House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y) said Americans who work hard should be able to achieve economic security through good-paying jobs, affordable housing, healthcare, education and retirement.
Jeffries Pushes Jobs, Housing and Healthcare
On Sunday, Jeffries made the remarks in an X post shared during Labor Day weekend alongside a clip of his speech.
“When you work hard and play by the rules, you should be able to live a good life,” he wrote. “Good-paying job. Good housing. Good healthcare. Good education for your children. And a Good retirement.”
He added, “Organized labor built that American Dream. House Democrats are working hard to revive it.”
In the accompanying video, Jeffries said the principle should apply to workers represented by unions across the country.
“When you work hard and when you play by the rules, you should be able to live an affordable life, a comfortable life, and a good life,” he said.
Jeffries described that standard of living as including the ability to provide for children and eventually retire with financial security.
He also used the Labor Day occasion to emphasize the contribution of unions, saying, “No one has done more to bring that American dream to life than the men and women of organized labor.”
Democrats Target Trump Over Costs
Earlier, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) blamed President Donald Trump’s Iran policy for higher mortgage rates, saying they had reached their highest level in more than a year and made homeownership less affordable.
She said Trump “doesn’t care if you can afford to buy a home.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) criticized the U.S. health care system, citing more than 500,000 Americans going bankrupt each year because of medical debt, over $15,000 in annual spending per person, and 85 million uninsured or underinsured Americans. He called health care a “human right.”
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) focused on the wealth gap and rising costs, urging policymakers to lower expenses for gas, groceries, housing and other essentials so working families could get ahead.
American Dream Faces Growing Pessimism
Last year, a Wall Street Journal-NORC poll found that just 31% of Americans still believed in the American Dream, while only 25% felt they had a good chance of improving their standard of living.
Meanwhile, 78% had little or no confidence that the next generation would be better off. The pessimism was widespread across political parties, income groups and demographics.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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