House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Sunday that there are “informal conversations” taking place for a bipartisan solution to the House Speakership, which has been vacant for nearly two weeks.
“There are informal conversations that have been underway. When we get back to Washington tomorrow, it’s important to begin to formalize those discussions,” he told NBC’s Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press.”
Asked why formal conversations haven’t happened yet, Jeffries responded: “At this point, that is on my House Republican colleagues. We have made clear, publicly and privately, that we are ready, willing and able to enter into a bipartisan governing coalition that puts the American people first and solves problems for hardworking American taxpayers.”
“My Republican colleagues have a simple choice. They can either double or triple down on the chaos, dysfunction and extremism. Or, let’s have a real conversation about changing the rules of the House so it can work in the best interests of the American people,” he added.
The House GOP has been engaged in a tumultuous debate since eight of its members sided with Democrats to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from the Speakership nearly two weeks ago. Republicans have voted to put forward Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) as their nominee, but it is unclear whether he will have enough support to secure the Speaker role.
When asked what “demands” he would have for changing House rules, Jeffries reiterated that they are trying to find “common ground.”
“We want to ensure that votes are taken on bills that have substantial Democratic support and substantial Republican support so that the extremists aren’t able to dictate the agenda,” Jeffries said. “The current rules of the House have facilitated a handful of Republicans being able to determine what gets voted on in the House of Representatives, and that undermines the interests of the American people. We can change the rules to facilitate bipartisanship, and that should be the starting point of our conversation.”