For more on the vote today, ending the partial government shutdown, and the latest on the Epstein

files, I spoke earlier today with House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York.

Leader Jeffries, welcome back to the News Hour.

Thank you for having me on.

More than 20 House Democrats voted with Republicans to reopen the government.

You voted against the measure. Why?

Well, what's clear to me is that there needs to be dramatic change at the Department of Homeland

Security. We supported the five bipartisan bills that are now on their way to President Trump's

desk because they are actually designed

to promote the health, the safety,

and the economic well-being of the American people.

Rosa DeLauro, top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee,

did a tremendous job in negotiating those bills.

The American people don't want to see their taxpayer dollars,

however, utilized to brutalize and kill American citizens.

Taxpayer dollars should actually be used to make life more affordable for everyday Americans.

And that's going to be the genesis of the fight over the next 10 days as we approach the funding deadline on February 13th for the Department of Homeland Security.

That's right, and we should explain to folks who might be unfamiliar.

This agreement kicks off this 10-day sprint now for Democrats and Republicans to agree on policy changes for how ICE should operate.

What specific changes do you believe must be addressed before Democrats support

longer-term funding? Fundamentally, we believe that ICE should conduct itself like every other

law enforcement agency in the country. Police officers don't wear masks. Sheriff's don't wear masks.

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