Hakeem Jeffries emerges as Congress' shadow speaker [View all]
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) found himself in an unusual position for a minority leader last week: It was he, not the House speaker, who had the ultimate power to decide whether legislation came to the floor.
Why it matters: Democrats got everything they wanted – a $95 billion foreign aid bill, the credit for passing it, and adversaries more divided than ever. In their telling, that total victory wasn't a sure thing.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a master legislative tactician, heaped praise on her successor: "He is fabulous. We're so proud of him."
One senior House Democrat told Axios: "It easily could have fallen apart ... He played the cards the way you'd want to play them."
"I would not want to play blackjack against him," the lawmaker added.
https://www.axios.com/2024/04/21/hakeem-jeffries-speaker-mike-johnson-israel-ukraine
= new reply since forum marked as read
