Affordability and accountability top priorities if Democrats take House, Jeffries says

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries says affordability and accountability would be the top priorities if Democrats win back the chamber in the midterm elections, where recent national polling gives the party a solid chance. Jeffries, who could become Speaker of the House, spoke with PBS NewsHour's Geoff Bennett on September 29 about artificial intelligence, living costs and Congress's control over federal spending.

On AI, Jeffries argued that Congress must take decisive action on safety, rejecting President Donald Trump's reliance on industry self-policing while saying innovation should still be able to outpace China. On costs, Jeffries called for ending Trump's tariffs, which Jeffries said cost Americans thousands of dollars a year, and for halting the war in Iran, blamed for higher gas, fertilizer and diesel prices. Jeffries also wants Medicaid cuts reversed, saying they have stripped or threaten coverage for more than 10 million people, and Affordable Care Act tax credits restored to bring down insurance premiums.

Bennett also pressed Jeffries on the White House's second-year attempt to cancel more than $800 million that Congress already approved. Jeffries called Republicans a "reckless rubber stamp" for Trump and said Congress must reassert its authority in the spending negotiations that must conclude by December 11. Democrats, Jeffries said, cannot sign a deal if the other side will not honor it in good faith, and courts may again have to step in.

Summarized by PolitiKool from PBS NewsHour’s reporting. Read the full story at PBS NewsHour →