It’s not been a good week for Hakeem Jeffries, the Democrat minority leader soon to (likely) become House Speaker in January when his party takes over the House.
Jeffries is facing scrutiny after Democrats suffered two consecutive setbacks on the House floor just days after celebrating their midterm election gains and preparing to take control of the chamber.
The stumbles come at an awkward time for Jeffries, who is seeking to become House speaker when Democrats assume the majority in January.
The first setback came Tuesday during Republican Rep. Thomas Massie’s effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Massie introduced eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth, accusing him of misconduct involving U.S. military operations in Iran, Venezuela, Yemen, the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.
Jeffries had publicly thrown his support behind the impeachment push days earlier.
“I’m a hard yes on the Hegseth resolution,” Jeffries told ABC News.
“The so-called secretary of defense has abused his power, undermined our national security, and engineered this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran, which has skyrocketed prices on the American people and made the country less safe,” Jeffries said. “Pete Hegseth has got to go.”
Despite Jeffries predicting “incredibly strong support” among Democrats, Republicans successfully referred Massie’s resolution to the House Judiciary Committee in a 211-204 vote.
That maneuver effectively sidelined the impeachment effort for the remainder of the current Congress. Eleven Democrats and seven Republicans missed the vote, according to the House clerk.
The Democratic absences drew immediate attention because the party potentially had enough votes to defeat the Republican maneuver if more members had been present.
Some lawmakers had legitimate medical, family or travel-related reasons for missing the vote, but Republicans nevertheless seized on the outcome as evidence of weak Democratic floor management.
Jeffries said afterward that Democrats were not finished pursuing Hegseth. “I haven’t had a conversation with anyone on the floor team about what may or may not have happened in terms of the Hegseth resolution, but this is not the end of it,” Jeffries said. “It’s just the beginning.”
Democrats encountered another setback Wednesday involving a Republican-backed resolution condemning antisemitism. Party leaders opposed the measure but again failed to muster enough votes on the floor, allowing Republicans to notch another victory.
The consecutive defeats immediately raised questions about Democratic attendance and vote-counting operations as the party prepares to manage the House with a relatively narrow majority.
Then there was this disaster at a Democrat retreat in Colorado:
? HOLY CRAP! Hakeem Jeffries is getting EATEN ALIVE by protestors right in the middle of his remarks
"You are a f*cking LIAR!"
"You’re a f*cking TRAITOR!"
For nearly 2 MINUTES STRAIGHT they were getting hauled out as they went berserk
The clown car is DESTROYING ITSELF ? https://t.co/TXmXNk3lbU
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 13, 2026
Republicans quickly highlighted the episodes, while Jeffries has maintained that Democrats are prepared to govern and has emphasized an agenda centered on affordability, oversight and combating corruption.
Republicans are preparing for the opposite role after losing the House majority.
Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan defeated Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise this week to become the next House Republican leader after Speaker Mike Johnson decided against seeking the minority leadership position.
