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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Monday that House Democrats are "not going to give a dime" to the Trump administration's deportation efforts as they prepare to take control of the House.
Speaking at a press conference in Washington, Jeffries called the operation a "violent mass deportation machine" and said Democrats intend to use their spending authority. He said voters "clearly and decisively rejected MAGA extremism on Tuesday and voted for dramatic change." Jeffries said taxpayers' money should make life more affordable and accused the administration of using taxpayer dollars to "brutalize or kill American citizens" and target immigrant families.
Jeffries paired that pledge with a push for the American Dream and Promise Act, which would offer a pathway to citizenship for eligible Dreamers, a term generally used for immigrants brought to the United States as children, and for people with Temporary Protected Status. He said Democrats needed one more Republican signature on a discharge petition to force a House vote on the bill, and he appealed to Republicans to help bring it to the floor.
Jeffries also backed a ban on stock trading by members of Congress, presenting it as a way to restore trust. He said he supports an effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over Iran policy. "I'm a hard yes, as I've made clear, on the impeachment resolution," Jeffries said. He accused Hegseth of abusing power and undermining national security, calling the conflict in Iran a "failed war of choice." He blamed the war for higher gasoline prices and said, "Iran is stronger now than they were before."
Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, previously told ABC News he planned to reintroduce a privileged resolution seeking Hegseth's impeachment. Massie's resolution included eight articles, among them an allegation that Hegseth violated the War Powers Resolution of 1973. President Donald Trump told ABC News he intends to keep Hegseth and separately told reporters the secretary has "done a fantastic job." Hegseth has rejected the impeachment effort, describing it as "the politics of personal destruction" in a video posted online.
Jeffries made his case ahead of a Wednesday leadership vote in the House Democratic caucus. He said he plans to speak with every caucus member before the vote about what Democrats accomplished over the past two years and their plans for the future. Speaker Mike Johnson has portrayed Jeffries as weakened after Democratic primary losses.
