The US House of Representatives has voted to send an impeachment resolution against Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to a committee, blocking an immediate vote on the accusations themselves.
Members voted 211 to 204 on Tuesday 10 November to refer the measure to the House Judiciary Committee. The decision is a procedural setback for the resolution’s sponsor, Republican congressman Thomas Massie, and makes a full House vote on the articles unlikely during the remainder of the current Congress.
The vote was not a decision that Hegseth had committed wrongdoing. Nor was it an acquittal: the House did not impeach him, and the Senate did not conduct a trial on the resolution.
How the vote divided the House
Massie, who represents Kentucky, was the only Republican to vote against referring the measure. He was joined by the 203 Democrats who cast a vote. The official tally recorded 210 Republicans and one independent in favour of referral; 18 members did not vote.
Massie had introduced eight proposed articles of impeachment on Monday 9 November. By presenting the resolution as a privileged matter, he set in motion a process that brought it before the House leadership. Rather than voting on whether to impeach Hegseth, members approved the separate motion to refer it to the committee.
A committee referral leaves the resolution with the panel rather than approving its allegations. The Judiciary Committee can consider the matter, but is not required to take it up. Tuesday’s result therefore removed the immediate prospect of a floor vote on Massie’s articles without resolving the wider arguments behind them.
What the resolution alleged
The proposed articles set out several accusations about the conduct and oversight of US military operations. Three concern the War Powers Resolution, with Massie alleging that Hegseth directed or continued operations against Iran without the required congressional authorisation.
Other articles allege failures concerning the protection of civilians and unlawful killings in strikes on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific. The resolution also challenges the operation that seized former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, and alleges that Hegseth retaliated against Senator Mark Kelly over a video discussing service members’ duty to disobey unlawful orders.
A further article concerns US military action in Yemen. These are allegations made in the resolution, not findings established by Tuesday’s vote. The legal characterisation of the operations and the conduct alleged against Hegseth are contested.
At a Pentagon news conference before the vote, Hegseth rejected the impeachment effort and described it as a political spectacle. He argued that the accusations reflected policy disagreements rather than impeachable offences, and defended the military operations. President Donald Trump also expressed support for his defence secretary.
What impeachment would involve
Under the US system, impeachment and removal are separate steps. The House may impeach a federal official by approving articles setting out charges. The Senate then has the role of conducting a trial; conviction and removal require the support of two-thirds of senators voting.
Historically, impeachment of cabinet secretaries has been rare. War secretary William Belknap was impeached in 1876 and acquitted by the Senate. Homeland security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was impeached in 2024, but the Senate dismissed the charges.
Massie’s latest resolution followed an earlier attempt before the midterm elections. That measure expired after the House recessed before a vote could take place, leading him to bring the issue back in November.
Massie said on Monday that he would not introduce another resolution to impeach Hegseth. He also said on Tuesday that he planned to seek a vote on a separate war powers resolution. That would be a different measure from the impeachment articles referred to the Judiciary Committee.
