Democratic leader Jeffries could head the US House of Representatives — Jerusalem Post

US House of Representatives Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries could become the next speaker of the chamber after media outlets projected that the Democratic Party would win a majority in Congress. If elected, the 56-year-old congressman from New York would become the first Black speaker of the US House of Representatives, the Jerusalem Post reports.

Vote counting after the midterm elections was still underway, so the exact size of the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives for the next two years remained unknown. The Democratic majority is to be sworn in during the first week of January.

Vote for speaker

Later this month, newly elected Democrats will hold a closed meeting to determine their candidate for speaker. According to several Democratic aides, Jeffries has no serious rivals.

After the new Congress begins work in January, the full House of Representatives will vote for the 57th speaker since 1789. The speaker decides which bills will be brought to a vote in the 435-seat chamber. The position is also second in the line of succession to the presidency after Vice President J.D. Vance.

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Priorities and differences

Jeffries said Democrats would seek to reverse major cuts to spending on the Medicaid program enacted by a law on July 4, 2025. Among possible initiatives, Democrats cite expanding the tax credit for families with children, housing tax breaks, restoring clean-energy subsidies, and reinstating some Obamacare subsidies.

At the same time, Jeffries needs to secure the support of some left-wing progressive Democrats. In particular, Darializa Avila Chevalier, the newly elected representative from New York, did not promise in September to vote for him and set conditions concerning electoral reforms, investment in public housing, blocking supplies of offensive weapons to Israel, and universal health insurance.

Jeffries has also said that Democrats could investigate the interaction of President Donald Trump’s administration with corporate executives, including those who made substantial donations to his campaigns and projects. At the same time, he did not say that the House of Representatives under his leadership would seek to impeach Trump for a third time.