Jeffries says Stefanik withdrawal indicates GOP is ‘running scared’

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Thursday that Republicans have “a numbers problem” as they race to pass President Trump’s agenda — one that contributed to the plight surrounding Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.). 

Stefanik, a close Trump ally, was in line to lead the U.S. at the United Nations. But in a stunning reversal Thursday, the president informed Capitol Hill Republicans that he intends to withdraw the nomination. Given the narrow margins in the House, Trump explained, her vote will be critical to passing his ambitious domestic wish list through the lower chamber. 

Jeffries said the true reason Republicans are concerned about the vote is more menacing: The legislation includes cuts to health care and other federal benefit programs that are unpopular even in some Republican districts, he argued, and GOP leaders don’t want to risk a scenario where Stefanik’s open seat flips to the Democrats if she leaves for the U.N. 

“Donald Trump won the Elise Stefanik district by 21 points in November 2024. He withdrew her nomination to be U.N. Ambassador because the extremists are afraid they will lose the special election to replace her,” Jeffries said in a statement. 

“The Republican agenda is extremely unpopular, they are crashing the economy in real time and House Republicans are running scared. What happened to their so-called mandate?”

Thursday’s news surrounding Stefanik marked a major turn for a rising Republican star who had come to Capitol Hill as a deal-cutting centrist, morphed into a stalwart supporter of Trump and the MAGA agenda, and saw that loyalty rewarded with a nomination to become America’s ambassador to the U.N., which arrived on the first day Trump was in office. 

On social media, Trump explained that Stefanik’s presence is needed in Congress to ensure that his domestic agenda — including tax cuts, tougher immigration laws and expanded energy production — reaches his desk. 

“I have asked Elise, as one of my biggest Allies, to remain in Congress to help me deliver Historic Tax Cuts, GREAT Jobs, Record Economic Growth, a Secure Border, Energy Dominance, Peace Through Strength, and much more, so we can MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN,” Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform that he owns. 

“With a very tight Majority, I don’t want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise’s seat. The people love Elise and, with her, we have nothing to worry about come Election Day. There are others that can do a good job at the United Nations,” he added.

Jeffries said it’s a sign that Republicans harbor deeper anxieties about their political prospects — not only in passing Trump’s legislative priorities — but also in keeping seats in upcoming special elections where Republicans have resigned since November. 

Two races in Florida have come under particular scrutiny in recent weeks. Trump had won both districts by huge margins last year, but the Democratic candidates have raised large war chests and appear on track to close that gap considerably. The special election is Tuesday.

Jeffries, who has contributed to the Democrats in both races, has stopped short of predicting his party will pick up the seats. But the fact that Democrats are even competitive in the heart of Trump country, he said, has given party leaders reason to be optimistic about flipping control of the chamber in next year’s midterm elections.

“Why are Republicans panicking in deep red districts? It's because their agenda is unpopular. They are completely and totally out of control. There's been no focus on driving down the high cost of living. And instead, this budget that they want to jam down the throats of the American people in order to provide tax cuts to their billionaire puppet-master donors like Elon Musk, is also unpopular,” Jeffries told reporters in the Capitol shortly before the Stefanik rescission was official. 

“So they do have a numbers problem that they're going to have to try to resolve,” he added. “But that's for Republicans to work out.”