In 2004, he became a corporate litigator for television companies Viacom and CBS, where among other matters he worked on the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy.

[19][20] In 2010, Governor David Paterson signed a Stop-and-Frisk database bill sponsored by Jeffries and then-Senator Eric Adams that banned police from compiling names and addresses of those stopped but not arrested during street searches.

[28] On July 15, 2014, Jeffries, who in private practice addressed intellectual property issues, introduced the To establish the Law School Clinic Certification Program of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (H.R.

The families of the officers, who had been killed in their patrol car on December 20, 2014, in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Jeffries's district, had been the recipients of charitable fundraising.

It eased mandatory minimum federal sentences, expanded early releases, and ended some draconian practices, such as the shackling of women inmates giving birth.

Jeffries quickly responded with a scripture verse, Psalm 37:28, "For the Lord loves justice and will not abandon his faithful ones", before continuing with his testimony.

[45] During the impeachment hearings, in response to Trump's counsel's rhetorical question “Why are we here?” to the Senate, Jeffries delivered a soliloquy that concluded by quoting Biggie Smalls: "and if you don't know, now you know".

[70] On October 3, 2023, Representative Matt Gaetz filed a motion to vacate the speakership criticizing McCarthy for working with Democrats to pass a spending bill which did not include fiscally conservative reforms.

[74][75] Following the removal of McCarthy, Jeffries published a column in the Washington Post calling for a “bipartisan governing coalition” in which he pitched a path for consensus legislation that could not be blocked by a “small handful of extreme members” when large swaths of the House supported a bill.

[76][77] The column ultimately signaled a governing coalition Jeffries led from the with reports beginning to describe him as de-facto or shadow Speaker of the House.

The bill funded the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Energy, Interior, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, along with the EPA, the Army Corps of Engineers, and other military construction.

[82] Jeffries led negotiations and applauded Democrats for ensuring the WIC program remained untouched, as well as providing rental assistance, a pay raise for firefighters and investments in new air traffic controllers.

"[84] On March 22, the House passed a second $741 billion minibus to fund the remaining departments with Democratic support; a majority of Republicans voted against the package.

During debate on the bill, Jeffries emphasized the role of the bipartisan legislative coalition, saying, "We have a responsibility, not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans, to defend democracy wherever it is at risk".

"[93] On May 15, the House passed the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, which included programs to improve safety and protect consumers, with more Democrats (195) than Republicans (192) voting for it.

[94][95] After the votes to avert a federal government shutdown and send foreign assistance abroad, the Associated Press said that Jeffries, as the minority leader, "might very well be the most powerful person in Congress right now".

[96] As far-right Republicans issued warnings about a Motion to Vacate the Chair after a series of bills passed with the support of a majority of Democrats, Jeffries hinted at providing a lifeline to Speaker Mike Johnson in an interview with the New York Times.

[97] On May 8, 2024, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who had strongly opposed Johnson's resolve to provide Ukraine with further aid, introduced the motion to vacate his speakership on the floor, forcing a vote on it.

[107] Jeffries deployed his political team and key allies across the district and helped raise $1 million for the special election, holding fundraisers for Suozzi in New York, Washington and elsewhere.

In that role, he was actively involved in maintaining the CBC's historic role as "the conscience of the Congress",[123] addressing special orders on the House floor, including regarding voting rights (after the Supreme Court decision on the 1965 Voting Rights Act), and in December 2014 leading CBC members in a "hands up, don't shoot" protest of killings of African-Americans by police.

During debate on the House floor, Jeffries stood next to the Confederate battle flag, said he "got chills", and lamented that the "Ghosts of the Confederacy have invaded the GOP".

[128] In April 2015, he stood with Carr to announce the introduction of the Excessive Use of Force Prevention Act of 2015, which would make chokeholds illegal under federal law.

[131] After a mass shooting in Nashville, Tennessee left six dead, he called on Congress to bring the Bipartisan Background Checks Act and assault weapons ban to the House floor.

[132][133] Jeffries criticized the Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, calling it "an assault on freedom, the Constitution and the values shared by a majority of Americans".

[143] In the past, Jeffries called on the New York City Police Commissioner to reform its cannabis arrest policy after reports showed that low-level cannabis arrests, which increased dramatically under Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration's application of stop-and-frisk, were still rising in New York City under Bloomberg's successor, Bill de Blasio.

[156][157] In Israel, he led a delegation of House Democrats (Gregory Meeks, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Yvette Clarke, Stacey Plaskett, Nanette Barragan, Josh Gottheimer, Steven Horsford, Lizzie Fletcher, Joe Neguse, Dean Phillips, and Sara Jacobs) and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

[164] In 2020, Jeffries told an American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference that "back home in New York City we consider Jerusalem to be the sixth borough".

[166] Jeffries spoke at the March for Israel on November 14, 2023, condemning antisemitism and calling for the safe return of all hostages taken captive by Hamas, and a "just and lasting peace".

On June 11, 2012, former mayor Ed Koch, Congressman Jerrold Nadler, Councilman David Greenfield, Assemblyman Dov Hikind and other elected officials and community leaders held a joint event to support Jeffries's campaign.

His spokesperson said, "Leader Jeffries has consistently been clear that he does not share the controversial views espoused by his uncle over thirty years ago.