The House voted 211-204 on November 10, 2026, to send a resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to the House Judiciary Committee. That effectively ends the measure for the rest of the Republican-controlled 119th Congress. The resolution’s eight articles were filed by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, and the vote leaves Hegseth in his job for now.
How the Hegseth Impeachment Vote Unfolded
Massie brought the articles of impeachment to the House floor on the afternoon of Monday, November 9. The articles accuse Hegseth of waging unlawful wars on Iran and Venezuela. On the morning of November 10, Hegseth defended himself forcefully at a news conference at the Pentagon.
House Speaker Mike Johnson had said the motion to sideline the resolution was “not going to fail,” adding, “We’ll dispense with the impeachment gambit.” The vote that evening did not decide whether to impeach Hegseth. Massie called it “a procedural motion to kill the resolution”.
Massie was the only Republican who voted against tabling the measure. Every Democrat who voted did the same. Eighteen House members missed the vote, 11 of them Democrats and seven Republicans. If the absent Democrats had voted with their party, they would have had enough votes to defeat the procedural move and force a full House vote on impeachment, possibly that same week.
Why the Outcome Matters
Because the articles are now with the Judiciary Committee, Republican leaders can keep them from returning to the floor. President Donald Trump marked the result in a social media post, writing that “The Democrats’ attempt to impeach Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has miserably FAILED!” Massie, a Republican, led the effort, and the vote was procedural rather than a vote on impeachment itself.
The vote also exposed divisions within both parties. Democratic Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove of California criticized the 11 Democrats who were absent. She said “There’s no reason why we should have lost this vote because of attendance issues.” In the Senate, Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, whose vote decided Hegseth’s confirmation in January 2025, has said he would probably vote to convict if the Senate held an impeachment trial.
Background: Massie, the Iran War and the Midterms
Calls to impeach Hegseth grew after several Republicans blamed the party’s sweeping midterm losses on the Iran war. Earlier this year, Massie lost his primary to a challenger President Trump had endorsed.
This was not Massie’s first attempt. He filed a similar measure in September, but House members were sent home before it came to a vote.
Separately: Three Men Accused in Alleged U.K. Plot
In a separate case, federal prosecutors arrested three men who are accused of acting as Iran-backed operatives and of plotting attacks in the United Kingdom. The charges are allegations and have not been proven in court.
What to Watch Next on Hegseth
The midterms gave Democrats majorities in both the House and the Senate. After the new Congress is sworn in, it could take up a fresh impeachment effort against Hegseth. The swearing-in is set for January. After the vote, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said, “This is not the end,” and Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Pramila Jayapal said they were open to further impeachment efforts against Hegseth and other members of Trump’s Cabinet.
FAQ
– Did the House vote on whether to impeach Hegseth?
No. The House voted on a procedural motion to send Massie’s resolution to the Judiciary Committee. That motion passed 211-204, so the House never held a vote on impeachment itself.
– Could Hegseth still be impeached?
Not in the current Congress, in practice, because the articles are now with the committee. The new Congress, with Democrats in the majority, convenes in January and could start a new impeachment effort.
– Who brought the impeachment articles?
Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, filed eight articles. Most of the support for his effort came from Democrats.