One Congressman Is Forcing a Vote to Impeach Hegseth Today
Massie lost his primary, yet a House rule lets one member put the defense secretary's job on the floor. Hegseth calls the effort a sham.
By Lynn Matthews - November 10, 2026
Image: CBS news
A Republican congressman who lost his own primary has put the defense secretary's job on the House floor, and the first vote comes today.
Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky wants the House to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The schedule from House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., lists a procedural motion on the resolution, with the day's first and last votes expected at 5:30 p.m. ET. Massie said on X that the first vote will be on a motion to kill the resolution, such as a motion to "refer to committee." "If we can overcome that effort, we will proceed to a real debate and vote on the Articles of Impeachment," he wrote.
Hegseth: "These are not high crimes"
Hegseth says every operation Massie cites was lawful. In a video released Thursday, before the resolution was formally introduced, he put it this way: "Iran, the cartels, Maduro, Yemen, every one was a lawful operation, ordered by the commander in chief, then ordered by myself, notified to Congress, then executed by American warriors who did their jobs." He went on: "We destroyed terrorist regimes' capabilities. We sank the boats carrying poison into our community. We put a narco dictator in handcuffs. These are not high crimes."
He called Massie's planned articles "sham articles of impeachment against yours truly" and said "a single rogue legislator, loaded with personal animus for the president, can attempt to veto national security decisions made by the duly elected commander in chief." "We don't back down," Hegseth said.
President Donald Trump is standing with him. "I have every intention to keep him," Trump said Thursday. Asked about Massie, Trump said, "Massie is a guy who is very destructive and is a very bad guy."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth criticizes the impeachment effort against him at a news conference, arguing that it “puts a target on the backs of American warriors.”
“It tells our enemies, Iran, the cartels, every adversary watching, that the United States will actually punish… pic.twitter.com/NTMuQ2NUhF
Massie unveiled eight articles of impeachment on the House floor Monday. According to a summary of the draft he read aloud, the resolution accuses Hegseth of waging the Iran war without congressional authorization, in violation of the War Powers Resolution, and of continuing it after Congress adopted a June resolution calling for withdrawal. Other articles cover the January operation that seized former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, and strikes in Yemen that the resolution says killed more than 700 people, nearly a third of them civilians. It also alleges at least 243 extrajudicial killings of suspected drug traffickers in the Western Hemisphere, including strikes on shipwreck survivors in at least one instance, and retaliation against Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., over his speech questioning military orders. These are allegations made in the resolution.
Can one lawmaker really do this?
Yes. Any single House member can force the chamber to act on articles of impeachment by offering them as a question of the privileges of the House, which requires the Speaker to schedule consideration within two legislative days. The House can then refer the resolution to committee, table it or vote on it directly. In modern practice, the House has not approved articles of impeachment called up this way.
Massie lost his Republican primary on May 19 to Trump-backed Ed Gallrein after seven terms representing Kentucky's 4th District. He has said he has not sought commitments from Republicans. He suspects some may back the resolution. "It's going to be everybody's conscience, and then they'll have to live with that vote," he said. In an Oct. 26 interview, he put the odds of adoption at 50-50.
Democrats have signaled support. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, who is expected to become speaker in the new Congress, said on ABC's "This Week" that he would be a "hard yes" and that Hegseth "has got to go." Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, said, "By every estimation, it will pass and he will be impeached." The American Federation of Government Employees also urged a yes vote in a letter to House members.
What to watch
Two questions remain: how many House Republicans will break with Trump, and how many Republicans who lost re-election Nov. 3 will be absent. Even if the House impeaches Hegseth, conviction in the Senate requires a two-thirds vote, and any trial would begin in 2027. Massie has said a trial would draw most Senate Democrats and some Republicans toward conviction.
