Hakeem Jeffries insists ‘American people deserve answers’ on Iran: Full interview

Welcome back. And joining me now is House Democratic Leader Hakeim Jeff of New York. Leader Jeff, welcome back to Meet the Press. >> Good morning. Great to be back. >> It's great to have you back. Let's start with the war in Iran. The United States now a week into this conflict. Do you think the world is safer now that the Supreme Leader is dead? Well, certainly as it relates to the Ayatollah, he was a bad actor and I'm not going to shed any tears as a result of his departure. I think the big question is why did we get into this war? What are our strategic objectives? Because they shift every day and what is the plan to get out of this conflict? The American people don't want to see billions of dollars being spent to bomb Iran and the Middle East. While at the same period of time, my Republican colleagues and this president are unwilling to spend a dime to lower their grocery bills, spend a dime to actually make it more affordable to go see a doctor or do anything about this affordability crisis that is very real in the United States of America. >> Well, in talking about the strategy for this war, let me ask you because NBC News is reporting that President Trump has privately considered sending boots on the ground to Iran. Is there any scenario where you would support sending US forces to be on the ground in Iran? Leader Jeff? >> No. And in fact, candidate Trump suggested uh that under no circumstances should American servicemen and women be put into harm's way in this particular type of situation, particularly as it relates to another endless war in the Middle East. And we are deeply saddened right now uh by the loss of six brave and heroic service men and women who have already lost their lives. And we'll continue to pray for their families and their loved ones. But the American people deserve answers from the administration as to how we're going to actually move forward in a way that makes America safer, not more vulnerable. Well, there is a push for congressional oversight, but both the House and the Senate this week rejected a resolution to curb President Trump's war powers in Iran. And and frankly, even five Democrats joined Republicans to block the resolution in those chambers. Does that effectively give President Trump a mandate to fight this war? >> Uh, not at all. The president of course has a responsibility first and foremost to make his case to the American people, which he's failed to do. There's a reason why this president is deeply unpopular. His policies, including the one big ugly bill, are unpopular. And this war of choice in the Middle East, are unpopular. But as Democrats, we're going to continue to make the case to the American people that we should be stewards of spending their taxpayer dollars in a manner that actually is designed to make their life better and make their life more affordable as opposed to another endless war in the Middle East where we're spending billions and billions of dollars to drop bombs and doing nothing to drop the high cost of living. Well, dem your Democratic colleague, Democratic Congressman Jared Golden, is among those who voted to block the resolution. I want to read you a little bit of his statement from this week. He says, quote, "The president has so far acted within the authorities given to him by Congress through the War Powers Act of 1973. He has been briefing Congress and he has 60 days to make his case for ongoing operations. This is not an illegal war, but it could become one." How do you respond to your House colleague? >> Well, every individual member of course is going to articulate their position. The overwhelming majority of both House and Senate Democrats have made the case to the American people and taken the position that this is a war of choice that Donald Trump decided to get into without any evidence being presented to us as members of Congress or to the American people. But do you not protect the national security of the American people? No. Jerick obviously has a very different position. He's a hero. He fought in the Middle East bravely and he's entitled, of course, to his perspective. But as I indicated, the American people are dissatisfied with this war of choice that Donald Trump has decided to enter into. And Donald Trump has not made a compelling case as to why we are in a situation where American servicemen and women, their lives are at risk. >> Let's talk about the cost of this war. Leader Jeff. The White House is reportedly weighing a request to Congress for tens of millions of dollars. Several Senate Democrats have said they're open to reviewing what the administration requests, arguing could be critical to military readiness overall. As the leader of House Democrats, do you plan to block all Pentagon funding even if the argument is it is critical for military readiness? Well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it in terms of if the administration makes uh a request to Congress to consider additional funding, but at this particular point in time, the administration has failed to make its case as to the rationale or justification for this war of choice in the Middle East. Listen, candidate Trump promised that he was not going to get the country into an endless war, particularly in the Middle East in the aftermath of what we saw in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. President Trump has now done the exact opposite and a and absent him actually providing us with a compelling rationale, he's gonna have a difficult case to make on Capitol Hill. >> Leader Jeff, let me ask you about another aspect of this. As you well know, President Trump fired Homeland Security Secretary Christy Gnome this week, something you and other Democrats have been calling for. Democrats continue to block funding for DHS amid these demands that there be changes to ICE and the president's deportation policies. Is the change in leadership at DHS enough for you and other Democrats to reopen the government to start to fund DHS again? >> Well, again, let's understand Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the presidency. They've made an affirmative decision that they would rather shut down FEMA, shut down the Coast Guard, and shut down TSA as opposed to getting ICE under control. What we want is a situation where ICE is actually conducting itself like every other law enforcement agency in the country as opposed to using taxpayer dollars to brutalize or in some cases kill American citizens. >> So, is replacing Gnome is replacing Gnome a big enough step for you to get to Yes. No, it's certainly not. What we need is a change in policy, not simply a change in personnel. Now, Christy Gnome was a disgrace. She was totally unqualified. She was a pathological liar. She called American citizens domestic terrorists without any justification whatsoever. But we need dramatic, bold, meaningful, and transformational changes to get ICE under control. That's what the American people want to see. That's what we're working hard to deliver. Congressman, there's a real concern uh that the Iran strikes may increase the terror risks here in the United States. Republican Congressman Mike Lawler of New York wrote this quote, "Given the situation in the Middle East and the potential for Iran and its terrorist proxies to attempt some type of attack, it is imperative that Senator Schumer and Rep. Jeff immediately drop all opposition to funding the Department of Homeland Security and pass the funding bill." What say you to that argument that this is about the safety and security of US citizens? >> Well, House and Senate Democrats have actually introduced legislation to make sure that every other aspect of the Department of Homeland Security is funded in order to ensure that we are protecting our national security, funding the Coast Guard, funding FEMA, uh, as well as funding TSA. Unfortunately, Republicans have decided that they would block those changes from being put into place in order uh simply to continue to protect and shield ICE from the type of accountability, the type of dramatic change that's necessary. things that we're asking to do that are common sense, like making sure that judicial warrants are required before ICE agents can break into the homes of the American people. Ensure that there are independent investigations when ICE agents break the law or even kill American citizens so that there's accountability. We want to make sure sensitive locations like schools and hospitals are protected, including uh other locations like houses of worship and polling sites. These are common sense reforms that are necessary in order to get ICE under control. >> Leader Jeff, couple more and we're almost out of time. I want to turn to the midterms, the results in Texas this week. State Representative James Talerico, of course, as you know, one uh the Senate Democratic primary against Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, who what message do you have for black voters who supported Crockett and may feel less enthusiastic about supporting Terrio? Well, Jasmine Crockett ran a great race and she's going to continue to be a powerful voice as we move forward to hold this administration accountable and to push back against the extremism that they're unleashing on the American people. And I think in her own statement in the aftermath of the results, she indicated uh that we needed to all come together to make sure that we're doing what's necessary to support our Democratic nominee uh and to win up and down the ballot in Texas and across the country. And that's what we'll continue to do, to fight to lower the high cost of living, to fix our broken health care system, and to clean up the corruption that the Trump cartel has unleashed on the American people. Leader Jeffers, I have to ask you very quickly because Vice President Kla Harris endorsed Crockett in that race after Crockett's loss of former Biden Harris staffer said of the former Vice President, quote, "Her rapidly declining polling numbers are a lagging indicator. Her lack of political relevancy is a leading one." Has Kala Harris lost her political relevancy, Leader Jeff? >> No, I don't think so. But look, we're focused right now on the 2026 midterm elections, and we're going to do everything that we can to make sure we take back control of the House of Representatives, to focus on the issues that matter in terms of dealing with the affordability crisis, to make life more affordable for everyday Americans who are struggling far too many people to live paycheck to paycheck. That should not be the case in the United States of America, the wealthiest country in the history of the world. >> All right, Leader Jeff, thank you so much. 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In an exclusive interview with Meet the Press, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) says he’s against any scenario that would involve U.S. troops on the ground in Iran.