Democratic House Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York sparked fresh outrage Sunday by saying he does not currently support Medicare for All legislation in Congress, a damning admission at a time when party voters—clamoring for bolder positions from leadership and a willingness to fight for the working class—are overwhelming in favor of proposals that would provide universal healthcare coverage for every person in the United States at a lower cost than the current system.

Appearing on Sunday’s “Meet the Press,” Jeffries was asked by host Kristen Welker—who noted his previous backing of such proposals from 2013 to 2021—if he would put Medicare for All legislation in the House up for a vote if Democrat’s win back the majority in November, Jeffries first tried to dodge the question by putting his focus on the shortcomings of the Republicans, who gutted have Medicaid and attacked Affordable Healthcare Act subsidies during President Donald Trump’s second term.

But pressed by Welker if he “personally” supports Medicare for All at this time, Jeffries said, “No,” explaining that “it’s not legislation that I currently am co-sponsoring or that I support.”

WELKER: As Democratic leader in the House, would you vote for or against Medicare for All?

JEFFRIES: It’s not legislation that I currently am co-sponsoring or that I support, but I support the notion we’ve got to find a path forward to fix our broken healthcare system pic.twitter.com/U8UZ4TqSZQ
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 16, 2026

The remarks were hardly surprising, but landed hard for critics who were quick to point out that a new CBS/YouGov poll released Sunday showed—as survey after survey have also documented—that the hunger for Medicare for All among Democratic voters is remarkably high.

As Common Dreams reported last week, a recent Yale University study found that Medicare for All, as drafted in a bill by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), would save over 114,000 lives annually and $1 trillion per year in US healthcare spending.

In the poll, conducted between Aug. 12-14, a full 90% of Democratic voters said they want would “like to see the Democratic Party focus on plans for passing Medicare for All,” compared to just 10% who said it should not be a focus.

“A reminder that the vast majority of Democrats across the country support Medicare for All,” said progressive journalist Mehdi Hasan in response to Jeffries’ answer on the question. “This man is so out of touch with his party. How is he their leader?”

The Lever’s David Sirota also issued rebuke, explaining that Jeffries’ comments juxtaposed with the CBS/YouGov poll shows exactly “why Democratic voters are so enraged.”

Also notable from the poll were responses to two questions that preceded the question about the specific policies that Democrats should be focused on.

Asked if was more important for the Democratic Party to “show they are fighting for people” or that “they have detailed policies,” 83% said it was more important Democrats show fight, while just 17% said the detailed policies was more important. Similarly, when it came to economic issues, voters—by 68% to 29% margin—said they’d prefer “big or fundamental changes in policies and approach, even if they are harder to do” compared to those who wanted “smaller or incremental changes to policies and approach, that might be easier to do.”

Appearing after Jeffries on “Meet the Press,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), a top ally Sanders and a current co-sponsor of the Medicare for All Bill introduced earlier this year in the House, disagreed with the Minority Leader’s position.

“Medicare for All is arguably the most important priority,” Khanna said. “It would save money, and it would save lives. Look, there was just a Yale study that came out. It would save $1 trillion in terms of costs, in terms of health care.”

Asked by Welker if he was “disappointed” in Jeffries’ remarks, Khanna said that while “I respect the difference” of opinion, “I will say this: it needs to have a vote on the House floor.”

“The majority of the House Democrats are going to support it,” he continued. “It is one of the most important policies if you actually believe in saving lives and in helping increase wages for working class Americans. You talk to folks and they’ll say, ‘The biggest thing that pushes me into bankruptcy is if someone gets cancer. And I can’t afford the bills.’ And even people who have insurance, look at how many premiums have been increasing. This would save money for ordinary Americans. And it would increase their wages. It’s the single biggest roadblock in our economic system hurting working families.”

In a social media post on Sunday, Sanders—while not mentioning the latest comments by Jeffries—said, "Our current healthcare system is broken. Progressives understand healthcare must be a human right, guaranteed to all, not a source of billions in profits for insurance and drug companies.

Our current healthcare system is broken.

Progressives understand healthcare must be a human right, guaranteed to all, not a source of billions in profits for insurance and drug companies.

A recent poll showed 64% of Americans want Medicare for All. They’re right. Let’s do it. pic.twitter.com/NFwOUk0QKB
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) August 16, 2026

“A recent poll showed 64% of Americans want Medicare for All,” added Sanders. “They’re right. Let’s do it.”

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