Hakeem Jeffries Could Hold the Key to Shaping Trump’s Agenda in a Divided Congress!

Democrat Hakeem Jeffries may have an opportunity to wield greater influence than the typical minority leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, as President-elect Donald Trump’s Republican Party holds a narrow majority. Over the past two years, despite Republican control, Jeffries has managed to retain some level of power. Republican Speaker Mike Johnson has called on him multiple times, seeking Democratic votes to pass key legislation, including in May when Jeffries helped Johnson fend off a challenge from hardline Republicans to remove him from the speakership.

This Friday, Democratic unity is expected to be on display as the new 219-215 Republican-majority House votes on whether to retain Johnson as Speaker. In January and October of 2023, Republicans required multiple voting rounds to select former Speaker Kevin McCarthy and later Johnson after McCarthy was ousted. During those moments, Democrats consistently backed Jeffries, a 54-year-old from New York, to lead their party.

“I believe we have more leverage now than we did in 2017,” said Democratic Representative Don Beyer in a recent interview. That year marked the beginning of Trump’s first term, when Republicans controlled the House with a 40-seat majority.

However, Jeffries’ influence, along with that of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, will remain constrained. Republicans are likely to advance much of Trump’s legislative agenda through party-line votes, circumventing Senate rules that demand a 60-vote threshold for most bills—similar to how Democrats passed significant legislation during President Joe Biden’s first two years in office.

In the House, Jeffries’ power will primarily hinge on exploiting divisions within the Republican ranks, forcing them to rely on Democratic votes to pass crucial bills. He has already used this strategy effectively more than a dozen times since the GOP took control of the House in January 2023, securing Democratic support on legislation ranging from government funding to a massive $895 billion military bill and emergency aid for Ukraine’s war with Russia.

Looking ahead, the battle over Trump’s push to extend expiring tax cuts from 2017, largely benefiting corporations and the wealthy, presents an opportunity for Jeffries to secure concessions. These could include an expanded child tax credit for low-income families and the repeal of caps on state and local tax deductions.

“We will seek bipartisan solutions that align with our values, but we will also push back against far-right extremism when necessary, especially when it harms the American people,” Jeffries said after the November elections.