The Democrat Party is crumbling. It could be over before you know it.
Now Hakeem Jeffries betrayed one Democrat with an attack no one saw coming.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries drew a public line this weekend between himself and the socialist wing of his own party, telling NBC’s “Meet the Press” he does not support Medicare for All or the broader agenda of the Democratic Socialists of America — a notable retreat from a Democrat who co-sponsored the legislation as recently as 2021, and one that immediately exposed how divided his caucus has become.
The comments came as Democrats try to project unity heading into November following a summer of primary upsets that have installed DSA-aligned nominees in high-profile races from Michigan to New York City, and as Jeffries himself works to recapture the House majority.
Jeffries Draws A Line His Party Isn’t Fully Behind
Asked point-blank by host Kristen Welker whether he personally backed Medicare for All, Jeffries didn’t hedge. “No, i — as you indicated, I haven’t cosponsored the Medicare for All legislation that has been introduced over the last several years,” he said. “I do think we need to figure out how to fix our broken health care system and then build something better once we repair the damage that has been done.”
Pressed on whether democratic socialists belong under the Democratic Party’s tent at all, Jeffries again declined to embrace the movement even as he acknowledged its growing presence within his ranks. “I don’t support the DSA agenda as has been articulated by the DSA itself,” he said, though he stopped short of trying to exclude DSA-aligned members who win their primaries: “You’re going to have individual members who have been elected in Democratic primaries, and if they are elected in the general in November, will be part of the House Democratic Caucus. It’s going to be a broad caucus. There will be progressives. There will be New Dems. There will be Blue Dogs.”
An Inconvenient Paper Trail
Jeffries’ current position sits awkwardly alongside his own legislative history: he formally co-sponsored the Medicare for All Act in both 2019 and 2021, with the New York City DSA’s Healthcare Working Group at the time crediting a months-long pressure campaign for helping secure his support, while noting his position was qualified because he also backed a public-option alternative. He was, notably, absent from the list of more than 100 House co-sponsors when the bill was reintroduced in April 2025 — a sign, in retrospect, of where his thinking was already headed.
The DSA’s newer “Workers Deserve More!” platform goes well beyond health care, calling for abolishing ICE and the Senate, replacing the presidency and Supreme Court with bodies subordinate to Congress, and redirecting police funding as a step toward eliminating police departments and prisons entirely — positions well outside the mainstream that Jeffries appears determined not to be tied to as his party heads into a competitive midterm.
A Caucus Pulling In Opposite Directions
Not everyone in Democratic leadership is playing it safe. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., broke publicly with Jeffries in a separate “Meet the Press” segment the same day, calling for an outright House vote on the measure if Democrats retake the majority. “Medicare for All is arguably the most important priority,” Khanna said. “The case for Medicare for All has never been clearer or more urgent. Congress must pass Medicare for All.” Khanna pointed to a Yale analysis he’d commissioned projecting that a single-payer system could cut annual national health spending from $5.28 trillion to $4.24 trillion — a projection conservative health economists have long disputed on grounds ranging from provider reimbursement cuts to the difficulty of achieving projected administrative savings.
Former MS NOW host Mehdi Hasan piled on from the left, accusing Jeffries of being out of step with his own party’s base: “A reminder that the vast majority of Democrats across the country support Medicare for All. This man is so out of touch with his party. How is he their leader??”
The split comes as seven incumbent House Democrats have already lost primaries this cycle to DSA-backed or affiliated challengers, including Jeffries-endorsed Reps. Dan Goldman and Adriano Espaillat in New York — a trend that Republicans are watching closely as they build their case that today’s Democratic Party, whatever its leader says on Sunday shows, is being pulled steadily further left by its own base.
