House votes 211 to 204 to send Hegseth impeachment articles to committee instead of a vote

The US House of Representatives on Tuesday, 10 November, voted 211 to 204 to refer eight articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to the Republican-led Judiciary Committee rather than hold a vote on the charges, per Outlook and the Daily Mail. This piece is as of 11 November. The vote was on the referral, not on whether Hegseth should be impeached; Outlook notes it was not an examination of the allegations or a finding on his conduct.

The vote

Of those voting, 210 Republicans and one independent supported the referral, and 203 Democrats and one Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, voted against, according to Outlook. Massie introduced the articles. Eleven Democrats, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, did not vote (Outlook); The Intercept lists seven Republicans who also did not vote. The Sunday Guardian reports the referral stopped a vote planned for Wednesday on whether to start impeachment proceedings.

The charges

According to Outlook, the eight articles accuse Hegseth of misconduct in overseeing US military operations in Iran, Venezuela and Yemen, of violating laws that protect civilians in military operations, and of retaliating against Democratic Senator Mark Kelly. The Daily Mail reports they accuse him of waging war in Iran without congressional authorisation and of ignoring laws meant to minimise civilian casualties. The Sunday Guardian says Massie argues Hegseth broke the War Powers Resolution (The Sunday Guardian).

Responses

At a Pentagon briefing on Tuesday morning, his first in six months per Outlook, Hegseth said the articles reflected "policy disagreements", not impeachable offences, and said every operation named was lawful, ordered by the commander-in-chief and notified to Congress. He also said "this is not patriotism; this is sabotage". Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell called the outcome a "TOTAL VICTORY" on X, per The Sunday Guardian. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that the effort had "miserably FAILED!", per the Daily Mail and Outlook. Vice President JD Vance said the answer to whether Hegseth had committed impeachable crimes was "obviously not", and Speaker Mike Johnson called it a political gambit (Outlook).

After the vote Massie said Republicans had "diagnosed why they lost the election" but were paralysed to act, per The Intercept. The Intercept also reports that more than 40 civil society groups sent a letter on Tuesday urging House members to vote for every article, and notes the House has impeached only two Cabinet secretaries, in 1876 and 2024, neither convicted by the Senate.

What happens next

Democrats are set to take control of the House on 3 January, and Massie's resolution lapses when the new Congress convenes, so another lawmaker would have to reintroduce the charges, the Daily Mail reports (the Daily Mail). The Daily Mail adds that incoming House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has backed impeaching Hegseth. Outlook says Democrats could revisit the effort after taking control of both chambers (Outlook).