House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the highest-ranking Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives, on Monday accused Republicans of backing a “reckless war of choice in the Middle East” while fuel costs climb for American drivers. The New York Democrat’s message, posted to X, came as the Pentagon’s own price tag for the war with Iran passed $45 billion and the national gas price average reached its highest level in months.
The Post
Jeffries published the statement at 10:05 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, on his official @RepJeffries account. The post did not name President Donald Trump but directly targeted congressional Republicans and their support for the Iran war. It read in full:
“Gas prices hit $4.48 and continue to skyrocket out of control. Why do Republicans support the reckless war of choice in the Middle East? These extremists don’t give a damn about making your life more affordable. Enough.”
Gas Prices Today
The $4.48 figure cited by Jeffries matches the national average AAA reported on Friday, Sept. 18. The Associated Press reported that the price rose about 17 cents in a week, 40 cents in a month and $1.27 from a year earlier. The increase is arriving at a time of year when drivers typically see prices ease.
How the War Reached the Pump
The U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, and the AAA national average stood at $2.98 a gallon on the eve of the conflict. Today’s $4.48 is $1.50 higher, an increase of about half. AAA reported on April 2 that the national average had topped $4 for the first time in four years, as crude oil surpassed $100 a barrel. Iran has kept the Strait of Hormuz, the shipping lane that carried roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply before the war, closed since March.
Jeffries’ Early Warnings on the War
Jeffries’ criticism of the war predates the gas price surge. On NBC’s “Meet the Press” on March 8, he said the Trump administration had failed to make its case for the conflict. He also said Trump had done the opposite of his campaign promise to avoid endless Middle East wars. When asked whether Democrats would block additional Pentagon funding, he declined to commit either way. That same week, war powers resolutions in the House and Senate failed, with only Reps. Warren Davidson and Thomas Massie and Sen. Rand Paul breaking from the Republican side to vote yes.
“The Nerve of These Extremists”
As reports of a large supplemental funding request surfaced, Jeffries used language echoing today’s post. He told reporters he was struck by “The nerve of these extremists” for floating a war funding request before Congress had authorized the war. Days later he said Republicans were “way off-base” on priorities, and that Congress should focus on housing, health care, groceries and child care. On the emerging request, which was expected to reach $200 billion, he said: “It’s our responsibility right now to end this reckless war of choice.”
The Golden Age Question
On May 8, Jeffries posted on social media that the average gas price had reached $4.55 a gallon. He asked: “Is this what the golden age in America looks like?” Fox News reported the exchange on May 11, noting that in March 2022, during a price spike under President Joe Biden, Jeffries had urged Republicans not to politicize an existential crisis for Ukraine and Europe. Energy Secretary Chris Wright had said the same week that gas prices would ultimately fall lower than before the war once hostilities ended.
“Operation Epic Failure”
By late June, Jeffries had given the conflict a name: “Operation Epic Failure.” At a June 23 press conference posted on his official website, he said Democrats would not fund it, stating: “we shouldn’t spend another dime of taxpayer dollars on Operation Epic Failure.” He said the Senate had passed a War Powers Resolution that day. A June 24 statement responded to a White House request for more than $70 billion in additional war funding. It said the war had cost taxpayers billions, led to the deaths of 13 servicemembers and pushed up the cost of living at home. It also said the administration “cannot be trusted with another dime” tied to the war.
Ceasefire Collapse and a Summer of Pressure
A U.S.-Iran memorandum signed June 17 had briefly returned oil prices to pre-conflict levels, but hostilities resumed in July. On July 8, Jeffries wrote that “Donald Trump’s reckless war of choice in Iran has been a disaster,” after the ceasefire fell apart. The AAA national average was $3.85 the next day, with California above $5.38.
Prices in the Summer Months
Through July, Jeffries kept the argument on costs. In a social media post, he wrote that “The Republican war of choice in Iran is making life more expensive.” At a July press conference, he said Republicans had promised to stop Middle East wars and instead got the country into one, with “gas prices are skyrocketing out of control.” Around the same time, he said in a statement opposing the GOP budget resolution that “The war in Iran has been a disaster for the American people,” and pledged to fight to restore Medicaid and nutrition assistance cuts.
Renewed Fighting in September
Fighting escalated again in September as the U.S. and Iran traded strikes for the first time since July. CNBC reported on Sept. 8 that Brent crude was near $99 a barrel and up more than 8 percent for the month. That week, Iran-allied Houthi militants attacked Saudi energy facilities. By Sept. 10, Brent had reached about $108, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said its navy had targeted U.S. Navy vessels. Diesel hit a record $5.85 a gallon in early September, and Brown University researchers estimated the average household had spent $418.82 more on fuel than usual since the war began.
What the War Has Cost
On Friday, Sept. 18, the Pentagon told Congress the war has cost $45.1 billion. That figure includes $43.6 billion in war costs through Sept. 3 plus $1.5 billion for extra fuel. It omits base repair costs and indirect operational costs lawmakers had requested. The Congressional Budget Office estimated in a Sept. 15 report that the war cost about $38 billion through Aug. 1. It projected another $2 billion to $3 billion each month, with higher costs during escalations, and said the war is expected to raise inflation in early 2027.
The President’s Position
Trump has said the military action is necessary to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and has downplayed the impact of fuel costs. At a campaign stop in North Carolina on Wednesday, Sept. 16, he called the increase “a very inexpensive price to pay for what we’ve done.” Republican strategist Chris Wilson told the AP that gas prices are one of the few economic indicators voters see change in real time, and said frustration among working- and middle-class voters should not be minimized.
Voters and the Midterms
A Fox News poll released Sept. 16 found 61 percent of voters consider gas prices a major problem for their household, up from 48 percent two years earlier. Some 63 percent said the Trump administration had made the economy worse, and Democrats held a 15-point edge on handling inflation and prices. With early voting under way in some states ahead of November’s midterms, Jeffries’ one-word closing, “Enough.”, puts the war’s costs at the center of the Democratic campaign message.