Rep. Hakeem Jeffries Hakeem Sekou JeffriesDemocratic leaders: Supreme Court fight is about ObamaCare Pelosi: House will stay in session until agreement is reached on coronavirus relief Races heat up for House leadership posts MORE (D-N.Y.) announced Wednesday that he is cosponsoring "Medicare for All" legislation in the House, giving a boost to the legislation from a high-ranking House Democrat.

Jeffries is the second-highest-ranking House Democrat to back Medicare for All, after Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), who announced his support in June.

ADVERTISEMENT

Jeffries stressed that the Affordable Care Act must be strengthened and that Democrats must fight GOP efforts to attack it.

“However, given the enduring nature of our healthcare access and affordability crisis, more must be done,” Jeffries said.

In addition to backing the full-scale Medicare for All bill from Rep. Pramila Jayapal Pramila JayapalHillicon Valley: Subpoenas for Facebook, Google and Twitter on the cards | Wray rebuffs mail-in voting conspiracies | Reps. raise mass surveillance concerns Bipartisan representatives demand answers on expired surveillance programs DHS opens probe into allegations at Georgia ICE facility MORE (D-Wash.), Jeffries also announced that he is co-sponsoring more moderate approaches, such as a public option bill known as "Medicare X."

The top three House Democrats, including Pelosi, have declined to support Medicare for All, instead emphasizing strengthening the Affordable Care Act.

In another show of support for the progressive wing of the Democratic caucus, Jeffries is cosponsoring a far-reaching bill to lower drug prices from Rep. Lloyd Doggett Lloyd Alton DoggettTrump order on drug prices faces long road to finish line Trump signs new executive order aimed at lowering drug prices Overnight Health Care: Fauci says family has faced threats | Moderna to charge to a dose for its vaccine | NYC adding checkpoints to enforce quarantine MORE (D-Texas.)

That measure is favored by progressives over the the alternative drug pricing bill that Pelosi’s office is working on and that is expected to be released later this month.

The Doggett bill would allow the government to strip drug companies of their monopolies if they refused to negotiate a reasonable price with the government, a step some moderate House Democrats view as too drastic.

Jeffries said Democrats are “united behind the principle of universal access to high quality and affordable healthcare for all.”

“There are several pathways to achieve this objective, including implementation of a single-payer system or the adoption of a robust public option,” he added.