House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries Lacks Negotiation Will, Says Rep. Dan Meuser

By Solange Reyner | Thursday, December 18, 2025

Representative Dan Meuser, R-Pa., contrasted House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Thursday, rejecting criticism that healthcare negotiations have stalled due to leadership failures on both sides.

Asked about comments from Representative Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., who recently criticized Johnson and Jeffries for the lack of progress in expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies, Meuser said he believes the responsibility does not fall evenly.

“Mike Johnson always has an open door,” Meuser said during a recent interview. “Mike is an outstanding speaker, and I don’t say that lightly. Over the last couple of years, he continues to prove himself.”

Meuser described Johnson’s leadership style as defined by accessibility and a willingness to engage with members across the conference, even amid narrow margins and high-stakes legislative battles. He emphasized that Johnson’s approach reflects a genuine effort to move policy forward rather than score political points.

In contrast, Meuser accused Jeffries of demonstrating little interest in compromise or substantive negotiation. “Hakeem Jeffries … has no negotiating in him whatsoever, no compromise,” Meuser said. “His only focus is what’s best politically, not what’s best policy for the American people.”

Meuser further claimed that Jeffries repeatedly mischaracterizes Republican positions and prioritizes electoral strategy over solutions, particularly on healthcare. “He proves that time and time again, and he states falsehoods, and all he wants to do is extend the failed Obamacare for the next three years,” Meuser said.

Meuser suggested that even Jeffries’ stated policy goals may be secondary to political calculations. “That would be great for them,” Meuser added. “As a matter of fact, I don’t even think he wants that.”

“I think he wants to continue the issue just to blame Republicans for higher premiums. So somehow that helps him in the elections next year.”

Lawler recently joined a discharge petition to force the House to vote on extending soon-to-expire Obamacare subsidies for three years. Johnson has told Republicans that any extension of the subsidies would have to coincide with spending cuts.