House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said Sunday that he does not support current Medicare for All legislation or the agenda articulated by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Jeffries stated that Democrats should prioritize health care affordability as the party seeks to regain control of the House of Representatives.
Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," Jeffries directly addressed his stance on Medicare for All when asked by host Kristen Welker. "No, I — as you indicated, I haven’t cosponsored the Medicare for All legislation that has been introduced over the last several years," Jeffries said. "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."
Jeffries reiterated that as the House Democratic leader, it was not legislation he supported, emphasizing a desire to find a path to repair the health care system and "make health care affordable for every single American."
Regarding the DSA's platform, Jeffries rejected its broader agenda when asked if democratic socialists belong under the Democratic Party's umbrella. "I don’t support the DSA agenda as has been articulated by the DSA itself," he stated. However, he noted that individual members who win Democratic primaries and the general election will be part of the House Democratic Caucus, which he described as a broad group including progressives, New Dems, and Blue Dogs.
Records show that Jeffries previously co-sponsored Medicare for All legislation in 2019 and 2021. However, he was not among the additional House cosponsors for the bill introduced in April 2025. The NYC DSA Healthcare Working Group had previously credited its organizing efforts with helping to secure his 2019 support, though they described his position at the time as qualified due to his also backing a public-option bill.
The DSA's current platform includes calls for universal health care at no cost to individuals, abolishing ICE and the Senate, and redirecting police funding. Recent primary elections have seen some incumbent House Democrats lose to candidates backed by or affiliated with the DSA.
In a separate interview on "Meet the Press" on the same day, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., publicly disagreed with Jeffries. Khanna called Medicare for All "arguably the most important priority" and urged Congress to pass the legislation if Democrats regain the majority. Khanna also released a statement on a Yale analysis projecting that a single-payer system could reduce annual national health expenditures. The analysis, prepared in response to his inquiry, suggested a potential reduction from $5.28 trillion to $4.24 trillion.
Former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan criticized Jeffries' position in an X post, stating that the vast majority of Democrats support Medicare for All and questioning Jeffries' leadership due to his perceived distance from the party's base on the issue.