The House has set aside Rep. Thomas Massie’s effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. On Tuesday evening, November 10, lawmakers voted 211-204 to refer the Kentucky Republican’s impeachment resolution to the House Judiciary Committee, a procedural step that ABC News, CBS News and Fox News all reported effectively ends the measure in the current Congress.
The vote was not a vote on impeachment itself. It decided whether the resolution would go to the floor for debate or be sent to committee. Massie was the only Republican to vote against the referral, joining all Democrats who voted, while every other Republican voted to send it to committee, according to the reports.
How the resolution got to the floor
As Upstormed News reported, Massie filed eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth on Monday, November 9. He used a privileged resolution, which under House rules must be taken up within two legislative days, forcing a vote over the objections of House Republican leaders, Fox News reported.
According to CBS News and Fox News, the articles accused Hegseth of:
- Carrying out the war with Iran without congressional authorization;
- Directing strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and East Pacific;
- Ignoring laws meant to minimize civilian casualties;
- Directing the operation to seize Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro;
- Retaliating against Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., over a video about unlawful orders.
Massie’s central argument, as described by ABC News, was that Congress never approved these military operations. Calls for action grew after several Republicans blamed their party’s midterm losses on the Iran war, which CBS News noted is now in its ninth month.
What each side said
Hegseth and the administration: At a Tuesday news conference, Hegseth rejected the charges, saying “None of these are high crimes or misdemeanors,” according to CBS News. He described the articles as partisan policy disagreements and argued, per ABC News, that the operations were lawful actions directed by the president. Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended Hegseth as carrying out orders from the commander in chief, and President Trump praised the outcome on social media, Fox News and ABC News reported.
House Republican leaders and members: Speaker Mike Johnson opposed the articles. Several Republicans who have criticized the Iran operations still voted to set the resolution aside. Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio said the effort put blame on Hegseth for Congress not doing its own job, and Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska said that while he is not a fan of the secretary, he did not agree with impeachment, Fox News reported.
Massie and Democrats: Massie and all Democrats present voted to keep the resolution moving toward a floor debate. Massie has pointed to the lack of congressional approval for the operations as the core of his case. The outlets reviewed did not quote Democratic leaders on the vote.
Historical context
Impeaching a Cabinet member is rare. CBS News noted that only two Cabinet secretaries have ever been impeached: Secretary of War William Belknap in 1876, who was acquitted by the Senate, and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in 2024, whose charges were dismissed.
What happens next
Massie, who lost his primary earlier this year and leaves Congress in January, said Monday he would not bring up another impeachment resolution against Hegseth, CBS News reported. CBS also noted that Democrats could raise the issue again after they take control of both chambers in January.
The vote is part of a busy post-election stretch on Capitol Hill, with both parties reorganizing their leadership. House Republicans this week picked Jim Jordan as their leader, while Senate Republicans kept John Thune.
Why it matters for families
At its heart, this debate is about who decides when the United States goes to war, a question that affects military families most directly. Whatever one thinks of the impeachment effort, the vote shows that questions about Congress’s war powers are likely to stay on the agenda when the new Congress is seated.
Upstormed News will continue to follow this story as the new Congress takes shape.
Read more: Trump questions midterm results, reversing pledge to accept Democratic wins
Should Congress have to vote before U.S. forces are sent into combat?
Sources: CBS News, “House blocks Massie’s effort to impeach Hegseth, voting to kill resolution” (November 10, 2026); ABC News, “House tables Hegseth impeachment, effectively killing it in current Congress” (November 10, 2026); Fox News, “House GOP leaders block Massie’s Hegseth impeachment push” (November 10, 2026)
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