Republican congressman to force impeachment vote on Defence Secretary Hegseth
Republican Representative Thomas Massie is forcing a House vote to impeach US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, citing unauthorized military actions in Iran. While the move is unlikely to succeed before the new Congress takes office, Massie intends to preemptively address the issue before Democrats gain control.
Why it matters
This political maneuver highlights internal Republican friction and the strategic use of impeachment processes during a transition of power.
Image source, Getty Images By Ana Faguy Washington DC Published 9 November 2026, 18:19 GMT Updated 5 minutes ago A Republican congressman plans to force a vote in the House of Representatives this week to impeach Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, alleging he has violated the US Constitution.
"By engaging in hostilities in Iran for more than 90 days without congressional authorization, Secretary Hegseth is breaking the law and must be held accountable," Representative Thomas Massie said.
The effort will likely fail, given Republicans will remain in power in Congress until January. But Massie says he wants to push President Donald Trump to fire Hegseth before Democrats can launch their own impeachment process.
Hegseth, who will hold a news conference on Tuesday about Massie's move, said he was not concerned.
Massie formally introduced the articles of impeachment in a resolution on the House floor on Monday afternoon.
Headlinne story · 5 newsrooms
Republican Lawmaker Forces House Vote to Impeach Defense Secretary Hegseth
What every outlet reported, where they differ, and how each framed it →
Also covering this story
6 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
Top House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries 'a hard yes' on impeaching Pete Hegseth
‘Hegseth has got to go’: Democrats ramp up impeachment push after midterm wins
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says he’s a ‘hard yes’ on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
Republican Launches Impeachment Against US Defence Chief Over Iran War
Thomas Massie files articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
Hegseth faces expected U.S. House impeachment vote this week
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in