US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth faced down eight articles of impeachment on Tuesday as the House of Representatives voted 211 to 204 to refer the measure to the House Judiciary Committee.
The procedural vote on November 10, 2026, unfolded just hours after Hegseth delivered a defiant defence at a Pentagon news briefing.
Massie Files Articles Over Unauthorized Iran War
Outgoing Kentucky Republican Representative Thomas Massie introduced the privileged resolution, accusing Hegseth of waging war illegally without congressional authorization.
The eight articles focused heavily on the Iran war, alongside a conflict with Yemen and strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats.
Massie had hoped to peel away Republican votes over the unpopularity of the Iran war.
Every other Republican in the chamber voted to refer the resolution to the committee.
Eleven Democrats missed the ballot due to traffic issues.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi missed the vote because she had returned to San Francisco for an annual veterans event, according to her spokesperson Ian Krager.
My effort to impeach Secretary Hegseth is a much gentler version of what's coming when the Democrats assume control of the House and Senate next year. Massie said
Eleven Democrats missed the ballot, with multiple blaming traffic issues for their absences.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also missed the vote.
Trump Celebrates Defeat of Resolution
President Donald Trump celebrated the outcome on Truth Social, declaring that the effort to impeach Hegseth “has miserably FAILED!”
Every single Republican, except Thomas Massie, a major LOSER, voted in favor of Pete.
Donald Trump, US President
Trump added that Hegseth’s performance on Iran and Venezuela “led to the EXONERATION of a Great American Patriot.”
At the Pentagon, Hegseth pushed back against his critics during his first briefing in six months.
“It’s a farce, and it’s a stunt, and everybody knows it,” said Pete Hegseth, US Secretary of Defense.
Democrats Vow Renewed Scrutiny in January
Following the vote, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries made clear that the scrutiny over the Pentagon chief is far from over.
“Pete Hegseth has abused his power, undermined America’s national security, and he’s the architect of the reckless and costly failed war of choice in Iran,” said Hakeem Jeffries, House Democratic leader.
Jeffries added that “This is not the end of it. It’s just the beginning.”
With Democrats set to take control of both chambers of Congress in January following success in the midterm elections, party leaders are weighing a renewed push.
House Speaker Mike Johnson called the impeachment motion a political gambit for attention.
Republican leaders worked with senior White House officials to secure enough support to defeat the immediate push.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell called the vote a total victory in a post on X.
Vice President JD Vance said that Hegseth had obviously not committed impeachable offenses.
Massie formally introduced the impeachment resolution on the floor on Monday, triggering a 48-hour period.
The Republican-controlled House voted 211 to 204 in favor of referring the articles to the GOP-led House Judiciary Committee.
Massie warned beforehand that the vote would kill the motion, which had been pushed past the midterms after being introduced in September.
Following Tuesday’s vote, Massie stated he was not surprised but was disappointed by his colleagues.
Hegseth dismissed the impeachment campaign as a sham and defended his record leading the Iran war and other military operations under Trump.
William Belknap, serving as secretary of war under President Ulysses S. Grant, was the last civilian leader of the US military to face impeachment, an action taken in 1876.
Hegseth frequently calls himself secretary of war as part of an effort to rebrand a military he described as too weak and woke when he took office last year.
Trump cannot change the name of the Department of Defense without approval from Congress.
Democrats had strongly backed the eight impeachment articles.
The articles cited unauthorized military actions in Iran and Yemen, strikes on vessels in the Caribbean Sea, and the January capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The articles also accused Hegseth of overseeing extrajudicial killings in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea campaign against boats alleged to be carrying drugs.
Massie argued that Operation Epic Fury had been underway for 256 days without congressional authorization.
Hegseth argued that the resolution endangered national security by communicating to adversaries that the United States will punish its own warriors.
Some Republicans said that Hegseth’s strained relations with Congress are becoming a political liability as the Trump administration seeks a budget increase for the military to $1.5 trillion from $950 billion.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz said on Tuesday he expected Hegseth to resign or be fired by Trump.
Earlier coverage: Rep Thomas Massie Moves to Impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
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