Jeffries on relationship with McCarthy: We can ‘agree to disagree without being disagreeable’ 

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Sunday said he and newly elected Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) can “agree to disagree without being disagreeable” as the 118th Congress kicks off. 

“Speaker Nancy Pelosi didn’t have a great relationship with Kevin McCarthy. What’s yours?” host Chuck Todd asked Jeffries on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” 

Jeffries said that he and the new Speaker have had “positive, forward-looking conversations” over the last few weeks upon which he hopes to build as the new Congress gets to work. 

“Clearly we are going to have strong disagreements at times. But we can agree to disagree without being disagreeable. That is what I believe the American people would like to see in terms of a functional House, a functional Senate, a functional government,” Jeffries said.  

The new House minority leader underscored his plans to work to build on the Biden administration’s agenda and progress during the last legislative session, and welcomed GOP lawmakers to work with Democrats across the aisle. 

“If Kevin McCarthy is willing to try to find common ground in that regard, they will find willing partners amongst House Democrats,” Jeffries said. 

McCarthy secured the Speakership early Saturday after 15 rounds of voting over multiple days delayed the swearing-in of the new Congress.

All Democrats backed Jeffries throughout the successive contests, and McCarthy eventually flipped a handful of GOP holdouts in order to get the necessary majority of ballots to win the Speaker’s gavel.