House stalls Hegseth impeachment with 211-204 vote

The House voted 211 to 204 on Tuesday to refer articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to a committee, a move that effectively ends the current effort to remove him from office. The vote prevents a final floor decision before the current congressional session expires. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky spearheaded the initiative, which sought to oust Hegseth over decisions made during the war with Iran and operations in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean.

Massie reintroduced the articles on Monday, the day before the vote. The resolution accused Hegseth of committing high crimes and misdemeanors, specifically citing the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro without congressional authorization. It also included the effort to punish Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona for a video in which he told service members they could refuse illegal orders.

Hegseth defended his actions during a rare press conference at the Pentagon on Tuesday. He described Massie as a "disgruntled and defeated congressman" while standing behind the military operations. "I stand behind every one of these operations," Hegseth said. "I was proud to execute them, and I would do it again tomorrow." President Donald Trump voiced support for the Defense Secretary during an impromptu briefing at the White House on Monday, stating, "I'll stand by him. He won two wars. He was in charge. We all won."

This is Massie's second attempt to impeach Hegseth. In his previous effort, he sought a floor vote before the midterm elections, prompting Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana to call an early recess. That maneuver caused the original resolution to expire, necessitating its reintroduction this week. The new committee referral short-circuits the process, making it unlikely the measure will be taken up again before the session concludes.

Democrats have indicated that Hegseth's troubles on Capitol Hill are not finished. They have promised vigorous investigations into the Pentagon once they assume the majority in January. Whether they will mount another impeachment effort remains unclear. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who is expected to become the next Speaker of the House, offered a direct assessment of Hegseth's future in a recent interview with NPR. "He's got to go," Jeffries said.