Washington – Democrat Hakeem Jeffries is poised to wield significant power in the U.S. House of Representatives as Republicans hold a thin majority, making him a crucial player in shaping legislation.
In the recent 2023-2024 session, Republican Speaker Mike Johnson turned to Jeffries more than a dozen times to provide Democratic votes to pass critical legislation. This included May’s vote to hold off an effort by hardline Republicans to end Johnson’s speakership. All 215 Democrats voted to re-elect Johnson as speaker during the recent vote.
With the Republicans holding a 219-215 majority, Jeffries will be able to exploit divisions within the Republican party to pass legislation, a tactic he has employed numerous times since Republicans took control of the House in January 2023.
Democrats are hopeful that Jeffries can use his position to secure concessions, including an expanded child tax credit and repeal of a cap on deductions for state and local taxes. In a speech, Jeffries proclaimed, “For far too long in this country the cost of living has gone up but the size of the middle class has come down. America is too expensive.”
Jeffries and his lieutenants have also identified potential areas of bipartisan compromise, such as protecting people brought to the United States illegally from deportation and updating the visa system for immigrant farm workers.
The relationship between Jeffries and President-elect Donald Trump remains to be seen. The two have collaborated in the past, but the deepening partisanship in Washington and the contentious relationship between Trump and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi make it unclear whether they will be able to work together.
Democrats believe that they cannot be “steamrolled” and are prepared to push back against Republican efforts, citing the recent chaos over the debt limit increase.