Hakeem Jeffries

What is circulating

“House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries posted on X on 23 October 2025: "The Trump administration just declared that erecting a ballroom is the president's main priority."”

Claimed by Hakeem Jeffries · social media

The facts

PolitiFact rated the claim False. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt was answering a question about other construction projects on the White House grounds when she said the ballroom was "really the president's main priority," an answer that began "Not to my knowledge, no." The five second clip that circulated left out that context, which changed the meaning.

Fact check: PolitiFact

What is circulating

“Speaking to reporters on 24 September 2025, Jeffries said: "Republicans have effectively ended medical research in the United States of America."”

Claimed by Hakeem Jeffries · official statement

The facts

PolitiFact rated the claim Mostly False. Trump's budget proposed cutting National Institutes of Health funding from about $45 billion to about $27 billion, roughly 39 percent, and the administration terminated grants worth about $5 billion. But NIH would still receive more than $27 billion under that plan, and House and Senate appropriators voted for modest increases instead.

Fact check: PolitiFact

What is circulating

“In a House floor speech on 2 July 2025 against Trump's tax and spending bill, Jeffries said: "Tax breaks for billionaires, permanent; tax breaks for everybody else, expire."”

Claimed by Hakeem Jeffries · official statement

The facts

PolitiFact rated the claim Half True. Deductions for tips and overtime run only from 2025 to 2028, while the estate tax exemption rises permanently to $15 million for single filers and $30 million for couples. But the law also makes the 2017 tax cuts permanent for all income groups, and the Tax Policy Center found the bottom 80 percent receive about 40 percent of the savings.

Fact check: PolitiFact

What is circulating

“At a press conference on 8 May 2025, Jeffries said: "About 20% of households with veterans rely upon supplemental nutritional food assistance" (SNAP).”

Claimed by Hakeem Jeffries · official statement

The facts

PolitiFact rated the claim Mostly False. A Center on Budget and Policy Priorities report found about 1.2 million veterans lived in SNAP households, about 8 percent of 16.2 million veterans, and the highest state, Oregon, was 14 percent. Other studies put the share between 4.9 and 6.6 percent.

Fact check: PolitiFact