House kills Hegseth impeachment 211–204 as 11 absent Democrats prove decisive

The House voted 211–204 on Tuesday to refer articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to the Judiciary Committee, a procedural move that effectively kills the effort for the remainder of the current Congress — and the outcome turned on something Democrats will struggle to explain: eleven of their own members were not in the chamber to vote.

The resolution, introduced by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, charged Hegseth with eight counts including launching the war in Iran without congressional authorization, ignoring laws designed to minimize civilian casualties, and violating the First Amendment by investigating a sitting senator. If the eleven absent Democrats had been present and voted alongside their colleagues, their numbers would have been sufficient to block the referral and bring a full impeachment vote to the floor as soon as this week.

We knew that this vote was coming, so people should have gotten their raggedy selves up these steps to vote. There is no reason why we should have lost this vote because of attendance issues.— Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif.

Among all Republicans present, only Massie cast a vote against the referral. Every other Republican present voted to send the resolution to committee, where it is unlikely to return to the House floor before the 119th Congress ends in eight weeks. On January 3, Democrats — who swept both chambers in last week's midterm elections — take control.

President Trump cheered the result immediately. Trump took to social media to declare that the Democrats' attempt to impeach Secretary of War Pete Hegseth had miserably failed. He also took a direct shot at Massie, calling him a total loser and praising Hegseth's record in Iran, Venezuela, and military recruitment. Hegseth reposted Trump's remarks and had earlier dismissed the effort as a political spectacle over mere policy disagreements.

In the 250 years of our American republic, no secretary of war or secretary of Defense has ever been impeached for carrying out lawful military operations.— Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense

The vote capped a weeks-long standoff that began in September, when Massie first announced he would force a vote on the articles. Because impeachment resolutions filed as privileged measures must be acted on within two legislative days, Speaker Mike Johnson responded by sending the House into its pre-election recess a day early, delaying any vote until after the midterms. Johnson denied any connection between the early recess and the impeachment threat, describing Massie's resolution as a publicity stunt by someone who wants attention and saying it would immediately be tabled once the House came back.

I'm trying to stop a war.— Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.

After Tuesday's crushing midterm losses — Republicans lost both the House and Senate — the political landscape shifted enough that GOP leaders were privately bracing for defections. Retiring Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, who told Fox News that Hegseth doesn't have a lot of love on Capitol Hill, told Axios he was undecided heading into the vote. An anonymous Republican lawmaker captured the mood inside the conference, telling Axios that Iran, Iran, Iran — we should have never done the war before the midterms. In the end, however, Republican ranks held.

Massie, who lost his own Republican primary in May to a Trump-endorsed challenger, framed his articles not as a critique of Hegseth's competence but of his conduct. Speaking to reporters Monday, Massie said he was very effective at killing school children in Iran and very effective at extrajudicial killings. He added that there's no argument in these impeachment articles that he's ineffective. One article specifically cited the February 28 strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab, Iran, alleging more than 200 civilians were killed or injured.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended Hegseth, telling reporters the defense secretary had done a very good job and pointing to the degraded state of Iran's military. Rubio noted they have no navy, they have no air force. Hegseth, for his part, said he was not going to get in the middle of a finger-pointing exercise and that when the president says he'd do it again, he agrees.

Among the absent Democrats, explanations varied. Four — Reps. Strickland, Jackson, Stansbury, and Gillen — blamed a traffic delay in Washington. Rep. Nancy Pelosi said she was in California for a veterans event. Rep. Lou Correa said he was in California before a health procedure. Rep. Steven Horsford's office cited a personal emergency. Rep. Brittany Pettersen, who said she had helped introduce earlier impeachment articles against Hegseth in April, said she had been denied the ability to vote on this motion, offering no further explanation. Jackson and Stansbury formally recorded their opposition in the Congressional Record, though that does not change the official tally.

Some critics pointed at House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is expected to become speaker in January. Progressive commentators accused him of failing to enforce attendance discipline. Jeffries has said he will consult members about a renewed impeachment push when the new Congress convenes. Asked about the matter, he said only that they would have that conversation at the appropriate time.

Even if Democrats move quickly in January, impeachment would only be the beginning. Removing Hegseth would require a two-thirds majority in the Senate — meaning Democrats, even with their new majority, would likely need roughly a dozen Republican senators to join them. Two Cabinet secretaries have been impeached in U.S. history — William W. Belknap in 1876 and Alejandro Mayorkas in 2024 — and the Senate acquitted both.

Why it matters — The vote shows how a procedural move and eleven absences can decide the fate of a Cabinet official's impeachment — and sets up Democrats to try again with full control of Congress in January.

Sources differ on Whether Speaker Johnson's early recess decision was related to the impeachment vote: Johnson denied any connection, calling Massie's resolution 'a publicity stunt' (en.wikipedia.org) vs The timing — one day before Massie's privileged resolution would have forced a vote — led many members and observers to conclude the recess was called to avoid the politically difficult vote before midterms (axios.com)

Reported by axios.com, theguardian.com, thehill.com, cbsnews.com, deseret.com, en.wikipedia.org, gulfnews.com, aljazeera.com, latimes.com