Jeffries gives mealy-mouthed answer on Medicare for All and DSA triggering progressive outrage

WASHINGTON — Dem House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was dodgy Sunday about whether he backs the lefty Medicare for All plan — and if Democratic Socialists of America even belong in the party.Backlash was immediate and fierce.“This man is so out of touch with his party.How is he their leader??” grumbled Mehdi Hasan, founder of the progressive outlet Zeteo, of the New York rep, on social media.Jeffries was confronted on the multitrillion-dollar Medicare for All proposal while appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”“I haven’t cosponsored the Medicare for All legislation that has been introduced over the last several years,” responded the pol — who had previously done so from 2013 to 2021.“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,” he said.Medicare for All would cost between $2.5 trillion and $3.5 trillion a year on average over a decade, according to a 2020 analysis from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

For context, the US currently has a roughly $2 trillion deficit for fiscal year 2026.Most plans call for no copayments and no deductibles.Other iterations have tacked on free dental, vision, and long-term care — which would be far more comprehensive than standard Medicare and likely cost a lot more than the typical estimates.

During Sunday’s interview, Jeffries also was coy over whether the DSA belongs in the Democratic Party.“I don’t support the DSA agenda as has been articulated by the DSA itself,” Jeffries responded when asked about the idea.“It’s going to be a broad caucus,” he said of Democrats’ upcoming election slate.“There will be progressives.

There will be New Dems.There will be Blue Dogs.

What I’m excited about are the candidates who are running to flip seats in November.”The top House Dem ticked through some of the DSA’s top wishlist items and explained his opposition to some of...