Meet the Press: Hakeem Jeffries

Interview

The House Republican civil war continues to rage on.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

We want to find a bipartisan path to reopening the House of Representatives so we can solve problems for the American people and stand with our friends like Israel, and Ukraine, and others throughout the free world. But the House Republican civil war continues to rage on.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Good morning.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

There are informal conversations that have been underway. When we get back to Washington tomorrow, it's important to begin to formalize those discussions. From the very beginning of this Congress, House Democrats have made clear that we want to continue to put people over politics and to fight for things like lower cost, better paying jobs, safer communities, and to build an economy that works from the middle out and the bottom up.On the other hand, House Republicans have been focused on fighting each other. It's time to end the Republican civil war so we can get back to doing the business of the American people. And we as House Democrats are committed to finding that bipartisan path forward in a meaningful way.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

At this point, that is on my House Republican colleagues. We have made clear, publicly and privately, that we are ready, willing, and able to enter into a bipartisan governing coalition that puts the American people first and solves problems for hardworking American taxpayers. My Republican colleagues have a simple choice.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

They can either double or triple down on the chaos, dysfunction, and extremism. Or, let's have a real conversation about changing the rules of the House so it can work in the best interests of the American people.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Well, these aren't demands. We are ready to be reasonable in trying to find the common ground necessary --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

-- to ensure that.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

We want to ensure that votes are taken on bills that have substantial Democratic support and substantial Republican support so that the extremists aren't able to dictate the agenda. The current rules of the House have facilitated a handful of Republicans being able to determine what gets voted on in the House of Representatives and that undermines the interests of the American people. We can change the rules to facilitate bipartisanship and that should be the starting point of our conversation.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

We want to reopen the House and get to a place where we can tackle the challenges that are in front of us domestically as well as make sure that we can stand with our close friend, Israel, during her time of need in terms of ensuring Israel's ability to decisively defeat Hamas, a brutal terrorist organization. We need to be able to stand with the Ukrainian people in its effort to defeat Vladimir Putin and Russian aggression.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

We need to be able to make sure that we can keep the government open to meet the needs of the American people. And so, we are ready, willing, and able to have those conversations.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

We have not identified any candidate on the other side of the aisle because our focus is not on the individual. It's on the institution of Congress and the best interests of the American people, which is why what we suggested is that we reevaluate the rules that are currently in place to facilitate bipartisan cooperation and to eliminate division.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

We entered into an agreement to avoid a catastrophic default on our debt in May, led by President Biden, who's doing a tremendous job. More than 300 members of Congress supported that agreement, which included top-line spending numbers, so that we would avert a government shutdown and could lean in to providing for the health, the safety, and the economic well-being of the American people.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

We can avoid a government shutdown --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

House Democrats have already intervened to prevent a government shutdown. House Democrats provided the majority of the votes --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

--on September 30th to avoid a government shutdown. We -- we -- we certainly -- we are not the party of government shutdowns. We are the party that puts people over politics. And so, of course we are prepared to enter into an agreement that keeps the government functioning and that meets the needs of the American people. What I'm saying is that we entered into an agreement already that is a matter of law. And the problem is House Republicans breached that agreement less than a week after it was entered into at the end of May. If we get back to that agreement, we have a clear path forward to make sure that the government stays open.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Thank you.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source