Axios: Shadow speaker Jeffries got Dems everything they wanted

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Why it matters: Democrats got everything they wanted – a $95 billion foreign aid bill, the credit for passing it, and adversaries more divided than ever. In their telling, that total victory wasn't a sure thing. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a master legislative tactician, heaped praise on her successor: "He is fabulous. We're so proud of him." One senior House Democrat told Axios: "It easily could have fallen apart ... He played the cards the way you'd want to play them." "I would not want to play blackjack against him," the lawmaker added. What happened: Democrats did something virtually unheard of in modern politics on Thursday, crossing the aisle on the House Rules Committee to save the foreign aid package. They did it again the next day on the House floor. This was all Jeffries' call, as was Democrats' decision to wait until it was clear House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) didn't have the votes on his own before saving the package on the floor. "We wouldn't be voting on this right now if it weren't for Hakeem ... He's the one who created the system that Johnson could follow and get this done," said a House Democrat. Zoom in: Jeffries' message to his members leading up to the foreign aid fight was to stay unified behind him and not commit themselves to positions on saving Johnson that might box the party in. In other words: To give him all the power and maneuverability that Johnson lacks. The senior House Democrat told Axios: "If he hadn't taken the approach he had, he could have had members going rogue." "He gave us so many options," said Pelosi.

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