LEADER JEFFRIES: "THE RIGHT THING TO DO IS AN UP-OR-DOWN VOTE ON A COMPREHENSIVE, BIPARTISAN NATIONAL SECURITY PACKAGE"
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on CNN The Lead with Jake Tapper where he emphasized that House Democrats are ready to move forward with bipartisan, comprehensive national security legislation and it's time for House Republicans to get on board or get out of the way.
JAKE TAPPER: Here to discuss, the Leader of Democrats in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat of New York. Leader Jeffries, it's good to see you. So, early this morning the Senate passed this $95 billion foreign aid package for Taiwan, Israel, Ukraine. Speaker Johnson, has said he's not going to bring it up. He's criticized the bill for not containing the border security provisions. 22 Senate Republicans voted to pass the bill. And I understand the Democrats think there are at least 300 votes in the House for such a package. If it it would be allowed for a vote, would Republicans be willing to support this aid package do you think if it came up for a vote?
LEADER JEFFRIES: There are clearly more than 300 members of the House of Representatives, the overwhelming amount of Democrats and a significant number of Republicans who would support the national security legislation, were it to receive an up or down vote on the floor of the House. It's urgently necessary that we act in America's national security to bring this bipartisan and comprehensive bill to the floor. It's important that we stand with Israel, stand with Ukraine, stand with our allies in the Indo-Pacific and certainly ensure that we can surge humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians who are in harm's way in Gaza through no fault of their own, and civilians in other theaters of war across the world.
JAKE TAPPER: So there is a provision whereby if 218 members of the House of Representatives sign what's called a discharge petition, those 218 can force a bill onto the floor of the House for a vote. So if you got all the Democrats, you would need just a handful of Republicans who want aid to Israel and Ukraine and Taiwan to force this vote. Are you going to introduce a discharge petition? And do you have five or six Republican votes, or however many you need to sign the discharge petition?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, all legislative options are on the table and that certainly includes a discharge petition. We have a leadership meeting at around 5:15, where we'll discuss the steps that we can take moving forward to ensure an up or down vote. We'll have a Steering and Policy meeting later on this evening and then tomorrow we'll gather as a Caucus family for the Democratic Caucus meeting in the morning. And then we'll have some clarity as to how we're going to proceed shortly thereafter. But it is clear, that it's time to end extreme MAGA Republican gamesmanship. It's time to end the extreme MAGA Republican brinksmanship and it's time to end the extreme MAGA Republican partisanship. This is a matter of America's national security, which we should put first and put Vladimir Putin last. The problem is, there seem to be some MAGA extremists who actually want to do the inverse.
JAKE TAPPER: So I understand you haven't made a decision yet, but before you would make a decision to bring such a thing to the floor through a discharge petition, you would know whether or not you have five or six House Republicans who are willing to do it. Do you know that part of the equation? Have you asked if there are House Republicans willing to join you? I mean, a lot of House Republicans feel very strongly about aid for Israel or aid for Ukraine. Would they be willing to buck Speaker Johnson on that?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, that's certainly a question and I think will need to be fairly asked of House Republicans, traditional conservatives, who know that the right thing to do is for there to be an up-or-down vote on the comprehensive, bipartisan national security package. Now there are, Jake, Member-to-Member conversations that have been ongoing over the last several days, from Democratic Members of the Caucus to Republican Members of their Conference talking about what is possible if House Republican leaders continue to do the bidding of the former president Donald Trump, who seemingly wants to detonate the NATO alliance and America's national security interests in Europe and throughout the world. That would be unfortunate if the House Republican leaders continue to go down that road and undermine America's national security.
JAKE TAPPER: Well, you just heard Congressman Davidson from Ohio, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, saying that if Speaker Johnson brings this Senate bill up for a vote on his own, willingly not being forced to do it through a discharge petition, there would be a motion to vacate. And the only way he could keep his job as Speaker is with Democratic support. You were not willing to provide Democratic support to Kevin McCarthy. I assume you have the same position for Speaker Johnson?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. And if that moment is in front of us, as we did on the prior occasion, we'll have a conversation amongst the House Democratic Caucus family and figure out what's the right thing to do for our constituents, for the Congress and for the country. Right now, the question is, will House Republican leaders do the right thing by the American people? Stand with Israel, stand with Ukraine, stand with Taiwan, stand with our democratic allies all across the world and stand with civilians who are in harm's way in Gaza and in other theaters of war throughout the world and get them the humanitarian assistance that they need.
JAKE TAPPER: Let's talk about border security. While I understand that you find the maneuver offensive, do you not see that the move by Governor Abbott of Texas to bus migrants to Democratic-leaning cities such as New York or Chicago or Denver, that while you might think it's cruel, it has been effective at demonstrating how this influx of migrants has sapped social service resources and demonstrated that this is a real crisis. Do you agree with that?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, Governor Abbott is an embarrassment and a human trafficker. But besides, his political gamesmanship, I do think it's important for all of us, Democrats and Republicans, to recognize that we have a broken immigration system. We do need to address the challenges at the border, and it should be done in a manner that is comprehensive and bipartisan. That will be the only way to solve this problem. We're in a period of divided government. Common sense dictates, Jake, that we have to work together to solve the challenges that we confront at the border. The American people know this. The only question is whether Members of Congress on the other side of the aisle will recognize that their 'my way or the highway' approach is not an effective strategy at this moment. It's just designed to score political points. Now, we support a border that is strong, that is secure and that is humane. And it's important for Congress to work together in a commonsense, bipartisan way to get that done.
JAKE TAPPER: There was a New York Times story out today describing how Republicans are using bigoted attacks against their political foes. The story gives examples like Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene referring to Congresswoman Ilhan Omar as, quote, 'Representative Ilhan Omar of Somalia. I mean, Minnesota.' The article goes on to write, earlier that same week, Representative Troy Nehls, Republican of Texas, called the Black husband of another Democratic woman of color, Representative Cori Bush of Missouri a thug. Your fellow New York Democrat, Ritchie Torres, is quoted in the article saying, 'The nature of Trumpism is to embolden extremism and that the extreme elements have concluded that racism might be bad morals, but it's good politics.' Do you agree with Congressman Torres?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, I certainly agree, that we all should be alarmed by the nature of the attacks that are being leveled by extreme MAGA Republicans at their political opponents. We need to take the temperature down. And the individuals that you reference on the Republican side of the aisle are unserious individuals at best. They're not in Congress in order to make life better for everyday Americans, they're in Congress to perform, often for the puppet master, the former president of the United States of America. Now, this is a time where we need to come together as Americans, recognize the power and beauty and majesty of the fact that we are a nation of immigrants, people who have come from all over the world to pursue the American dream of different races, creeds and colors. A gorgeous mosaic. That is who we are. We do have differences politically. But I think the things that connect us— opportunity, freedom, democracy should be much stronger than the things that others are trying to use to divide us.
JAKE TAPPER: Lastly, sir, right now New York's Congressional Third District is holding a special election to fill the seat vacated by former Congressman George Santos. The Democratic candidate, Tom Suozzi, a former Congressman, he has distanced himself from President Biden. He did not seek his endorsement. [...] Does that concern you at all that a Democrat in an important House race does not want the endorsement or the presence of President Biden?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, Tom Suozzi, is a common sense, let's fix the problem, get stuff done kind a Democrat and he's running his own race. It's a race between Tom Suozzi and an extreme MAGA Republican on the other side who wants to come join the Marjorie Taylor Greenes of the world in not doing the things that are necessary to solve problems for the people of Queens and Long Island. I'm confident that Tom Suozzi is in this for all the right reasons, to make life better for the people that he hopes to represent in the Third Congressional District.
JAKE TAPPER: Before you go, sir, lots of concerns expressed by voters and by Special Counsel Hur about President Biden's age, his mental faculties. What's your response?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, the report by the special counsel was inappropriate, gratuitous, unconscionable and in many ways, un-American. The American people just simply want the truth. And the truth is that President Biden did nothing wrong and was completely and totally exonerated. Period. Full stop. The fact that the special counsel decided to personally attack President Biden reveals that his motives were unpure, and that any conclusions that he made in that report, separate and apart from the facts and the law, should be dismissed.
JAKE TAPPER: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat of New York, thank you so much, sir, appreciate it today.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Thank you, Jake.
Full interview can be watched here.