Brooklyn, NY – Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on Meet The Press with Kristen Welker where he emphasized that House Democrats remain focused on lowering costs for hardworking American taxpayers while Republicans engage in partisan gamesmanship. 

KRISTEN WELKER: Leader Jeffries, welcome back to Meet The Press. 

LEADER JEFFRIES: Good morning. Great to be with you.

KRISTEN WELKER: Well, it’s an honor to have you here on a very big Sunday. I do want to start in the Middle East and that ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. As you know, in this extraordinary move, the outgoing Biden administration and incoming Trump administration did work together to try to secure the ceasefire agreement. Since then, we have seen both Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump try to take some credit for this deal. Let me ask you, Leader Jeffries, do you believe that President-elect Donald Trump deserves some credit for this ceasefire agreement?

LEADER JEFFRIES: What’s most important is that it was an act of diplomacy that was accomplished, first put into the public domain, of course, by President Biden in May of last year, having secured thesupport of the then-Israeli war cabinet and the U.N. Security Council. We’re thankful that Israeli hostages and American hostages are on the way home, humanitarian assistance will be surged into Gaza to provide relief to Palestinian civilians and that the foundation will be laid for a path to a just and lasting peace with a safe and secure Israel.

KRISTEN WELKER: Just to the bottom line point, though, Leader Jeffries, do you believe that President-elect Trump also deserves some of the credit for getting this deal over the finish line? How do you see it?

LEADER JEFFRIES: I think that will be a question that historians will have to answer moving forward. Right now, we should be focused on making sure that phase one of this plan is fully implemented and that we can move to phase two and phase three as it relates to thereconstruction of Gaza, making sure that Hamas is completely and totally eradicated and that there’s a path toward a just and lasting peace.

KRISTEN WELKER: All right. Let’s talk about the Trump agenda. President-elect Trump’s mass deportation operation is set to begin as early as Tuesday. Obviously, the details are still being hammered out. He told me he plans to start by focusing on undocumented immigrants with criminal histories. Do you support the raids that are expected to take place this week in major cities?

LEADER JEFFRIES: We have a broken immigration system and we certainly need to fix it and fix it in a comprehensive and bipartisan manner. That should begin by making sure we secure the border. And House Democrats have made clear that we are ready, willing and able to work with the incoming administration to get that done in a bipartisan manner. With respect to undocumented immigrants, what America needs is for the incoming administration to focus on violent felons, not breaking up families.

KRISTEN WELKER: So you would support removing violent felons first in these raids that are expected in major cities across the country?

LEADER JEFFRIES: I support the current administration and theincoming administration doing what’s necessary to ensure the safety and security of communities throughout the United States of America. And that obviously entails focusing on the removal of violent felons who threaten the well-being of the American people.

KRISTEN WELKER: You heard me just talk with House Speaker Mike Johnson about the price tag that is anticipated to be associated with this mass deportation plan. Leader Jeffries, are you prepared to vote yes to support this plan to pay for this mass deportation effort?

LEADER JEFFRIES: What we’re prepared to do is to focus on theissues that matter and first and foremost, that means driving down thehigh cost of living in the United States of America. Housing costs are too high, grocery costs are too high, insurance costs are too high, utility costs are too high, childcare costs are too high, America is too expensive. And what we need to do is to drive down the high cost of living and build an affordable economy for hardworking American taxpayers. We haven’t seen any ideas, any plans, any bills put forward by our Republican colleagues in the House to get that done. We’re anxiously awaiting something to show that they’re serious about that effort.

KRISTEN WELKER: And no decision yet on whether you’ll support that mass deportation plan?

LEADER JEFFRIES: With respect to deportation activities, as I’ve indicated, the administration needs to focus on the removal of violent felons who threaten the well-being of the American people.

KRISTEN WELKER: Let me get your take on disaster aid, Leader Jeffries, you just heard Speaker Johnson very clearly say that, yes, there may be strings attached, yes, it’s possible that they will move to try to link it to an increase in the debt limit. Would you vote yes if that were to come before you, if that were the only way, you believe, to get disaster relief to Californians?

LEADER JEFFRIES: The California delegation in the House has been very clear that they do not support conditioning disaster assistance to the American people whose lives have been overturned as a result of the historic wildfires in California. In the history of this country, we have never conditioned disaster assistance to Americans who are hurting. Why would we do it right now? Here’s the answer in terms of why House Republicans are proposing to do just that. House Republicans want to pass massive tax breaks for billionaires and wealthy corporations to benefit the wealthy, the well-off and the well-connected and to stick the bill with working-class Americans and those in the middle class who they claim to want to support. That is not an effort, that is not a scheme that Democrats will support.

KRISTEN WELKER: Let me ask—you said in your floor speech in the119th Congress, quote, ‘In a democracy, there is a time to campaign and a time to govern.’ Is there one issue, Leader Jeffries, you can identify today where you think you can find common ground with Republicans, where you’re prepared to work with Republicans?

LEADER JEFFRIES: The American dream has been broken for decades in this country. There are far too many Americans who are struggling to live paycheck to paycheck, can’t get ahead, can barely get by. And we need to step in not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans, as public servants to do something about it, to make sure that people can actually pursue theAmerican dream of homeownership, educate their children, have access to health care and one day retire with grace and dignity. That’s theAmerican dream that has been broken for decades. We need to work together to fix it.

KRISTEN WELKER: There’s a lot of question about Democrats’ role, speaking of 2024, that Democrats played in allowing President Biden to stay in the race as long as he did. I want to play you something that you said back in February of 2024. Take a look.

[RECORDING] ALYSSA FARAH: Do you think that it’s time to pass thebaton to a new generation of leadership? Or do you think Joe Biden is the strongest candidate to defeat Donald Trump?

[RECORDING] LEADER JEFFRIES: Joe Biden is definitely thestrongest candidate to defeat Donald Trump.

KRISTEN WELKER: What do you say to Americans who believe you and other top Democrats misled them?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Joe Biden was the incumbent president at thetime. He was the candidate at the time, and I supported him at the time. And that was the right thing to do based on the incumbent president making the decision that he was going to run. Obviously, things changed in late June and early July. But I think what’s most important at this moment is not for us to look backward, but to look forward, solve problems for hardworking American taxpayers and get things done. That’s what the American people want to happen. That’s the message that I interpret from the November election. And that’s the work that House Democrats are prepared to do to make sure we’re improving the quality of life for working-class Americans, not the wealthy, thewell-off or the well-connected.

KRISTEN WELKER: Leader Jeffries, I guess just bottom line, do you believe you had a responsibility to be more forthcoming about what you had seen behind closed doors as it relates to President Biden?

LEADER JEFFRIES: What I saw behind closed doors was a president who was working hard to get things done to deliver for the American people on infrastructure, on driving down the high price of lifesaving prescription drugs, on bringing domestic manufacturing jobs back home to the United States of America. It’s important to understand that President Biden inherited three different catastrophes on day one—a democracy catastrophe, a public health catastrophe and an economic catastrophe all at the same time, and work hard to put America in the strongest possible position moving forward.

KRISTEN WELKER: Leader Jeffries, very quickly, with President Biden set to leave the White House on Monday. Who do you think is the leader of the Democratic Party right now?

LEADER JEFFRIES: We’re going to work hard as House Democrats to get things done for the American people. We’ll have a DNC Chair election at the end of this month. We look forward to, of course, working with our colleagues in the Senate and Democratic governors across thecountry in order to present a vision that is inclusive, that is decisive and that is anchored in making life better for everyday Americans moving forward. And then we’ll put it in the hands of the American people in two years.

KRISTEN WELKER: Alright, leader Jeffries, thank you so much for joining us. We really appreciate having you on this very significant Sunday.

LEADER JEFFRIES: Thank you.

Full interview can be watched here. 

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