Central Brooklyn Congressman Hakeem Jeffries today was overwhelmingly elected, 126-62 by House Democrats in the 115th Congress to co-chair the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC).
In the role, Jeffries will focus on sharpening the legislative and communications strategy for House Democrats in the face of Donald Trump’s Electoral College victory. Reps. David Cicilline (RI-1) and Cheri Bustos (IL-17) were also elected to co-chair the DPCC.
“For too many hardworking families, the American dream is increasingly out of reach. Wage stagnation, underemployment, the exploding cost of a college education and the erosion of pensions have left many without hope. House Democrats have the best game plan to address the economic pain felt by hardworking Americans. It’s now time for us to execute it.”
In the 114th Congress, Rep. Jeffries sat on the Judiciary Committee and the Education & Workforce Committee, and served as Whip of the Congressional Black Caucus. Committee assignments for the upcoming Congressional session have yet to be assigned.
While sitting on the Judiciary Committee, Jeffries, a former top New York City attorney, was able to reach across the aisle in growing bipartisan recognition that America must confront the nation’s over criminalization problem, which was largely responsible for mass incarceration of many Blacks, decimating many inner city neighborhoods across the country.
As such, Jeffries, together with U.S. Representatives Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), Raul Labrador (R-ID) and Cedric Richmond (D-LA) formed the Congressional Criminal Justice and Public Safety Caucus, a bipartisan membership organization dedicated to educating the public and Members of Congress on crime mitigation, rehabilitation, community collaboration, reform of the prison system, and the advancement of safety and justice in the United States.
However, with the election of Trump, it remains to be seen how House Democrats will work with the new administration, especially given how many House and Senate Republicans served to obstruct many of current President Obama’s initiatives and appointments throughout his administration.
This includes the Senate Republicans obstructing Obama’s nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, Merrick Garland, from ascending to the nation’s highest court.
When asked repeatedly about Jeffries thoughts on working with Trump’s pick of Dr. Ben Carson as secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) – a key position of formulating urban policy and controlling billions of federal dollars earmarked to inner cities, a Jeffries spokesperson referred KCP to a Jeffries Tweet.
“Ben Carson is not qualified to be HUD Secretary. Period. Full Stop,” Jeffries Tweeted.
Among the legislation that Carson could possibly sign off on is Jeffries’ P.J.’s Act, which he introduced in response to the tragic death of P.J. Avitto, a 6-year-old boy who was fatally stabbed nine times in an apartment building elevator in Brooklyn. The measure is designed to increase access to federal funding for enhanced safety and security in public housing developments.
First elected to Congress in 2012, Jeffries’ district has several neighborhoods with large concentrations of public housing including Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brownsville, East New York and Coney Island.
