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US Politics · 2026 midterm elections

Jeffries says House Democrats won't give a dime to Trump's deportation efforts

Jeffries, poised to become Speaker, faces undecided progressive members-elect ahead of the Nov. 18 House Democratic leadership vote.

Hakeem Jeffries in 2021
Hakeem Jeffries in 2021. Photo: Office of Representative Hakeem Jeffries, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
25 news outlets reported this
Liberal11 outletsAffordability and accountability for corruption, with Miller criticizedCenter7 outletsJeffries speaks as Congress returns after midtermsConservative7 outletsJeffries's pledges and the fight over his speakership
ABRAnews EditorialPublished 1 min readMoney and daily life
Overview

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat poised to become Speaker, spoke to reporters on Monday, Nov. 9, as returned after elections in which Democrats won and . He said House Democrats will not give "a dime" to the administration's "violent mass machine." Jeffries said Democrats will focus on affordability and also pursue accountability, telling "CBS Mornings" they are committed to "holding the crooks accountable."

He criticized Trump's elevation of Stephen Miller, saying Miller "has blood on his hands." Fox News reports he is a "hard yes" on a resolution to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, whom he faulted for the Iran war, and Fox adds the resolution also cites alleged constitutional violations. House Democrats hold leadership elections on Nov. 18.

Jeffries said he will talk to every member of the caucus and needs 218 votes. Asked whether he has them, he said "I guess we'll find out," but also that he is "very confident," according to the Washington Examiner. Several progressive members-elect told reporters they are undecided and want an agenda.

The Journal reports Jeffries said he and Trump have not spoken since the election. Per Jeffries, the Democratic majority is likely to exceed 260 seats.

Key figures
  • 218votes Jeffries says are necessary to win the speakershipThe Epoch Times
  • more than 1.1 million signaturesChange.org petition urging every member of the incoming Congress to oppose Jeffries for speaker, as of Nov. 9The Epoch Times
  • 260 seatssize Jeffries said the Democratic House majority looks likely to topThe Epoch Times
  • Roughly nine in 10 votersshare citing corruption as a major factor in their vote, per CBS NewsCBS News

Three sides of the story

11Liberal7Center7Conservative

25 news outlets reported this

Tap a color or swipe sideways to switch sides.

Liberal11 outlets

Affordability and accountability for corruption, with Miller criticized

CBS News leads with Jeffries's vow, on "CBS Mornings," of "holding the crooks accountable" while Democrats work "relentlessly" on affordability. It reports that roughly nine in 10 voters nationally called government corruption a major factor in their vote, and that Democrats put the issue at the center of their closing pitch. CBS reports worries that probes and potential impeachment pushes targeting the administration may divert attention from cost-of-living work.

Asked whether Democrats can do both, Jeffries answers "Yes, and we have to," and says they will "follow the facts, apply the law" and let the chips fall. He ties high prices to what he calls "unprecedented corruption." The piece closes on immigration.

Trump said in an interview taped Friday he was open to working with Democrats, but then named Miller, a hard-line enforcement advocate. Jeffries says Democrats can work with the administration without Miller, "the architect of the violent mass deportation machine," and that Miller "has blood on his hands."

Center7 outlets

Jeffries speaks as Congress returns after midterms

The Wall Street Journal's headline reports that Jeffries said he and Trump have not spoken, nearly a week after the midterms. The paper adds that he said his caucus will discuss a "dramatic change" in immigration rules, after the president showed willingness to hold talks. The Hill carries a live feed of Jeffries speaking as Congress returned for a lame-duck session. It says the likely next Speaker faces several challenges before Democrats take over the House in January.

Conservative7 outlets

Jeffries's pledges and the fight over his speakership

Fox News leads with Jeffries vowing Democrats won't "give a dime" to Trump's deportation efforts. It also reports his push for a discharge petition on the Dream and Promise Act, a stock-trading ban and his "hard yes" on impeaching Hegseth. The Epoch Times centers on the Nov. 18 leadership vote, the Change.org petition with more than 1.1 million signatures, and progressive members-elect like Melat Kiros, who said "What we're demanding is an agenda."

The Washington Examiner headlines that Jeffries won't say whether he has the votes: "I guess we'll find out." It adds that no other candidates have been floated. The Blaze says Jeffries "lashed out" at the Democratic Socialists and "appeared to accuse them of racism," citing his remark about "almost zero diversity" in a crowd and a rebuttal from commentator Krystal Ball.

What a side did not mention
Money and daily life

According to the Epoch Times, Jeffries named his early goals for a Democratic majority: undoing cuts, ending the war in Iran, eliminating tariffs, and prolonging the tax credits of the Affordable Care Act. These are stated priorities. CBS News reports he also wants to lower the costs of gas, groceries and housing and make healthcare affordable.

All sources: 41 articles from 25 outlets

Liberal (17)

Center (11)

Conservative (13)

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  3. Jeffries says House Democrats won't give a dime to Trump's deportation effortsThis story
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Congress

The US parliament: the Senate and the House of Representatives. A bill becomes law when both pass it and the president signs it.

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Midterm elections

US elections halfway through a president's four-year term. The whole House, a third of the Senate and many governors are elected. In 2026 Election Day was November 3.

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House of Representatives

The lower chamber of Congress: 435 members elected every two years, with more seats for bigger states. It is the chamber that can impeach officials.

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Senate

The upper chamber of Congress: 100 senators, two per state, elected for six years. It confirms judges and ministers and approves treaties.

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Deportation

Forced removal from the US of a person with no legal right to stay. An immigration court usually orders it, but some people are removed faster, without a hearing.

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Impeachment

A formal accusation against a top official, up to the president, voted by the House of Representatives. Only the Senate can then remove the official, with two-thirds of the votes.

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Wall Street

A street in New York where the stock exchange stands. In the news it means US financial markets and the big banks and investment firms as a whole.

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Medicaid

Public health coverage for people with low incomes, paid by the federal government and the states. The rules differ by state.

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