Democrats are promising a big agenda. Their unity is already being
tested
[September 04, 2026]
By LISA MASCARO
WASHINGTON (AP) — Beginning on Day One, House Democrats plan to "hold
the crooks accountable.”
That's the promise House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has made,
previewing an ambitious agenda with oversight of President Donald
Trump's administration and legislation to address the high costs of
living, if Democrats seize majority control from Republicans in the
midterm elections.
But first, the Democratic leaders have to ensure they can keep their own
politically diverse — and sometimes rebellious — big-tent caucus in
line, which was tested this week. Two go-their-own-way Democrats bucked
the party on a routine procedural vote, angering colleagues and raising
a red flag about potential party divisions to come.
“His greatest challenge will be governing,” Ashley Etienne, a former top
aide to Nancy Pelosi during her historic tenure as House speaker, said
of Jeffries.
The House majority is expected to be decided by a handful of seats in a
shrinking number of competitive districts, potentially creating a
similar political dynamic to the past four years under GOP control, a
chaotic new era in Congress.
In the House, the size of the majority matters. When the majority is
slim, any single lawmaker can become a kingmaker, determining whether a
party's agenda sinks or soars. House Speaker Mike Johnson is tested by
his narrow majority almost daily, and his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy,
was the first in history to be booted from office, ousted by a small
number of opponents from his own side.
Jeffries, who is poised to become the House speaker if his party wins
power and would be the first Democrat to wield the gavel since Pelosi,
faces a party at a crossroads. It has a new generation of candidates,
some far-left from the Democratic Socialists of America, and they are
eager for change.
The Democratic leadership team responded swiftly to the slight from the
two centrist lawmakers this week over the thwarted procedural vote,
sending a message that they will not tolerate the kind of disruptions
that have often left Republicans in disarray.
But the damage had been done.
“It was disappointing,” said seasoned Rep. Jim McGovern of
Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the Rules Committee. ”It makes us
look as bad as them.”
Jeffries on Thursday said he had a “productive, forward-looking
conversation” with one of the dissenting lawmakers, centrist Rep. Marie
Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, about moving forward on shared
priorities.
He praised the conservative Blue Dog Democrat for “fighting hard for her
district,” which is a region that Trump carried, and said McGovern also
spoke with her about resolving differences.
“We value every single member in our caucus — progressives, new Dems and
Blue Dogs,” Jeffries said. “The entirety of the House Democratic caucus
understands what the stakes are in terms of defeating MAGA extremism in
November and then, as Democrats, getting off to a fast start in
January.”
Questioned about his grip on party unity, Jeffries listed the many times
Democrats, in the minority, have been able to force legislation over
Johnson’s objections. Those times included a war powers resolution to
stop the U.S.-led attacks on Iran and a bill that would have reinstated
enhanced tax credits many people rely on to buy insurance under the
Affordable Care Act.
“Res ipsa loquitur,” he said. “That’s Latin for: The thing speaks for
itself.”
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., discusses the war
with Iran and the cost of living as he speaks to reporters at the
Capitol in Washington, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott
Applewhite)
A routine procedural vote becomes anything but
The procedural rule vote, which sets the terms for debate, was long
a nonissue in the House. The party in power voted for it, the
minority party voted against. But conservative Republicans have
routinely bucked their own GOP majority on the votes, tanking the
agenda.
As the tally Tuesday was teetering, it appeared Johnson once again
had a revolt on his hands. Then two Democrats, retiring Rep. Jared
Golden of Maine and Gluesenkamp Perez, voted with the Republicans,
salvaging the outcome and the week's agenda.
Golden was working to ensure passage of his bill on the lobster
industry. Gluesenkamp Perez, often an ally, had joined.
Democrats were livid. Some were eager for a reprimand. Others
expressed the angst coming from voters who want the party to stick
together to fight Trump. The Pelosi-ism, "Unity is our strength,"
was revived.
“The challenge is, that if you don't have the numbers, all of a
sudden a few people can be very decisive,” said Rep. John Larson,
D-Conn., a former party leader who recently lost his own primary bid
for reelection.
“You can never ask people to vote against their own interest," he
said. ”But you also have to emphasize the camaraderie and concept of
working together as a team."
A cautious Democratic leader faces new challenges
Jeffries is known as a careful leader and, as he says himself,
chooses calm over chaos at a time when many Democrats prefer a
quicker, attention-grabbing reaction.
In office since 2013, Jeffries is confronting the party's quickly
changing climate, as he works to hold together what is arguably the
most diverse party caucus in U.S. history.
Two weeks ago, Jeffries ran into trouble with progressives after
having accepted a meeting with Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, an
outside adviser to the White House. It was largely seen as the Trump
administration hedging its bets if Democrats win control, but
liberals questioned why Jeffries would even meet with those close to
Trump.
“He asked for a meeting, and I took it,” Jeffries said in a defiant
video the next day.
The Democrats have established five working groups to tackle
affordability as part of next year's agenda — in housing,
healthcare, childcare, groceries and gas and utilities. The top
Democrats on the Oversight and Judiciary committees are preparing to
root out corruption.
Jeffries also has sketched out the pillars of a Democratic
legislative platform: repealing Republican Medicaid cuts, restoring
the ACA, repealing Trump's tariffs and ending the Iran war.
“These are issues that we know unite Democrats,” Jeffries said. “But
I don't want to get out ahead of the caucus, because there are a
whole host of things that need to be worked on.”
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