Stephanie Ruhle Grills Hakeem Jeffries for Saying ‘Mission Accomplished’ on Covid Bill When Poverty and Unemployment Still Exist

MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle pressed House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries for saying “Mission: accomplished” with regard to President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion Covid relief plan, when there are still millions unemployed, living in poverty, and food-insecure.

On Wednesday morning’s edition of MSNBC Live With Stephanie Ruhle, the host took exception with remarks that Rep. Jeffries made duding a press conference about the Covid relief bill, in which he ticked through the benefits of the plan — funding vaccinations for “every American,” cash for “struggling” Americans, safely reopening schools, spurring job growth by “supercharging” the economy, and helping small businesses —  and declared “Mission accomplished” for each of them.

“Yesterday I heard you say it over and over: Mission accomplished,” Ruhle said, “Mission accomplished getting this bill through, but let’s be honest, with all due respect, $1400.00 is important, but it’s not going to deliver someone from long-term from poverty. Food assistance is not a substitute for a long-term good paying job. And we’ve still got 250 million Americans that haven’t gotten the vaccine.”

“How can we say mission accomplished yet?” she asked.

“Mission accomplished in terms of meeting the moment, with respect to passing the American Rescue Plan,” Jeffries explained. “Joe Biden made it clear that his top priority was to ensure that we addressed the COVID-19 pandemic in a comprehensive and compassionate way.”

“This is a once-in-a-century pandemic that required a once-in-a-century response,” he added. “That’s what the American Rescue plan represents. In terms of reviving the economy, we know that the American Rescue Plan will add at least 7 million good paying jobs, that’s substantial.

Jeffries cited the other short-term measures in the bill, but then added that others figure to reach farther into the future.

“(T)he changes that are being made to the Affordable Care Act with the subsidies, the changes that are being made with respect to the child tax credit, the changes that are being made to the Earned Income Tax Credit should have a more sustainable impact on creating an America where we can bring about prosperity in every single zip code,” Jeffries said.

Watch the clip above via MSNBC.