U.S. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks at the American Federation of Teachers national convention in Washington, DC on July 16, 2026 (Photo by Amelia Twyman/States Newsroom)
WASHINGTON – U.S. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries rallied a key group of his party on Thursday and told the American Federation of Teachers National Convention that a Democratic majority in the House would pursue several progressive policies if successful in the November midterm elections.
The New York congressman spoke about affordability, voting rights and what he called “the most corrupt government in American history” and made personal connections with convention-goers. He said he is grateful for the work of public employees and the unions that represent them, having been raised by two union members in a modest-income household.
“Organized labor has always been there for me, and organized labor is there for the American people,” Jeffries said as the crowd gathered in a enormous room at the Walter. E. Washington Convention Center, erupted in applause.
The AFT is a 1.8 million-member union representing educators, health care workers and public employees across the country. The organization holds a national congress every two years.
The union is a large benefactor of the Democrats. According to the Campaign Finance Tracker, his political action committee donated more than $1.9 million to Democratic candidates and $2.1 million to the House Majority PAC, which works with House Democratic leadership, in the 2024 election cycle Open secrets.
Jeffries urged union members to help Democrats win enough House races in November to return the party to the majority next year. In this case, Jeffries would most likely become Speaker of the House of Representatives.
“Are we going to take back our land?” Jeffries invited the crowd to open his address. “Are you ready to help us take back control of the United States House of Representatives in November?”
Election promises
Jeffries said House Democrats would push back against “MAGA extremists” and block efforts to undermine popular programs like Social Security and Medicare. And they will continue to work to reduce the cost of child care, health care and other household expenses, he added.
In addition to promising better living conditions for Americans, Jeffries said Democratic leaders would fight to “root out the corruption” within President Donald Trump’s administration.
He also said they would work to end the war with Iran and curb Immigration and Customs Enforcement initiatives, saying the agency was “totally out of control.”
ICE officers fatally shot immigrants this month in two separate incidents in Maine and Texas.
Education in focus
Senator Raphael Warnock, a Democrat from Georgia, also spoke at the convention about the significant impact that public education had on his childhood.
It was thanks to the support of his parents and public school teachers, as well as the help of Pell grants and student loans, that he was able to become a U.S. senator, he said.
What keeps him “sleeping” now is the fact that many children today don’t have access to the same opportunities, which he believes would shrink the pool of future leaders in science, law and education.
“We need to invest in our children because we don’t know where the cure for cancer is going to come from,” he said.
Among other things, he called for an boost in teacher salaries.
Situation of the union
AFT President Randi Weingarten also delivered her keynote address Thursday, touching on topics ranging from income inequality to the increasing power of large tech companies.
“Our union stands at the intersection of the ways that ordinary people gain and exercise power in our democracy – through public education, unions and elections,” she said. “This election will determine whether we are a country ruled by the people or ruled by the powerful, a country of opportunity or of oligarchy, a country whose people live in freedom or in fear.”
On Wednesday, Republicans on the U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee issued a statement first step to dismantle the Department of Education and pass a package of ten bills that would permanently transfer some of the department’s functions to other federal agencies.
“The House and Senate have less responsibility for public education than statehouses across the country,” Weingarten told reporters after her speech. “Yet the people who run the House (Education and) Labor Committee spend more time fighting teachers and unions and fighting for a better life for all of us … than actually helping children have opportunities in a capitalist system.”
