House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Saturday that Democrats will focus on lowering living costs, holding officials accountable, and restoring what he called American values after winning the House.
What he said Saturday
Jeffries appeared Saturday on MS NOW’s PoliticsNation with the Rev. Al Sharpton. His House office posted a transcript the same day.
At 7:00 p.m. Eastern, he also posted a video on X. “House Democrats will relentlessly focus on Affordability, Accountability and American values,” he wrote. He added, “Lower costs. Hold the crooks accountable. Put the American people first.”
On the show, Jeffries called the midterms “an incredible victory for the American people and a decisive defeat for MAGA extremism.” Sharpton said MS NOW estimates Democrats will hold 256 House seats.
Jeffries said Americans are “fed up” because “the cost of living is way too high.” He said too many people who work hard and follow the rules “can’t thrive and can barely survive.”
The bills he named
He said Democrats promised to “fight for an affordable America” and would “move bills very early on” to:
- End what he called a “reckless and costly war of choice in Iran,” which he said has driven up gas prices
- Reverse cuts to Medicaid and to SNAP, the federal food-aid program
- End tariffs he said have raised yearly costs for households
- Extend Affordable Care Act tax credits, saying some health insurance premiums have jumped by more than $1,000 a year
Jeffries said the work would be “all-of-the-above,” including accountability efforts. But he said Democrats “have to relentlessly commit ourselves to making life more affordable.”
“There’s a cost to corruption,” he said. He argued some people in office have focused more on enriching themselves, their families, friends and donors than on lowering costs.
On Trump’s post-election moves
Sharpton asked about President Trump naming Stephen Miller White House chief of staff and offering UFC executive Dana White the press secretary job.
Jeffries said Trump and “MAGA extremist Republicans are clearly tripling down on the chaos, the corruption and the cruelty.” He called that “a failed strategy” and said the Republican Party “will continue to crash and burn” if it stays on that path.
Jeffries, who has said he will run for House speaker, told Sharpton he will keep making his case to every current and incoming House Democrat.
The other side
As of Saturday evening, HISARAK found no public reply from the White House, President Trump or House Republican leaders to Jeffries’s television remarks or his 7 p.m. X post.
Trump this week replaced Chief of Staff Susie Wiles with Miller and said he had offered White the press secretary role. Those moves were already public before Jeffries spoke Saturday night.
Sources: Jeffries House transcript | Jeffries X post
