Hakeem Jeffries Wikipedia

Table Of Content

• Minority Leaders of the House (1899 to present)
• Current floor leaders
• Congressional Black Caucus
• Hakeem Jeffries commences historic role as House minority leader with stirring speech
• House is set to vote on a key foreign aid package Saturday. Here's how we got here
• Alabama lawmakers advance bill that could lead to prosecution of librarians

District Court for the Southern District of New York in 1997–98, Jeffries entered private legal practice. Hakeem Jeffries (born August 4, 1970, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.) American Democratic politician who serves in the U.S. The House minority leader from 2023, Jeffries is the first Black person to lead a major party in either house of Congress. Jeffries received thunderous applause from fellow Democrats during a poetic portion of his speech. Through the use of clever alliteration and every letter of the alphabet, the House minority leader appeared to highlight the contrast he saw between his party and Republicans.

Minority Leaders of the House (1899 to present)

Transcript: House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries on "Face the Nation," March 10, 2024 - CBS News

Transcript: House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries on "Face the Nation," March 10, 2024.

Posted: Sun, 10 Mar 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Asked if the continued presence of Pelosi, Hoyer and Clyburn might be a burden, Jeffries said the new leaders felt honored to “stand on their shoulders”. Jayapal also noted that House Democrats’ top three leaders would for the first time be entirely “women or people of color”. The narrow margin of Republicans’ majority, and McCarthy’s tenuous hold on his caucus, is likely to give Democrats some leverage in negotiations, particularly when it comes to must-pass legislation. Vowing to “get stuff done”, Jeffries said his caucus would look for opportunities to work with Republicans but would “push back against extremism whenever necessary”. During the early hours of Saturday after McCarthy won the speakership, Jeffries officially became the first African American in history to lead a major party in Congress.

Current floor leaders

Interviewing people who spent years in Synanon playing “The Game” was both fascinating and challenging, she said. The dark saga of Synanon is now the subject of a four-part documentary “The Synanon Fix,” concluding Monday on HBO. Directed and executive produced by Rory Kennedy, the series traces the group’s utopian origins and gradual descent into violence and manipulation. Arriving at a moment when the public’s interest in cults and high-control groups seems almost insatiable, “The Synanon Fix” offers a particularly grim, resonant twist on the familiar tale of the California dream gone awry. Before joining the White House, Monique worked as a legislative aide to House Minority Leader and gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams in the Georgia General Assembly.

Congressional Black Caucus

The floor leaders and whips of each party are elected by their respective parties in a closed-door caucus by secret ballot.[3] The Speaker-presumptive is assumed to be the incoming Speaker, although not formally selected to be nominated for Speaker by the majority party's caucus. After this period, the Speaker-designate is also chosen in a closed-door session by the largest caucus although the Speaker is formally elevated to the position by a public vote of the entire House when Congress reconvenes. The assistant majority leader and assistant minority leader of the House, commonly called whips, are the second-ranking members of each party's leadership. The main function of the majority and minority whips is to gather votes of their respective parties on major issues. House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries is the first Black lawmaker and the youngest member to lead a party in Congress.

He is the first Black American in the role and the first person born after World War II elected to lead House Democrats. Part of a new generation of leaders, Jeffries succeeds Nancy Pelosi, the first woman to serve as House speaker and to lead a party in Congress. Beginning in 2000, Jeffries ran for office twice, unsuccessfully, before winning a seat in the New York State Assembly in 2006. Supporters and the media called him “The Barack of Brooklyn;” he was young, charismatic, and born on the same day as another Black politician, future President Barack Obama. Like Pelosi, current Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland declined to seek another leadership post. Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, the current whip, won a vote to become assistant Democratic leader in an election on Thursday.

House is set to vote on a key foreign aid package Saturday. Here's how we got here

Jeffries attended Midwood High School, a New York City public school in an area that was a haven away from his Brooklyn neighborhood, which was riddled with drugs and gangs. At Midland High School, Jeffries excelled in honors courses, was a member of the baseball team, and shared in the school yearbook his aspiration to one day become a lawyer. While the $61 billion for Ukraine in the package is expected to help the country withstand Moscow’s offensive this year, more assistance will surely be needed. Republicans, exhausted after a grueling fight, largely shrugged off questions about the future. The result was a strong showing for the foreign aid in the Senate, even though the decision could prove costly for Johnson.

Democrats warn Mike Johnson: Don't play us on foreign aid - Axios

Democrats warn Mike Johnson: Don't play us on foreign aid.

Posted: Tue, 16 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

He quoted Biggie Smalls, the rapper from his neighborhood known as "the Notorious B.I.G.," as he finished his closing statement about the president's abuse of power saying, "and if you don't know, now you know."

The overall objectives are to develop a coordinated communications strategy, to share ideas and information, and to present a united front on issues. Minority leaders also make floor speeches and close debate on major issues before the House; they deliver addresses in diverse forums across the country, and they write books or articles that highlight minority party goals and achievements. They must also be prepared "to debate on the floor, ad lib, no notes, on a moment's notice," remarked Minority Leader Michel.[43] In brief, minority leaders are key strategists in developing and promoting the party's agenda and in outlining ways to neutralize the opposition's arguments and proposals.

In contrast, the Minority Leader is the undisputed leader of the minority party. For example, when the Republicans lost their majority in the 2018 elections, McCarthy was elected as Minority Leader and hence replaced Ryan as the highest-ranking House Republican. As both men pushed their party this week to support a $95 billion aid package that sends support to Ukraine, as well as Israel, Taiwan and humanitarian missions, they labeled themselves “Reagan Republicans” an described the fight against Russian President Vladimir Putin in terms of U.S. strength and leadership. But the all-out effort to get the legislation through Congress left both of them grappling with an entirely new Republican Party shaped by former President Donald Trump. A congressional caucus is a group of members of the United States Congress that meets to pursue common legislative objectives.

Boehner subsequently served as House Minority Leader from 2007 to 2011, and McCarthy served from 2019 to 2023. Both were elected Speaker when the House reconvened after gaining a majority in their respective midterm elections. In 1998, when Speaker Newt Gingrich announced his resignation, neither Majority Leader Dick Armey nor Majority Whip Tom DeLay contested the Speakership, which eventually went to Chief Deputy Whip Dennis Hastert. House rules require that the speaker receive a majority of votes cast, a threshold that Jeffries, the House minority leader, failed to reach despite receiving the most votes. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of the Progressive Caucus, told reporters Wednesday that she had met with Jeffries and supports his leadership. The incoming group of Democratic leaders will succeed the party’s longtime leadership trio of Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, and Clyburn, the majority whip.

He is also the former Chair of the Democratic Caucus, Whip of the Congressional Black Caucus and previously co-chaired the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee where he helped develop the For The People agenda. “Today is a day of transition and hope and a renewal of the shared values of our caucus,” Clark told reporters. The mood was jubilant on Wednesday inside the ornate committee hearing room across from the Capitol where Democrats met to elect their new leaders. Pelosi tapped Jeffries to serve as an impeachment manager for the Senate trial in January of 2020 — a high profile position for those who would prosecute their case on national television.