Affordability and accountability top priorities if Democrats take House, Jeffries says

Geoff Bennett:

The latest national polling shows Democrats with a solid shot of regaining control of the House of Representatives in the midterm elections.

If they do, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries could go from minority leader to speaker of the House, with debates over the economy, government funding, and President Trump's agenda all unfolding.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries joins us now.

Thanks for being with us.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY):

Great to be with you.

Geoff Bennett:

I want to start with AI, what with President Trump meeting with those tech leaders at the White House today.

You have said that Congress needs to lean in on AI safety. What does that mean in practice? What guardrails should Congress put in place?

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries:

Well, our fundamental responsibility as members of Congress is to protect the general welfare, the health, the safety, and the well-being of the American people.

And you have industry stakeholders raising alarms that the pace of AI development is going so fast that the ability to make sure we ensure the safety of the American people is in question. And that, of course, in our view, means that congressional action that is decisive, working with all of the relevant parties involved, is important.

Unfortunately, Donald Trump has come to the conclusion that self-policing is appropriate. It is not. This is a nation of laws. And Congress is here for a reason, to ensure, yes, of course, that science and innovation and technology can continue to develop at a pace that exceeds what's going on in China with the Chinese Communist Party.

At the same period of time, we also want to make sure we protect the American people from bad actors and harms that could befall them.

Geoff Bennett:

Let's shift our focus to the economy, because Democrats are making affordability central to the midterm argument. What would Democrats actually do with control of the House that would make life less expensive for the American public?

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries:

Well, life is far too expensive for the American people, and everyday Americans need us to decisively act in order to make life more affordable.

There are too many people, they're working hard, they're playing by the rules, they can't thrive and can barely survive. People are drowning in this failed Trump economy and have had enough.

There are a variety of different things that need to happen. One, we need to end the Trump tariffs, which have cost everyday Americans thousands of dollars per year in additional expenses, particularly as it relates to groceries and goods.

We need to stop this reckless war of choice in Iran, which has skyrocketed gas prices on the American people and also had an impact on increasing food prices because of the increase in fertilizer expenses, as well as the increase in diesel prices.

And, certainly, we need to reverse the Medicaid cuts, which have ripped health care away from more than 10 million Americans or is threatening to do so. And at the same period of time, we certainly need to restore the Affordable Care Act tax credits, so we can reverse the increases in health insurance premiums that tens of millions of Americans are experiencing.

Geoff Bennett:

Another fight playing out in Washington right now is over Congress' power of the purse. And I raise this because, for the second year in a row, President Trump is trying to cancel money that Congress has already approved, this time more than $800 million.

If this money expires before Congress or the courts can act, hasn't the White House found a way around Congress' power to appropriate funds?

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries:

Well, it has been incredibly unfortunate that my Republican colleagues have become nothing more than a reckless rubber stamp for Donald Trump's extreme agenda.

And as opposed to behaving like separate and coequal parts of a branch of the federal government that is not subservient to Donald Trump, but is coequal to the executive branch, they continue to allow the president to try to get away with anything he wants to do, including changing the allocation of funds that Congress previously appropriated in a bipartisan way.

And so, in connection with the upcoming spending debate and agreement that we will need to reach by December 11, certainly, I think it's important for the American people that Congress reasserts its authority.

Geoff Bennett:

If the White House can simply refuse to spend parts of a bipartisan funding agreement, I'm sure people will ask the question, why should Democrats ever make another deal, another spending deal with Republicans?

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries:

Well, it certainly is the case that we cannot proceed in entering into an agreement when it's clear that the other side of the aisle is not going to, in good faith, adhere to that agreement.

It's going to be one of the things that certainly will be part of the discussion as we move forward, because when decisions are made to allocate taxpayer dollars in ways that are designed to uplift the health and the safety and the economic well-being of the American people, that money should be spent in a manner consistent with what the law says should happen.

And when that doesn't occur, of course, Congress is going to have to respond, in our view, and certainly the courts are going to have to respond, as they have previously done in other instances.

Geoff Bennett:

If Democrats retake control of the House come November, what's the first bill a Democratic House under your leadership would pass?

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries:

Well, we will have that discussion at the appropriate time.

Right now, we are running through the finish line, but we're going to make sure that dealing with the affordability crisis is a top priority. And we have established working groups in five different areas where we believe action needs to be taken on affordability. That's housing, that's health care, that's gas and utilities and energy affordability, it's groceries and goods, and it's caregiving.

And we believe that decisive action needs to be taken, at minimum, in all five of these areas, and that certainly will be our intention.

Geoff Bennett:

On accountability, there are some Democrats who are already talking about impeachment. Of course, as you well know, you were a former House impeachment manager. The president was impeached twice, acquitted twice in the Senate. How are you thinking about an impeachment or more broadly accountability if Democrats take control of the House?

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries:

Well, we certainly haven't ruled anything in, and we haven't ruled anything out, because our focus is going to be delivering accountability in areas where you have individuals who have stolen from the American people, are shortchanging the American people, or have been screwing over the American people.

And when you have people in high office who are so focused on enriching themselves, their family members, their friends, or their donors, then what it means is that they're not actually doing the job to make life more affordable, more comfortable, and more livable for everyday Americans.

And so we have promised on the accountability front, beginning on day one, to make sure that we're holding the crooks accountable. We will follow the facts, apply the law, be guided by the Constitution, and then, of course, let the chips fall where they may, in the best interests of the American people.

Geoff Bennett:

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, thanks again for joining us this evening.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries:

Thank you.