House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries stepped gingerly into the debate over placing term limits on Democratic committee chairs Friday, calling it “the right discussion” as a fierce generational-change fight roils his caucus.
“It’s the right conversation to have, and we’re going to have that discussion in December as a caucus, and I look forward to embracing it,” Jeffries said.
While Jeffries did not outright endorse term limits, his openness to discussing restrictions on committee leadership is noteworthy as House Democrats consider rules to govern themselves in the next Congress.
Several committee leaders are fighting the idea, with Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Foreign Affairs Committee Democrat and a key Jeffries ally, calling himself “diametrically opposed” this week.
Jeffries was asked about a proposal from Rep. Susie Lee of Nevada that would establish a four-term limit on the top Democrats on committees. Speaking at Majority Democrats’ “What’s Next” conference Friday, he said he plans to speak with Lee about her pitch tomorrow.
“We’ll see where she goes with it,” he said. “But I think it’s the right discussion, and it’s a discussion that we’re going to have.”
