LEADER JEFFRIES: “MAGA REPUBLICANS ARE TRYING TO JAM EXTREME, RIGHT-WING CUTS DOWN THE THROATS OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE”

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on CNN's The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer where he emphasized that while extreme MAGA Republicans are working to enact Trump's dangerous Project 2025, Democrats are fighting for hardworking American taxpayers.

WOLF BLITZER: Leader Jeffries, thank you so much for joining us. As you know better than I do, this is clearly a critical debate tonight here in Philadelphia, a critical debate for Kamala Harris. It's her first time on the presidential debate stage in a general election. What does a successful night look like for her?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, this is a big night for the campaign, it's a big night for our democracy and a big night for America. Kamala Harris, of course, is ready, willing and able to do the job and to make sure that she articulates a clear vision for how to bring the country together, how to make sure that everyone has access to the great American dream, how we lower costs, how we grow the middle class and, of course, defending our democracy and fighting for our freedoms, particularly a woman's freedom to make her own reproductive health care decisions. So I think tonight she'll have the opportunity before tens of millions of our fellow citizens to lay out a clear contrast between her vision for America, which is inclusive, which is forward-looking, which will create an opportunity economy, and Donald Trump's vision for America, which is to jam Project 2025 down the throats of the American people so that extreme MAGA Republicans can exercise total control over everyday Americans and hurt working families and the middle class.

WOLF BLITZER: The Trump campaign, Leader Jeffries, has signaled the former president tonight will highlight how Kamala Harris has changed positions on several key issues. How should Kamala Harris answer the charge that she has been flip-flopping on some of her long-held positions?

LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, I think it's important to put a spotlight on the positions that Kamala Harris has held and the accomplishments that have been part of the Biden-Harris administration. And so I think when it comes to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, creating millions of good-paying jobs, that's the Kamala Harris position. The American Rescue Plan, making sure that we put shots in arms, money in pockets and kids back in school, rescued the economy from a once-in-a-century pandemic, that's a Kamala Harris position. The CHIPS and Science Act where we've brought domestic manufacturing jobs back home to the United States of America, that's a Kamala Harris position. And, of course, the Inflation Reduction Act, where we struck a dramatic blow against the climate crisis, we're standing up a clean energy economy and lowering the high price of lifesaving prescription drugs, including taking the price of insulin to $35 per month for millions of Americans, that's a Kamala Harris position. We know that Donald Trump is going to distort because he lies for a living. But the good news is that on that stage, Kamala Harris will have every opportunity to present the true facts about her views and how to move the country forward.

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WOLF BLITZER: Leader Jeffries, I quickly want to turn to another really important issue that's developing right now, the House GOP funding plan. Donald Trump said today that Republicans should vote against the bill unless it includes a controversial GOP-led proposal requiring proof of citizenship to vote. You've called this plan, in your words, a nonstarter for Democrats. Does this mean we are headed toward some sort of government shutdown right now?

LEADER JEFFRIES: First of all, it's important to make clear that the Constitution already requires citizenship in order to be able to participate in our elections. That's federal law. What is taking place right now is that the extreme MAGA Republicans are trying to jam extreme right-wing cuts down the throats of the American people and the bill that will be before the House of Representatives tomorrow hurts our military readiness. It hurts our veterans. It hurts the Social Security Administration. It will hurt seniors. And of course, it's going to hurt disaster relief efforts by shortchanging them as well. We're going to vote no against it.

WOLF BLITZER: All right. The House Democratic Leader, Hakeem Jeffries. Thanks very much for joining us.

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