Jeffries punts on possible punishment for Dem defectors

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is staying mum on the thorny question of whether Democratic defectors should face repercussions.

“I’ll have more to say … about the situation when we have more to say about the situation,” Jeffries told reporters Thursday in the Capitol.

A pair of centrist Democrats — Reps. Jared Golden (Maine) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.) — have crossed the aisle on two occasions in recent weeks to help rescue the Republicans’ legislative agenda heading into the midterm elections.

The votes have infuriated Democratic leaders and rank-and-file members, who have centered their campaign message on affordability and were frustrated that members of their own party helped to bring other topics to the floor that might hurt battleground Democrats at the polls.

Some of those lawmakers want to strip Gluesenkamp Perez of a plum committee assignment on the Appropriations panel, while Golden is facing less scrutiny because he’s retiring at the end of this term.

The defections have been a headache for Jeffries and his leadership team, who like their chances of flipping the House but want to keep the focus on the high cost of living under President Trump’s second term. GOP leaders have sought to change the subject by focusing on legislation that highlights the Democrats’ vulnerabilities, and twice this month Golden and Gluesenkamp Perez have helped them in that effort.

In the first episode, the two centrists backed a Republican rule to help bring a final vote on legislation that helps lobstermen. Their decision also ensured votes on GOP proposals to condemn socialism, roll back environmental protections and bar U.S. universities from participating in boycotts of Israel — all hot-button issues Republicans see as beneficial on the campaign trail.

The second occasion came Tuesday, when the pair crossed the aisle again to ensure a vote on a Russian sanctions bill, which divided Democrats and was rejected by party leaders because it gave Trump new tariff authorities.

After the first instance, Jeffries called a special meeting of the Democrats’ Committee on Caucus Rules to examine potential changes to the party’s internal rules heading into the next Congress. But the House left Washington on Wednesday with no decisions made.

“The process will play out,” Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), a member of the committee, said Wednesday.

Democratic leaders are facing pressure to crack the whip, if only to send a message to incoming Democrats that defections on rule votes won’t be tolerated in the next Congress. It’s clear, however, that no announcements will be coming before the elections, as Jeffries and his leadership team are eager to shelve the defection scandal and direct their message on the volatile economy.

“We’ll address the situation when we address the situation,” Jeffries said Thursday. “We’re focused right now on taking back control of the House of Representatives. That’s what the American people want to see: a dramatic change in this country, because they are drowning.”