House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries defended Chuck Schumer’s leadership of the Senate Democratic caucus, as several newly elected members say they would prefer a new face. When asked by CNN if it made sense for Senate Democrats to re-elect Schumer, Jeffries responded, “Yes, Chuck Schumer was the quarterback of a team effort led by Senate Democrats and incredible candidates running across the country.” “I think the results of that election, the outcome, the decisive victory, speaks for itself,” he later added. In a wide-ranging news conference on the first day of the House session, Jeffries answered questions about pressing issues that Congress will face during the outgoing term and beyond. When asked if Democrats are willing to force a government shutdown on Dec. 11 because of the ongoing war, he responded: “We’re going to end the war in Iran one way or another. But with respect to the appropriations process, right now it’s in the hands of Rosa DeLauro on the House side and Patty Murray on the Senate side.” Jeffries, who attended a classified briefing of senior intelligence officials with leaders of both chambers, told reporters that the issue of Nvidia’s chief executive came up. (The CEO admitted to having an extramarital affair when his company announced it would investigate reports that he was the “target of a foreign intelligence effort.”) “We are going to need a full briefing, specifically as it relates to the Nvidia issue, so that we can all get to the bottom of what has happened and what the implications are in terms of US national security,” he said, although he indicated that he did not know when all members would be briefed. Jeffries noted that there are provisions to restrict China’s access to chip technology in a Senate-approved version of an annual defense bill, and “we’re going to work hard to make sure those provisions make it into the final version.” He also reiterated his disinterest in working across the aisle with newly appointed White House chief of staff Stephen Miller. “Stephen Miller is a cold-blooded racist. His record speaks for itself and I have no interest in working with that type of individual,” he said.
