Dear Colleague Announcing Candidacy for Speaker of the House

Dear Colleague:

America is back!

Congratulations on your election to the 120th Congress. I write to humbly request your support in connection with my candidacy to serve as the next Speaker of the House of Representatives.  

Almost two years ago, Donald Trump was sworn into office in the same Capitol where he incited a violent mob to try and overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The days, weeks and months that followed were deeply challenging. MAGA extremists tried to break America. A flood-the-zone strategy was unleashed throughout the land. But our country is a resilient one. 

In the face of great turmoil and uncertainty, House Democrats did not back down. Together, we stood in the breach, aggressively pushed back against the Trump Administration’s extremism and overwhelmingly turned the tide. 

In the 119th Congress, House Democrats forcefully stood up for the American people and charted a path for dramatic change. We remained unified and as a Caucus repeatedly delivered. House Democrats:

1.  Exposed the harm done by the One Big Ugly Bill, relentlessly denouncing the largest cut to Medicaid in American history while Republicans provided massive tax breaks to their billionaire donors. 

2.  Established a first-of-its-kind litigation task force to oppose the Trump Administration in court, helping win critical cases to uphold birthright citizenship, protect the right to vote by mail and stop the President from unilaterally deploying the National Guard to intimidate the American people. 

3.  Led the fight for transparency and accountability in connection with the Epstein Files, partnering with the courageous and patriotic survivors while exposing the ongoing cover-up by the Department of Justice. 

4.  Decisively won the healthcare battle in connection with the 43-day government shutdown, setting the stage for the House to pass a three-year extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits over the objection of Republican leadership. 

5.  Refused to provide taxpayer dollars to Donald Trump’s violent mass deportation machine because we believe that immigration enforcement should be fair, just and humane. 

6.  Repeatedly forced successful votes through historic use of the discharge petition, passing legislation to restore TPS for Haitian migrants, enforce the right to a swift negotiation of union contracts and repeal the Trump Administration’s Executive Order banning collective bargaining for over a million federal workers. 

7.  Aggressively opposed the reckless and costly war of choice in Iran, which has skyrocketed gas prices while undermining our national security.

8.  Kept the pressure on corrupt and incompetent cabinet officials, forcing Kristi Noem and Pam Bondi to resign in disgrace. 

9.  Obliterated the Republican gerrymandering scheme that MAGA extremists claimed would net 16 seats and thereby made sure there was a free and fair election. 

10. Delivered the most meaningful housing affordability bill in 40 years, reinforcing our commitment to drive down the high cost of living for everyday Americans.

Against all odds, House Democrats were consistently successful in the minority. We must now deliver the dramatic change the American people are demanding in the majority. 

In the new Congress, we will aggressively fight for an affordable America. Life is way too expensive, and millions of hardworking taxpayers are drowning in this failed economy. As part of our effort to turn things around, every single member of our majority will play a meaningful role. My goal is to empower you to act decisively in three key areas: (1) Affordability (2) Accountability and (3) American Values. 

Affordability
Donald Trump and House Republicans promised to lower costs on Day One. They failed. Instead, toxic GOP policies like the Trump tariffs and war in Iran have done the exact opposite. People are suffering. Everyday Americans can’t thrive and can barely survive. 

House Democrats must do everything in our power to meaningfully lower the high cost of living. In doing so, we will try to find bipartisan common ground whenever and wherever possible. Earlier this year, our Caucus established five working groups to address the affordability crisis: (1) housing; (2) healthcare; (3) groceries and goods; (4) gas and utilities and (5) caregiving. In partnership with our Chairs, the committees of jurisdiction and the entire Caucus, it’s imperative that we get to work immediately. Accordingly, we must decisively address these affordability issues in the new Congress. Here in America, when you work hard and play by the rules, you should be able to live an affordable life, a comfortable life and a good life. That’s the American dream, and House Democrats are determined to revive it.  

In addition to the forward progress that we must make in the next two years, there is a lot of damage done by the MAGA extremists that needs to be repaired. During the first 100 days, House Democrats must act to reverse the Medicaid cuts, restore SNAP funding, extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, eradicate the Trump tariffs and stop the reckless war of choice in Iran. The era of MAGA extremism is coming to a crashing end.

Accountability
The days of the House functioning like a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trump Administration are over. Congress will assume its place as a check and balance on an out-of-control executive branch. 

We must root out corrupt price gouging, clean up the mess at the Supreme Court and ban Members of Congress from trading stocks. Accountability begins at home.

The massive corruption the country has experienced from the Trump Cartel explains why very little is getting done to help everyday Americans. That changes immediately. Anyone who is stealing from the American people, ripping off the American people or screwing over the American people can no longer hide. We are going to hold the crooks accountable. 

American Values 
Finally, we must restore classic American values like liberty and justice for all, equal protection under the law, the unfettered right to vote in a representative democracy and our heritage as a nation of immigrants. To that end, I look forward to drawing upon the insights and perspectives of every single part of the Caucus in the days and weeks ahead. House Democrats must deliver dramatic change.

MAGA extremists failed to break our country. The American people have now broken the fever of MAGA extremism once and for all. Our hard-fought success gives us the opportunity to restore the promise of an affordable America in every community. The next chapter in our country’s 250-year journey begins today.

Thank you for your consideration of my candidacy to serve as the 57th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. 

Sincerely,

Hakeem Jeffries

Democratic Leader