Hakeem Jeffries poised to become first Black Speaker of U.S. House of Representatives

Subscribed with another email? Jeffries proclaimed in a victory speech late on Tuesday after media outlets projected the likelihood of Democratic majorities in the House and Senate. He attacked the Trump-led Republican agenda in Congress over the past two years, pledging to pass legislation reversing steep spending cuts — enacted into ‌law on July 4, 2025 — to the Medicaid healthcare program for the poor and people with disabilities. “The American people have spoken and made clear that they’ve had enough of the extremism, enough of the corruption. They want a Congress that’s going to deliver for the ‌American people,” Mr. US midterm election results 2026: List of Indian-origin winners Pia Dandiya, first-generation Indian-American, wins U.S. Congress in midterm rout of U.S. The House speaker acts as the boss of the often boisterous 435-member chamber, deciding what legislation advances to a vote or dies on the vine. In a September 30 interview with Vanity Fair, Avila Chevalier would not commit to voting for Mr. Jeffries’ tougher challenge will be to reach across the aisle to pass critical legislation. Jeffries will also spearhead other Democratic priorities such as protecting Social Security, undoing $900 billion in Republican cuts to Medicaid, and revamping immigration laws.