Massie to Force Hegseth Impeachment Vote When House Returns Nov. 9

Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky plans to force a House vote on articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as early as the week of Nov. 9, when lawmakers return from the midterm elections. Massie, a Republican, launched eight impeachment accusations against Hegseth on Sept. 15. The resolution runs 34 pages.

Democrats won both chambers on Nov. 3, flipping seven Senate seats and 26 House seats. The current Republican majority still holds the House until the new Congress is sworn in on Jan. 3, and it could kill the resolution by voting to table it.

The charges against Hegseth

Massie accuses Hegseth of conducting the war against Iran without congressional authorization. He also accuses him of seizing Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro without constitutional authority. A third charge covers the killing of suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean without judicial authorization.

Massie says Hegseth violated three provisions of the War Powers Resolution of 1973. In a public statement, Massie said: "Secretary Hegseth's constitutional violations extend beyond the illegal war in Iran."

The resolution states the case in broader terms. It says: "Secretary Hegseth abused the powers entrusted to him as Secretary of Defense by subordinating the constitutional limits on the use of military force and the laws governing the conduct of hostilities to his own policy objectives."

Why the timing matters

Massie lost his Republican primary and has only the lame-duck session left to pursue the resolution. Under the procedural route he plans to use, House leaders must schedule the vote within two legislative days after lawmakers return, according to Roll Call reporting cited by Newsmax.

That short clock forces a public decision on the record before the new Congress takes over.

Massie told the Washington Post there is a decent chance the measure could pass the House, according to Newsmax. Conviction in the Senate is seen as highly unlikely, even after the midterm results changed control of both chambers for the next Congress.

Democrats signal support

Democrats have already signaled where many of them stand. Rep. James Walkinshaw, a Democrat of Virginia, said before the election that a House vote on impeaching Hegseth is coming and that he is a yes vote.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries made the point at an October rally. He said: "One of the first things we're going to do in the majority, we're going to run Pete Hegseth out of town."

Hegseth, 46, was confirmed by the Senate 51-50 and sworn in on Jan. 25, 2025. His spokesman has said he intends to stay at the Pentagon through President Donald Trump's term, according to Newsmax.

What happens next

The House returns the week of Nov. 9. If Massie follows through, leaders must place the vote on the schedule within two legislative days. The first question is whether the Republican majority tables the resolution and ends it. If the measure survives that vote, the House would then debate and vote on the articles themselves.

Either way, the vote will land in a Congress in transition, before the new members take office on Jan. 3.