WASHINGTON, November 10, 2026 — The US House of Representatives voted 211 to 204 on Tuesday to refer impeachment charges against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to the Republican-led Judiciary Committee, effectively stopping the effort. Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie was the only Republican to vote against the motion, along with all House Democrats.
The vote was procedural rather than a ruling on the merits. It effectively kills the measure for the remainder of the 119th Congress. According to The Hill, the move essentially ends efforts to impeach Hegseth until the next Congress, when Democrats will hold large majorities in the House and Senate.
What Massie alleged
Massie delivered a 34-page privileged resolution containing eight articles of impeachment on Monday. It accuses Hegseth of continuing military operations in the Iran war without congressional authorisation, in violation of the War Powers Resolution of 1973, and of ignoring laws meant to minimise civilian casualties. It also accuses him of extrajudicial killings through strikes on suspected drug boats, and of seeking to discipline Sen. Mark Kelly over his remarks to troops about refusing illegal orders. These are Massie’s allegations and have not been tested in any proceeding.
Hegseth and the White House respond
Hegseth opened the day with his first Pentagon news conference in six months, calling the impeachment effort a “political spectacle.” He argued that no defence secretary has been impeached for carrying out lawful military operations.
President Donald Trump said after the vote that the attempt to impeach Hegseth had failed. He described it as a Democratic effort, although it was led by a Republican and the vote was procedural. Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other senior officials have defended Hegseth.
Political background
The vote came a week after midterm elections in which Democrats made large gains, the first congressional election since the Iran war began in February. Several Republicans have attributed the party’s losses to the war.
It was Massie’s second attempt. His earlier push, before the midterms, ended when Speaker Mike Johnson called an early recess to avoid a vote, causing the resolution to expire. Massie, who lost his primary this year to a Trump-backed challenger, is an outgoing member.
NPR reported that Hegseth’s difficulties on Capitol Hill are not over.
