The U.S. House of Representatives has blocked an attempt to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a surprise reprieve for President Donald Trump’s administration as Republicans reel from their defeat in the midterm elections.
The articles of impeachment were introduced by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, but the effort was supported primarily by Democrats. They accuse Hegseth of abuse of power and conducting illegal military operations.
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The Republican-led House voted 211-204 Tuesday to send the articles to the House Judiciary Committee, where they could remain indefinitely. This procedural move effectively killed the impeachment campaign for the duration of the current Congressional term, which ends in eight weeks. On January 3, Democrats will take control of the House and Senate.
In a twist, the absence of 11 Democratic legislators during the vote proved decisive.
Here’s what you need to know about the vote to block Hegseth’s impeachment and what could happen next:
What was Tuesday’s vote about?
The vote was not on whether to impeach Hegseth. At issue was whether to send the articles of impeachment back to the Judiciary Committee, where they could be further investigated or amended.
Such procedural measures are often used as delaying tactics. With the current Congress set to end soon, the resolution is unlikely to return to the House before the end of its term.
Massie called the vote a “procedural motion to kill the resolution.”
What was the result of the vote?
He narrowly passed 211-204.
Massie was the only Republican to oppose the measure. The remaining votes fell along party lines, with Republicans supporting the measure and Democrats opposing it.
Eighteen representatives were absent from the vote – 11 Democrats and seven Republicans. Had Democrats showed up and voted with their colleagues, they would have had enough numbers to defeat the procedural move, forcing a full House vote on whether to impeach Hegseth as early as this week.
Trump praised the outcome of Tuesday’s vote in a social media post, saying the Democrats’ impeachment attempt had “failed miserably!” »
Who were the 11 absent Democrats and why did they miss the vote?
The Democrats absent from the vote were:
- Julia Brownley (California)
- Lou Correa (California)
- Nancy Pelosi (California)
- Laura Gillen (New York)
- Steven Horsford (Nevada)
- Jonathan Jackson (Illinois)
- Brittany Pettersen (Colorado)
- Mélanie Stansbury (New Mexico)
- Haley Stevens (Michigan)
- Marilyn Strickland (Washington)
- Frederica Wilson (Florida)
Representatives gave varying explanations for their reasons for no-show.
Strickland, Jackson, Stansbury and Gillen all blamed a traffic delay in Washington, DC.
Pelosi said she was in her home state for a veterans event while Correa said he was in California before undergoing a health procedure. Horsford’s office cited a personal emergency.
Pettersen, who said he helped introduce articles of impeachment against Hegseth in April, said he was “denied the opportunity to vote on this motion” without elaborating.
Jackson, Stansbury, Gillen, Strickland, Horsford, Pelosi and Pettersen all said they would have joined their fellow Democrats in opposing the measure. Jackson and Stansbury also said they had officially registered their opposition in congressional records, although this did not change the official vote count.
Stevens, Brownley or Wilson had no immediate comment on their absences.
Stevens previously criticized the Trump administration for launching the war on Iran with Israel and called for more congressional oversight. But days before the November 3 US midterm elections, the Michigan congresswoman, who earlier lost the Democratic primary for the open state Senate seat to Abdul El-Sayed, endorsed Republican candidate Mike Rogers against her own party’s candidate.
Wilson, 83, attended the groundbreaking for a housing project in Miami-Dade County on Monday. Wilson and Brownley, like Stevens, had previously opposed Trump’s handling of the war against Iran and demanded that the administration seek congressional approval for the fighting.
What was the reaction?
Democratic politicians and progressive commentators expressed outrage that low Democratic turnout impacted the outcome of the vote.
Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove of California said, “We knew this vote was coming, so people should have walked up those steps to vote. »
“There is no reason why we should lose this vote due to turnout issues,” she added.
Sen.-elect El-Sayed, responding to a question about absent Democrats, said, “You should show up and do your job.”
Some experts have pointed the finger at House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is expected to become the new Speaker of the House in January. They accused him of not exerting enough pressure on party members to defeat the measure.
Political commentator Krystal Ball called the vote “a major failure by Hakeem Jeffries.”
“You could have impeached war criminal Pete Hegseth, but Democrats didn’t show up to vote,” she said.
Progressive writer Laura Bassett said: “Jeffries didn’t even call the vote. He told people to ‘vote their conscience,’ and 11 members of his caucus didn’t show up. That’s why people want a stronger leader.”
Could Hegseth still be deposed?
Yes. When the new Democratic-controlled Congress convenes in January, it could start the process again and will be in a stronger position to advance the articles of impeachment.
Jeffries said he would consult with members about another potential attempt to remove Hegseth next year. “We will have this conversation at the appropriate time,” he said.
However, a vote to impeach Hegseth does not necessarily mean he will be removed from office. Impeachment itself means that the House has formally brought charges against a federal official, similar to a criminal indictment.
A successful impeachment vote triggers a trial in Congress’ upper house, the Senate, over whether to convict.
A conviction, which immediately removes the official from office, requires the support of at least two-thirds in the Senate. That means Democrats, even with their new majority in the House next year, would likely need a dozen Republicans to join them in securing Hegseth’s impeachment.
Only eight officials – all federal judges – have been convicted by the Senate. Trump was impeached twice – in December 2019 and January 2021 – but the Senate acquitted him twice.
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