'm so thankful for my colleagues in the House and in the Senate who continue to do so, including as it relates to defending the healthcare of the American people, holding the line and making sure we can get the things turned around in this country that need to be turned around for all Americans in blue states, in purple states and red states, whether you're a Democrat or independent or Republican, this is a fight that we're engaged in on all of the things for all of the people.
CHRIS HAYES: You talked about the issue of military pay and the possibility of it lapsing soon. I wanted to play you an exchange the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, had with a C-SPAN caller about exactly that issue and then ask you if there's a way to work that out as a kind of side bill. Take a listen.
RECORDING OF C-SPAN CALLER: I have two medically fragile children, and as a Republican, I am very disappointed in my party, and I'm very disappointed in you because you do have the power to call the House back. You did that, or you refused to do that just for show. I'm begging you to pass this legislation. My kids could die.
CHRIS HAYES: You said you would support a stand-alone bill that would allow for full military pay. Do you still feel that way? And has there been any conversation with the Speaker's office about that possibility?
LEADER JEFFRIES: There has been no conversation with the Speaker's office, unfortunately. He's made the decision. They canceled votes last week, canceled votes this week. He's planning, apparently, to cancel votes next week. House Republicans have been on vacation, notwithstanding the fact that they've shut the government down. They refuse to pay our military. They refuse to deal with this healthcare crisis that they've inflicted on the American people, which includes but is not limited to the largest cut to Medicaid in American history, the fact that hospitals, nursing homes and community-based health centers are closing all across the country, including in rural America, because of what Republicans have done with their One Big Ugly Bill. And now they refuse to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, which is going to result in tens of millions of Americans throughout the country experiencing increased premiums, co-pays and deductibles, which could cost the American people thousands of dollars per year, sending many into medical bankruptcy or having to go without seeing a doctor when they need one. The whole enterprise that Republicans have been running over the last several weeks is extraordinary. It's political malpractice and it is hurting the American people and now it's going to have an adverse impact on our men and women in uniform and military families.
CHRIS HAYES: So you would—you think Johnson should call the House back and you can have a vote next week about military pay, knock that out of the way, that would be your position, right, if you were given the Speaker's Gavel?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, my position would be, the Republicans need to get back into town and get off of their vacations. We already, Leader Schumer, myself, Democrats have consistently said, we'll sit down any place, anywhere, with anyone at any time in order to find a bipartisan path forward, reopen the government, but at the same time we have to address the devastating Republican healthcare crisis that's impacting people in small town America, rural America, the heartland of America, urban America, as well as in Black and brown communities all across America. So it's all of the above. The Republicans have been missing in action. You can't find them. They, along with the President, have been in the witness protection program—it's extraordinary—while the American people are suffering. So absolutely, Chris, the House should be back in session. Keep in mind that since July, under this Republican control of the House, we've only worked 15 days in Washington and during those 15 days Republicans have done nothing to make life better for the American people.
CHRIS HAYES: There's some reporting from a private call among the Republicans in their own conference that I want to share with you, which happened today. Three GOP lawmakers—Stephanie Bice of Oklahoma, Obernolte of California and Julie Fedorchak of North Dakota—raised concerns about the House remaining out of session next week, according to a source on the call. 'I think we're going to get to a point where it's damaging to continue to keep the House out of the session,' Obernolte told fellow Republicans. 'I think that we've gotten to that point.' And on that question. It seems as if part of the motivation here is to keep Adelita Grijalva, recently elected to represent, I think, the 7th District in Arizona, from joining Congress, where she would be an addition to the Democratic Caucus and the 218th petition signature on the discharge petition, which, when it happens, would lock the petition and require a vote on it. I asked Ro Khanna this last night. I know you talked to my colleague, Jen Psaki. Is it your belief that that is what is motivating the refusal to swear in Adelita Grijalva, or do you think there's any other plausible explanation?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, I think there are only really two explanations. One, Republicans want to keep the government shut down, and they have no willingness to address the healthcare crisis that they've inflicted on the American people. And at the same time, they want to prevent the release of the Epstein files. And that certainly is the reason why they don't want to call us back into session, because calling us back into session would require that Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva be sworn in, and she will be the 218th signature needed to trigger an up or down vote on the release of the Epstein files, and that will pass. And that apparently terrifies Speaker Johnson, it terrifies the Republicans and it certainly terrifies Donald Trump.
CHRIS HAYES: That's an important point. I just want to stay with that for a second, which is that as long as they're out of session and they're doing pro forma sessions, it's at the Speaker's discretion, whether she gets sworn in in the pro forma session. But once they come back for session, he no longer has this ability to bar her from swearing in, presumably, right? Like that is the thing that is giving him the power to block her right now is that they are not in session.
LEADER JEFFRIES: That's absolutely correct. You know he really should be swearing in Adelita in these pro forma sessions that we've had—
CHRIS HAYES: In pro forma like they have before, right.
LEADER JEFFRIES: No doubt about it, because as you point out, Chris, that's been done in terms of Republicans swearing in Republicans in pro forma sessions as recently as April. But if he calls us back into session, there is zero justification.
CHRIS HAYES: So final question for you, and I want to just end on this. You've been talking about the ACA subsidies specifically. Johnson said today basically that this is all a red herring. He likes to use that phrase. And that basically, look, we were always gonna deal with that. Of course we're gonna deal with the subsidies issue. You guys are shutting down the government because you're throwing a tantrum, but we'll get to it. Just open the government and then we'll have a conversation. We'll figure it out. That seems to be what he's saying. What's wrong about that? Why not do that?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, our view has been clear over the last several weeks. We were never going to vote for a partisan Republican spending bill that continues to gut the healthcare of the American people. We made that clear in early September, mid-September, late September and we continue to make that clear in October, for several reasons. But the Affordable Care Act tax credits is a matter that needs to be dealt with right now. Open enrollment starts on November 1st. Tens of millions of people are receiving notices right now indicating that their premiums are about to go up by thousands of dollars per year. This has to be dealt with with the fierce urgency of now, and we cannot rely on a wing and a prayer from Republicans or a blank check promise, given that this group of people has tried to gut the healthcare of the American people and has targeted the Affordable Care Act literally for the last 15 years. We need to get this done and we need to this done now.
CHRIS HAYES: Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, thanks so much for making the time tonight.
Full appearance can be watched here.