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 […]

New York Times: House Passes Landmark Bill Decriminalizing Marijuana Catie Edmondson – December 6, 2020 WASHINGTON — The House on Friday passed sweeping legislation that would decriminalize marijuana and expunge nonviolent marijuana-related convictions, as Democrats sought to roll back and compensate for decades of drug policies that have disproportionately affected low-income communities of color. The […]

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 […]

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representatives Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08) and Ted Lieu (CA-33), members of the House Judiciary Committee with oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray to determine the existence of an investigation disclosed by President Trump into a plane “loaded with thugs.” During an August 31 interview […]