Hakeem Jeffries predicts Iran operation will 'end in failure' for the US
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries predicted the Iran operation would "end in failure" for the U.S. during a CNN interview on Monday.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries predicted failure for the U.S. in an interview on Monday after the U.S. and Israel carried out strikes against Iran over the weekend.
"The American people want us to focus on making their life better and making their life more affordable; not getting involved in another endless war in the Middle East that is going to end in failure. This administration somehow found the resources, has found billions of dollars for bombs but can't find any money to actually bring down the high cost of living here in the United States of America," Jeffries said.
Jeffries spoke to CNN's Kate Bolduan after President Trump announced on Saturday that the U.S. was carrying out strikes, along with Israel, against Iran.
Jeffries was pressed on Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., who has expressed that this was not an illegal war.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speaks at a press conference on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 4, 2026, in Washington, D.C. The Democratic leadership outlined their demands for ICE accountability as Congress debates funding legislation for the DHS ahead of next week's deadline. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Jeffries responded, "John Fetterman knows better."
"Article 1 of the Constitution explicitly provides Congress with the authority to declare war, period, full-stop. And the framers of the Constitution made that decision because they were concerned about kings throughout time getting their people into unnecessary wars, impoverishing them or imperiling their very well-being by sending them off to a foreign conflict," the lawmaker added.
He continued, "And that's why the power was given explicitly to the House and to the Senate. And Donald Trump chose intentionally not to come before Congress, which is why we're going to force this vote on a War Powers Resolution and make sure that we do everything we can to constrain him at this point in time."
President Donald Trump speaks during the National Prayer Breakfast at Washington Hilton, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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CNN's Bolduan asked the House minority leader if he thought Trump could pull off regime change without boots on the ground.
"No, that's impossible for him to do. Now, he's claiming that he's not going to put U.S. boots on the ground, but he's claimed a lot of things only to do the exact opposite. This is the same person who said he is coming back to the presidency to get America out of endless wars, and now he has just gotten us into a potential endless war in the Middle East of all places, where we know, based on what happened in Afghanistan, based on what happened in Iraq, based on what happened in Libya, it's not going to end well for American interests," he responded.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., walks towards the House Chamber on Capitol Hill on Dec. 18, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
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Several Democrats have spoken out against Trump's decision to strike Iran.
However, others have defended the decision, including Fetterman.
The White House did not immediately return a request for comment.
