“House Democrats look forward to our continued work together to make life better for everyday Americans.” “He’s a good man, visionary leader and transformational president who has been there for me since I arrived in Congress,” he said. In a statement to POLITICO, Jeffries praised Biden. The president “has a strong relationship with Leader Jeffries and a great deal of respect for the masterful job he’s doing as head of the House Democrats and holding Republicans accountable for their extreme MAGA agenda, like forcing the most draconian cuts to veterans in American history in order to cut taxes for the rich,” said White House spokesperson Andrew Bates. The two had a long working lunch two weeks ago to discuss the debt limit, according to a senior administration official granted anonymity to speak freely. Jeffries is also in regular contact with White House chief of staff Jeff Zients through meetings and calls. They point to their similar messaging and strategy on debt limit - so far. Those close to Jeffries and Biden say that communication is frequent between both camps from principals to senior staff. In interviews with a dozen lawmakers, senior aides and administration officials, a picture is painted of a relationship that’s been largely positive (with some brief missteps) but still very much developing. But they have held at least two calls - one of which has not been previously reported - in late April that included Schumer as the debt limit debate ramped up, according to a person familiar with the conversations. Neither party would say how frequently Jeffries and Biden communicate directly. Two days before the election as they campaigned together outside Philadelphia, the two men engaged in small talk that quickly turned serious, as reported in “This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America’s Future.” Biden warned that if they don’t win, “I’m not sure we’re going to have a country.” Jeffries returned the favor during Biden’s presidential race in 2020. For a man who loves to riff on the political leaders he knows well, the only anecdote Biden has shared publicly about Jeffries is that, as vice president, he campaigned for him in 2012.
Their lack of shared history is evident in how little the two have talked about each other in public.
Jeffries, the first Black lawmaker to ever lead a party in Congress, is nearly 30 years Biden’s junior - he was all of 2 years old when Biden arrived in Washington for his first Senate term. The two only had their first known substantive meeting this past January, when Biden huddled with the top Democratic leaders at the start of the new Congress. “This will be the first time things are tested.” “All of this is going to need a level of coordination we haven’t yet seen,” said a senior Democratic House aide. Not everyone in the party is sure of what to expect. And how that goes will provide an early glimpse of what Democrats hope will be the dominant partnership in Washington in 2024 if Biden wins a second term and Democrats win back the House. In short, the first pivotal test of his and Biden’s ability to work together could take place with the global economy on the line. Now it’s on Jeffries, someone the White House is still getting to know. Two years ago, the solution for Biden would have been easy: Let then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi - the premier vote wrangler of her generation - do the work. Should a compromise bill be reached between the White House and congressional GOP leadership, it would almost assuredly require some - if not many - House Democratic votes to get through that chamber. But with talks set to pick up steam, the New York Democrat could soon be playing a more pivotal role.
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