House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) argued Friday that a “bipartisan coalition” of government was still possible, even after weeks of House GOP infighting ended with former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) losing the gavel.
“In recent days, Democrats have tried to show our colleagues in the Republican majority a way out of the dysfunction and rancor they have allowed to engulf the House,” he wrote in an op-ed published by the Washington Post. “That path to a better place is still there for the taking.”
Jeffries said that as threats of a motion to vacate were made, Democrats “repeatedly” raised the idea of entering into a bipartisan coalition to “work together to make life better for everyday Americans while protecting our national security.” But, he claimed, Republicans rejected the calls.
“Regrettably, at every turn, House Republicans have categorically rejected making changes to the rules designed to accomplish two objectives: encourage bipartisan governance and undermine the ability of extremists to hold Congress hostage,” he wrote.
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McCarthy, ahead of the historic ouster, said he wouldn’t concede anything to Democrats in exchange for their vote to help save his Speakership.
“They haven’t asked for anything,” McCarthy said in an interview with CNBC. “I’m not going to provide anything.”
In response, Democrats and eight Republicans voted 216-210 to remove him from the top leadership role.
McCarthy’s unwillingness to work with Democrats, according to Jeffries, was indicative of how House Republicans had been governing.
“House Republicans have lashed out at historic public servants and tried to shift blame for the failed Republican strategy of appeasement,” Jeffries wrote in his op-ed. “But what if they pursued a different path and confronted the extremism that has spread unchecked on the Republican side of the aisle?”
“When that step has been taken in good faith, we can proceed together to reform the rules of the House in a manner that permits us to govern in a pragmatic fashion,” he added.
Jeffries urged his GOP counterparts to agree to change the rules and work together, claiming “MAGA extremism” had poisoned the lower chamber of Congress.
“Under the current procedural landscape, a small handful of extreme members on the Rules Committee or in the House Republican conference can prevent common-sense legislation from ever seeing the light of day,” he wrote. “That must change.”
“In short, the rules of the House should reflect the inescapable reality that Republicans are reliant on Democratic support to do the basic work of governing,” Jeffries added. “A small band of extremists should not be capable of obstructing that cooperation.”
While the House is without a confirmed head, Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) is serving as Speaker pro tempore.
In one of his first moves, McHenry booted former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) from their Capitol hideaway offices. The move could be seen as retaliation after Democrats helped hard-line conservatives to vacate the Speakership.