NEW YORK – U.S. Representative Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08) issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, which includes provisions to fund the continued implementation of the First Step Act. The spending bill provides $409,483,000 in funding for fiscal year 2021. Signed into law in 2018, the First Step Act was historic, bipartisan legislation to position newly released individuals to […]

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08), in a heartfelt speech on the Floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, condemned the treacherous and seditious behavior of those in the nation who refuse to acknowledge that Joe Biden will be the 46th President of the United States.  Given the failure to produce a shred […]

Washington, DC – Today, Representatives Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08), Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04) and Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) along with 30 Members of Congress introduced a resolution declaring that public transit is a national priority which requires funding equal to the level of highway funding. Currently, Congress uses a 40-year precedent to determine funding for highways and public transportation. […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08), a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, issued the following statement after President-elect Biden nominated retired General Lloyd Austin as Secretary of Defense:  “Lloyd Austin is a groundbreaking, visionary, highly capable patriot who has dedicated his life to protecting and serving the American people. It is beyond peradventure […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3884, the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act of 2020. The bipartisan legislation would end the federal prohibition and criminalization of marijuana by removing it from the Controlled Substances Act and facilitate the expungement of low-level federal marijuana convictions, as well as incentivizing state […]

NEW YORK – Following the Senate confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries released the following statement: “The Republican-controlled Senate rushed to rubber stamp President Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court while they have refused to lift a finger to address the worsening public health crisis […]

NEW YORK – On the premature last day of Census enumeration owing to the Supreme Court ruling allowing the Trump administration to halt counting early, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries released the following statement: “The Supreme Court’s decision to cut short the Census count at President Trump’s request all but guarantees that there will […]

BROOKLYN, NY – Today, Representatives Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08) and Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07) each introduced legislation to honor Kenneth P. Thompson, who served as the District Attorney of Kings County, New York, from 2014 until his passing four years ago on October 9, 2016. The legislation would allow judges to expunge the records of more low-level […]

WASHINGTON, DC – Upon the passage of House Democrats’ updated Heroes Act, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries released the following statement: “House Democrats acted for the people on May 15, when we passed the bipartisan Heroes Act to address the coronavirus pandemic in a comprehensive fashion. For months, President Trump and Senate Republicans did nothing. Over […]

NEW YORK – Upon the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) released the following statement: “Tonight, our nation mourns the loss of a brilliant jurist, trailblazer for equality and fearless advocate for gender, racial and social justice. Justice Ginsburg’s native Brooklyn mourns the loss of its favorite daughter, whose grit […]