House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) defended both the Supreme Court and his party’s broader policy priorities during an interview on Fox News Sunday with Shannon Bream, following the Court’s 6–3 decision last Friday blocking President Donald Trump’s invocation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose sweeping tariffs.
Bream opened by pressing Jeffries on what she framed as an inconsistency. Many Democrats, she noted, have sharply criticized the Court in recent years—accusing it of partisanship, calling for term limits, and even floating expansion. Yet in this instance, the Court ruled against Trump, with two of his own nominees siding with the majority. Did that mean Democrats were now prepared to affirm the Court’s neutrality and independence?
Jeffries did not retreat from prior criticisms. He acknowledged that he has “strongly disagreed” with past decisions and would continue to do so. But, he added, “in this instance,” the Court “did the right thing.” However, rather than debate institutional reforms, he pivoted to Democrats’ immediate priorities: lowering the cost of living, fixing a “broken” health care system, and reforming immigration enforcement.
Jeffries Blasts Trump’s ‘One Big Ugly Bill’
From there, the conversation shifted quickly to health care—specifically, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits. Bream pointed to the 43-day government shutdown and noted that Democrats previously moved funding forward without securing changes to ACA subsidies. She emphasized that roughly 90 to 93 percent of marketplace enrollees receive federal assistance, raising questions about long-term affordability and taxpayer burden.
Jeffries countered that the broader system is already under strain. He argued that Trump’s core legislation—the “One Big Beautiful Bill”—enacted “the largest cut to Medicaid in American history,” leading to closures of hospitals and community health clinics, particularly in rural areas. Extending ACA tax credits, he said, would stabilize coverage across red, blue, and purple states alike—singling out red states such as Wyoming, West Virginia, Alaska, South Carolina, and Texas as particularly affected.
Bream responded that many of the Medicaid adjustments were designed to address waste, abuse, and eligibility standards, not to strip coverage from those truly in need. She also noted that emergency funding exists to help hospitals remain operational. But the conversation soon moved again—this time to immigration enforcement and the ongoing partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Jeffries Remains Firm On ICE Reforms As DHS Shutdown Stretches Into Week Two
Even with Republicans controlling the House, Senate, and presidency, Bream argued, Democrats would still be necessary to fund the DHS. She warned of cascading consequences: disruptions to TSA PreCheck and Global Entry, unpaid FEMA and Coast Guard personnel, and the winter storm that swept across the Northeast this weekend.
Jeffries reframed the standoff as a matter of values that Republican leadership refuses to compromise on, even after the needless deaths of Renée Good and Alex Pretti. Taxpayer dollars, he said, should be used to make life more affordable—not to “brutalize” citizens. He called for “bold, transformational, and meaningful” reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including requiring judicial warrants before home entries, creating independent investigative mechanisms for misconduct, and protecting sensitive locations such as houses of worship, hospitals, schools, and polling places.
Bream concluded the interview by expressing hope for bipartisan common ground, noting that some of the reforms Jeffries described have drawn interest across party lines.
