House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats were “effectively governing as if we were the majority”

Although they disagree on most issues, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has opposed efforts to oust embattled Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson.

After Johnson worked with Democrats to pass a foreign aid bill which included $61 billion for Ukraine, Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who opposed the bill, said she would follow through by threatening to remove Johnson by forcing a vote on his motion to release him. Last week, Democrats released a statement saying they would oppose Rep. Greene’s efforts to impeach Johnson, although Jeffries said Johnson did not ask for her help.

“Our view traditionally would be, ‘Let the other side sort out their own problem,'” Jeffries said. “But when this mess starts to impact the ability to do the job on behalf of the American people, then the responsible thing at that time might be for us to make it clear that we will not allow extremists to trash Congress and the country in a difficult situation.

Division in the House

The US Congress isn’t particularly popular these days and it’s easy to see why. The current session will likely be the least productive Congress since the Civil War, in terms of legislation passed, according to analysis of historical data by J. Tobin Grant, a political science professor at Southern Illinois University.

Republicans hold the majority in the House, but with just two votes to spare, infighting has paralyzed their conference. Even some Republican officials are at their wits’ end, including Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX), who recently told reporters, “The Lord Jesus himself couldn’t handle this conference.”

According to Jeffries, Democrats are already in charge.

“Even though we are in the minority, we have effectively governed as if we were in the majority because we continue to provide the majority of votes needed to get things done,” he said. “These are just facts.”

Indeed, in the 118th Congress, House Democrats received the majority of votes on bipartisan bills to avoid a government shutdown, send aid to Ukraine, and pass the on the National Defense Authorization, which was subsequently signed into law by the President.

Jeffries, who represents New York’s 8th Congressional District in Brooklyn, views being a member of Congress as an emissary of the American people to get things done and solve problems. But he added that some Republicans have a different view of the job.

“It’s a difficult situation on the other side of the aisle, because many of my Republican colleagues are more interested in creating chaos, dysfunction and extremism,” Jeffries said.

Jeffries’ stance on Israel – and its potential impact on the election

The foreign aid bill passed under Johnson’s leadership also includes $26.4 billion to support Israel in its ongoing war against Hamas. In the middle of demonstrations on university campuses Across the country, in Israel and Gaza, some far-left members of the Democratic caucus showed support for the protesters.

A total of 37 Democratic lawmakers recently voted against sending additional military aid to Israel. This controversial issue will follow Jeffries and President Biden in the election next November, when control of the White House and Congress resembles a coin toss.

“We cannot take any vote for granted,” Jeffries said. “But I also believe that at the end of the day, voters are going to look at the totality of the circumstances. Who is fighting to meet the needs of ordinary Americans, and who is just fighting for themselves?”

Jeffries, whose district is 11 percent Jewish, said he supports the First Amendment rights of protesters on campus but condemned any form of violence or anti-Semitism.

He said that after the October 7 Hamas attack that sparked the war, Israel must respond and “decisively defeat Hamas.”

“At the same time, my view is that we must do everything possible to get the hostages out and increase humanitarian aid to Gaza,” Jeffries said.

Jeffries acknowledged that Israel needed to do more to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and that greater surgical precision was needed in its military strikes, but he seemed reluctant to criticize Israel.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) spoke out on the issue. In a nearly 45-minute speech before the Senate in March, he called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an obstacle to peace and urged the Israeli government to hold new elections once the threat from Hamas has been reduced .

“Whatever Chuck Schumer has to say on the subject will be extremely important and received. But at the same time, every member of Congress has a responsibility to respond to their constituents,” Jeffries said.

He added that any suggestion by Republicans that Schumer, a staunch supporter of Israel, was somehow undermining U.S.-Israeli relations, is ridiculous.

Issues Voters Face in Elections: Immigration, Abortion, Guns and the Economy

Closer to home, voters are worried about the influx of migrants; Jeffries’ hometown of New York is an immigration hot spot. Shelters to accommodate thousands of migrants have ridden in and around the Jeffries neighborhood in Brooklyn.

“We have a broken immigration system and we face clear challenges at the border that we must address in a decisive, bipartisan manner,” Jeffries said. “And the American people are asking us to do something about the situation at the border in a way that is consistent with our values.”

Jeffries also sees abortion rights as a major issue in the upcoming election.

“Extremist MAGA Republicans have started the erosion of reproductive freedom. We’re going to fight for this with everything we have,” he said. “If Roe v. Wade can fall, everything can fall. Social Security can fall. Medicare can fall. Voting rights can fall. And God help us all, but democracy itself can fall.”

Jeffries also highlighted Democratic legislative victories during his wide-ranging discussion with CBS Evening News anchor and 60 Minutes correspondent Norah O’Donnell. Although CBS News vote Earlier this year, two-thirds of voters thought the economy was doing better under former President Donald Trump, but Jeffries said that view was inaccurate.

“We need to do a better job of presenting the facts,” he said. “That the economy has improved significantly under President Joe Biden’s leadership.”

Challenges remain when it comes to reducing costs, ending price gouging, growing the middle class, keeping communities safe and resolving issues at the border, Jeffries said.

“We’re on the right side of these issues,” Jeffries said. “And we just need to make sure we make that point compellingly, clearly and completely to the American people.”

When O’Donnell asked him if he admitted Democrats hadn’t done it yet, Jeffries smiled. “It’s a work in progress,” he said.