Hakeem Jeffries, U.S. Congressman representing New York’s 8th district since 2013, has recently used his social media platform to address issues ranging from gun violence in schools to criticism of federal health officials and concerns over Secret Service protection for Vice President Kamala Harris.
On August 27, 2025, Jeffries commented on a recent school shooting in Minneapolis, stating: “The shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis is horrifying. Praying for the children, families and first responders during this moment of terror and unimaginable grief. Weapons of war have no place in our neighborhoods, streets or schools.”
Two days later, on August 29, he criticized leadership at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), writing: “The so-called Secretary of HHS is a failure who peddles conspiracy theories and pushes junk science. Appointing an unqualified lackey as acting head of the Centers for Disease Control endangers the health of the American people. You deserve better.”
Later that same day, Jeffries made further allegations against the Trump administration regarding Vice President Kamala Harris’s security detail: “The Trump administration canceled the Secret Service protection for Vice President Kamala Harris. Why would they do such a reckless thing? Republicans are psychotically consumed by revenge. These extremists are unfit to govern and dangerous to the American way of life.”
Jeffries was born in Brooklyn in 1970 and continues to reside there. He holds a BA from Binghamton University (1992) and a JD from New York University (1997). Before entering Congress in 2013—succeeding Edolphus Towns—he served in the New York State Assembly from 2007 to 2012.
