Shadow speaker: Hakeem Jeffries quietly wrests control from Mike Johnson
Story by Andrew Solender
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.
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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/shadow-speaker-hakeem-jeffries-quietly-wrests-control-from-mike-johnson/ar-AA1noZY0
