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Both his state assembly district and congressional district are anchored in Brooklyn. In Congress, Jeffries chaired the House Democratic Caucus from 2019 to 2023. The members of the caucus unanimously elected him to succeed Nancy Pelosi as leader in November 2022.
Jun 21, 2023 · Unanimously elected minority leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries is the first Black lawmaker and the youngest member to lead a party in Congress. His political clout...
- Kimberly Manning
- Freelance Writer
- Overview
- Early life and education
- Political career
- Personal life
Hakeem Jeffries (born August 4, 1970, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.) American Democratic politician who serves in the U.S. House of Representatives (2013– ). The House minority leader from 2023, Jeffries is the first Black person to lead a major party in either house of Congress.
Jeffries is the eldest of two sons born to Laneda (Gomes) Jeffries, a social worker, and Marland Jeffries, a substance-abuse counselor. The family lived in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighbourhood. Hakeem Jeffries attended the State University of New York at Binghamton (Binghamton University), where he received a bachelor’s degree in political scienc...
In 2006 Jeffries ran successfully for the New York State Assembly and took office the following year. He was twice reelected to that body. In 2012 he ran for the U.S. House of Representatives. Securing broad support, Jeffries easily won the race to represent New York’s 8th congressional district, which includes parts of Brooklyn and the neighbouring borough of Queens. After taking office in 2013, he took particular interest in police and criminal justice reform. He introduced legislation calling for a federal ban on the police use of choke holds following the death of an unarmed Black man, Eric Garner, in July 2014. Garner had died after having a choke hold applied to him during his arrest on Staten Island. Jeffries also championed the First Step Act, which was signed into law in 2018. It aimed in part to improve conditions in federal prisons and to ensure that people convicted of federal crimes were sentenced in a fair and reasonable way. Jeffries served on both the House Judiciary and Budget committees. He was also a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.
In 2019 Jeffries became chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, a post that made him the fifth highest-ranking Democrat in the chamber. In that role he presided over races for other party leadership posts and helped set legislative priorities for the House Democrats. Toward the end of 2019 the House of Representatives impeached Republican Pres. Donald Trump over allegations that he had withheld aid to Ukraine in order to pressure the country into opening a corruption investigation into one of his political rivals, Democrat Joe Biden. (Biden ultimately defeated Trump in the 2020 presidential election.) The Senate impeachment trial was held in early 2020. Jeffries was one of seven lawmakers named by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to serve as impeachment managers during the trial and present the House’s case against Trump. The appointment reflected the fact that Jeffries was an effective messenger, especially known for being highly quotable. Delivering part of the House managers’ closing arguments on February 3, he called for Trump’s removal from office, describing him as “a clear and present danger to our national security.” Two days later, however, Trump was acquitted by the Senate in an almost party-line vote.
Jeffries is married to Kennisandra Arciniegas-Jeffries, a social worker. The couple has two sons, and the family resides in Brooklyn.
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Nov 30, 2022 · New York Representative Hakeem Jeffries will become the top Democrat in the House of Representatives—and the first Black lawmaker to lead either party on Capitol Hill —when the new Congress is sworn in next year.
Jan 4, 2023 · Jeffries, who was first elected in 2012, embarks on his sixth term with ambitions to restore the enhanced child tax credit, get his party back to the majority in 2024, call out what he...
- Shawna Mizelle
Jan 5, 2023 · Here’s a look at the life of Hakeem Jeffries, the US House minority leader. He is the first Black lawmaker to lead a party in Congress. Personal Birth date: August 4, 1970
Oct 17, 2023 · A son of civil servants who cut his teeth as a litigator at a white-shoe law firm and at CBS, Mr. Jeffries rose swiftly through the ranks of Democratic politics in New York and then Washington....
