By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-09-28 18:28:45 | Updated at 2026-09-28 19:20:11
1 hour ago
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said on Sept. 28 that Democrats would put lowering costs first if they win the House in November.
But he did not rule out impeaching President Donald Trump, as members of his party are split publicly on whether to try for that a third time.
Asked on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” how much of a Democratic majority’s next two years would be spent on hearings about Trump, his family, and his administration, Jeffries said the party is focused on affordability but also has an oversight role.
“We’re committed to an affordability agenda,” Jeffries said.
“As I travel the country, speak to people, whether that’s in urban America, rural parts of America, the heartland of America, small-town America, or black and brown communities throughout America. The one thing that is clear is that people are struggling.
“They are drowning in this failed Republican economy. They’re working hard, they’re playing by the rules, but they cannot thrive and can barely survive. It’s an unacceptable situation. And so, when we say we’re focused on affordability, we mean it.”
Jeffries added he believed there has been “unprecedented corruption unleashed on the American people,” and that if Democrats win the House, they would “have a responsibility to visit the type of accountability that is consistent with the House as a separate and co-equal branch of government.”
Pressed on the balance between accountability and affordability, Jeffries said the next Democratic caucus would include progressives, moderates, and more socially conservative members, united around the cost of living.
He said when it came to cleaning up what he called the “rampant corruption” that exists in Washington, Democrats would follow the facts, apply the law, be guided by the Constitution, and then “let the chips fall where they may on behalf of the American people.”
“We have a responsibility, of course, as a Congress, to serve as a check and balance on an out-of-control executive branch. That’s not partisan, that’s patriotic,” he said.
Jeffries’s comments came a day after Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that impeaching Trump a third time would not be a mistake for Democrats.
“No, it’s not. Because it’s not about Donald Trump,” Khanna said.
“He’s going to be a lame duck, and in my view, increasingly irrelevant.
“The point is to stand up for the Constitution.”
Khanna added: “Impeachment says that you can’t get into an illegal war in Iran without constitutional approval. Impeachment says that you can’t just start firing federal employees in defiance of what Congress says. Impeachment says you can’t do deals with foreign governments to allegedly enrich your own family.
“It’s about setting a standard.”
He said Democrats could pursue impeachment while also moving on child care, the minimum wage, paid family leave, and taxes on billionaires in their first 100 days.
“We can do both,” he said.
Khanna was responding to a clip of Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who told an audience at the Center for American Progress on Sept. 22 that Democrats should not pursue impeachment if they win control of Congress.
“What I will encourage my colleagues to not do, especially those who have more fire in their belly in this area, is don’t be impeaching anybody. Let’s just get back to work,” Duckworth said.
“I’m not interested in being in a confrontation with Donald Trump. I can be. I have been. It’s not going to stop me. But I would rather move the ball forward through the benefit of the American people.
“And if we can do it in a way that allows him to save face and he doesn’t stop us, then that’s better for everybody all around.”
Duckworth, speaking at an event on U.S.–China relations ahead of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s White House visit, said her priority was resolving tariffs that she said threaten Illinois soybean, corn, and pork farmers.
Trump was impeached by the House in 2019 and 2021 and acquitted by the Senate both times.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said on John Catsimatidis’s “Cats Roundtable” radio show on Sept. 27 that a Democratic majority would turn oversight into a campaign against Republicans.
“You will see the Democrats take that oversight function and turn it into a weaponization of government. They will go after everybody. They say they’re not going to, but we know they will,” Jordan said.
“They'll do a third impeachment of President Trump.
“But that’s just part of it. They’re going to investigate the first family. They’re going to investigate Cabinet secretaries, anyone.
“Jamie Raskin is going to go after Todd Blanche and Kash Patel. They’re going to have people in other committees go after Secretary Hegseth and on and on; it’s going to be.”
Jordan said an example of potential targets he believed Democrats would target include businesses that helped fund Trump’s inauguration, and potential 2028 Republican presidential candidates, including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“It'll be nonstop weaponized investigations, not for legitimate oversight, but to just go after your political opponents,” he said.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) is the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee and would be in line to lead it under a Democratic majority. The midterm elections are on Nov. 3.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment before publication time.
