LEADER JEFFRIES ON 'TAVIS SMILEY': "WE'RE GOING TO KEEP THE PRESSURE ON"

TAVIS SMILEY: It is true that he is the Minority Leader in the House of Representatives. It is true that if Democrats can take over the House in November, he will be the first African American to be Speaker of the US House. But it is also true he's my fraternity brother. He's a good Kappa. Please welcome—we are pleased to welcome Hakeem Jeffries to this program. Leader Jeffries, how are you, sir?

This week, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on KBLA's Tavis Smiley, where he reiterated that Democrats are committed to protecting healthcare and that Republicans have a responsibility to join them by extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Great to be with you. Alpha Chapter in the building. Always appreciate you, Tavis, and also congratulations on the success that Indiana University is having with their football season. An extraordinary season.

TAVIS SMILEY: You are kind to say that. I'm looking forward to going to the Rose Bowl to see them play. They're coming out my way here in California, so it makes it easy for me. I ain't got to travel but 15 miles down the road to see them. I know you got a tight schedule, just about five or six minutes here. Let me just ask you to give me and give the audience an update. Here we are near the end of the year, everybody concerned about these healthcare subsidies. What's happening in real time, Leader Jeffries?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, we were very successful yesterday in obtaining the 218 votes needed. All 214 Members of the House Democratic Caucus, plus four House Republicans joined us yesterday morning to trigger an up-or-down vote on extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits connected to legislation that I've introduced that would extend it in a straightforward way for three years, because we believe that working class Americans, middle class Americans, Black and brown Americans deserve the same level of certainty that Republicans always try to provide to the wealthy, the well-off, the well-connected and their big donors. So right now, we're waiting on Mike Johnson—demanding that Mike Johnson actually bring that legislation to the Floor today. Connected to the Rules, he can wait as much as seven legislative days, which would take us into early January, but there's no reason for him to wait, and we're going to continue to keep the pressure on him so we can get these tax credits extended before they expire at the end of the month.

TAVIS SMILEY: I said this program yesterday that this is so—it's kind of stuck on stupid. That's my language. You're more classy than I am, so you wouldn't say nothing that like that. But it's also—they're stuck on stupid for me because this is going to impact their base. Their base cares about rising healthcare costs as well. Why are they so blind on this?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Yeah. It's unbelievable. And these people really are blind. They're burying their heads in the sand, and they're obsessed with the Affordable Care Act. These people have tried to repeal it now more than 70 different times over the last 15 years, and the American people have only grown in their affection, in terms of the support for the Affordable Care Act, because it impacts everyone, Tavis, as you just indicated. Republicans, Democrats, Independents, people all across the country. In fact,the ten states that would be most adversely impacted if the Affordable Care Act tax credits expire are all states currently run by Republicans.We're talking about West Virginia, Wyoming, Alaska, Tennessee, Mississippi, South Carolina, Alabama, Texas, North Dakota and South Dakota, and Florida has millions of people as well who would be adversely impacted if there are changes made that are adverse to the Affordable Care Act. So it's extraordinary to me, [...] this isn't a partisan fight, it's a patriotic fight because we're fighting to make life better for everybody.

TAVIS SMILEY: My colleague, my White House correspondent, Dr. Nii-Quartelai Quartey is here. Dr. Quartey, your question for the Leader.

DR. NII-QUARTELAI QUARTEY: Leader Jeffries, can you dial us in to what's the strategy in the Senate? So if you're successful in the House and if the four Republicans join the Democratic Caucus, what assurance do you have it's going to pass the finish line in the Senate?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, you know, Abraham Lincoln once said that public sentiment is everything. With it, nothing can fail. Without it, nothing can succeed. We'll have renewed momentum if we can move the legislation out of the Republican-controlled House over the objection of Donald Trump and over the objection of the Deputy Speaker, Mike Johnson, right, because Donald Trump says he's both the President and the Speaker. And we're able to go around them in order to do what's right for the American people. That will intensify the pressure on the Senate. Now, we also know in the Senate, though the bill initially did not hit the 60-vote threshold, that the three-year extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits did secure the support of at least four different Republicans, and that bill has more support than any other bill in the Senate chamber. So we think there'll be renewed momentum and opportunity. We'll work closely with our Senate Democratic colleagues. But what's important, of course, is to jumpstart the effort again by getting it out of the House of Representatives.

TAVIS SMILEY: Leader Jeffries, I know you got a full schedule. My final question. What's your gut tell you about what's about to happen?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, listen, I think that Johnson is going to try to delay this as much as possible, but many of his traditional conservative Members who have now partnered with us don't want to leave town without getting this done. And so, we've made clear that, listen, we should stay here until the Affordable Care Act tax credits are extended. And if the House adjourns, it falls squarely on the Republicans, and there are many up on the other side of the aisle who don't wanna take that heat. So, you know, the next couple of days will be interesting. But we're going to keep the pressure on, and ultimately, I believe, even if this waits until early January, we are going to successfully get this bill out of the House. It will have bipartisan support, and that will increase the pressure on the Senate, and then retroactively, we'll have to deal with, perhaps, reopening the open enrollment period so we can restore the health insurance to people and make it more affordable, having gotten the tax credits restored.

TAVIS SMILEY: It's been fun, but I know my good Kappa brother has got to run. Hakeem Jeffries, I love you, and I appreciate you. Thank you for your time, sir.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Love you. Appreciate you, brother.

TAVIS SMILEY: Alright, good to have you on the program.

Full interview can be listened to here.