Congressman Hakeem Jeffries

On February 22, the Colin Powell School was honored to host House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries for our 2023 Stanley Feingold Lecture on American Politics, entitled “America at the Crossroads.” Almost 500 attendees gathered in The Great Hall to hear a conversation between the Democratic Leader and Dean Andrew Rich.

Congressman Jeffries praised the accomplishments of the last Congress, saying that “There’s been tremendous progress that we’ve been able to make under the leadership of President Biden, Speaker Pelosi, and Leader Schumer, certainly, in the last Congress, one of the most consequential Congresses in American history.”

Taking a student’s question on the likelihood of the presidency returning to Republican control in 2024, Congressman Jeffries argued that “there’s a really strong case to be made for [President Biden] in achieving a second term. I think also he’s going to have to draw a contrast with what we're seeing from this version of the Republican Party; it's not a traditional version of the Republican party."

We were pleased to be joined by CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez, who made opening remarks.