The Two Speakers

by dap | Apr 24, 2024 | Axios, Outside The Beltway

In “Hakeem Jeffries emerges as Congress’ shadow speaker,” Axios’ Andre Solender sheds light on a situation that many of us have noticed.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries  (D-N.Y.) found himself in an unusual position for a minority leader last week: It was he, not the House speaker, who had the ultimate power to decide whether legislation came to the floor.

Why it matters: Democrats got everything they wanted – a $95 billion foreign aid bill , the credit for passing it, and adversaries more divided than ever. In their telling, that total victory wasn’t a sure thing.

• Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a master legislative tactician, heaped praise on her successor: “He is fabulous. We’re so proud of him.”
• One senior House Democrat told Axios: “It easily could have fallen apart … He played the cards the way you’d want to play them.”
• “I would not want to play blackjack against him,” the lawmaker added.

What happened: Democrats did something virtually unheard of in modern politics  on Thursday, crossing the aisle on the House Rules Committee to save the foreign aid package. They did it again  the next day on the House floor.

• This was all Jeffries’ call, as was Democrats’ decision to wait until it was clear  House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) didn’t have the votes on his own before saving the package on the floor.
• “We wouldn’t be voting on this right now if it weren’t for Hakeem … He’s the one who created the system that Johnson could follow and get this done,” said a House Democrat.

Zoom in: Jeffries’ message to his members leading up to the foreign aid fight was to stay unified behind him and not commit themselves to positions on saving Johnson that might box the party in.

• In other words: To give him all the power and maneuverability that Johnson lacks.
• The senior House Democrat told Axios: “If he hadn’t taken the approach he had, he could have had members going rogue.”
• “He gave us so many options,” said Pelosi.

Between the lines: Democratic leadership had already been forging the unified front that would be Jeffries’ strongest weapon for weeks with a push to get as many signatures as possible  on their foreign aid discharge petition.

That Jeffries is being a shrewd leader and playing his cards masterfully is absolutely worth noting. But it obscures the larger story: the dysfunction in the Republican caucus caused by the nihilism of the MAGA wing has the ironic effect of giving more power to the enemy. Instead of “owning the libs,” they’re being owned by them.

It’s not all that unusual for leaders to need when from the other party to pass controversial bills. Bill Clinton, for example, needed massive support from Republicans to pass NAFTA. But that was a matter of legitimate ideological disagreement. That was rather common when the parties weren’t highly sorted. Northeastern Republicans often voted with Democrats and Southern Democrats often voted with Republicans to serve the interests of their constituents.

But this isn’t a case of a faction of “hard-line” Republicans opposed to, say, Ukraine aid because it’s breaking the budget. In that scenario, Johnson and Jeffries would quietly work together, freeing members of their caucus to vote their conscience/district and getting bills that have majority support in the body passed. Instead, Johnson has to put his job on the line to pass bills with overwhelming support.