House delays Hegseth impeachment vote until November

WASHINGTON — The House will not vote on an effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth until November after Republican leaders on Wednesday canceled the chamber’s last day of work before a lengthy recess.

Speaker Mike Johnson said he is sending members home a day early to give them a head start on campaigning for the midterm elections. The change in the legislative schedule means there will be no vote Thursday on the impeachment, as had been expected.

Republican Thomas Massie of Kentucky said he had predicted the move after introducing articles of impeachment against Hegseth on Tuesday, accusing him of “high crimes and misdemeanors” for unlawfully waging war against Iran.

“They’re canceling Congress tomorrow to avoid the vote on IMPEACHING @SecWar,” he wrote on X.

The resolution is privileged, meaning the House must vote on it within two legislative days under chamber rules.

Johnson, R-La., on Wednesday morning dismissed Massie’s attempt to oust Hegseth as a “publicity stunt by someone who wants attention.”

“It will immediately be tabled, of course. But we probably won’t do that today. We will do it when we come back,” Johnson told reporters. “But it’s a stunt. Secretary Hegseth has done an extraordinary job at the Department of War.”

On Tuesday, the House tabled the latest bid by Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, to impeach President Donald Trump over the administration’s immigration crackdown.

Massie on Wednesday afternoon railed in a floor speech against Johnson and his decision to cancel Thursday votes. The impeachment vote would have been “real easy,” he said.

“It’d be probably be a vote to table, to insulate the members of this body from any accountability,” he said. “That would avoid you from having to debate the issue, any of the eight articles of impeachment.” 

In addition to the Iran war, Massie’s 34-page resolution charges Hegseth with ignoring laws to minimize civilian casualties, carrying out extrajudicial killings by striking suspected drug boats and suppressing free speech by seeking to discipline Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona for telling troops they can refuse illegal orders.

The resolution also accuses Hegseth of kidnapping former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife from Venezuela without constitutional or legal authority and for initiating unlawful strikes on Yemen that caused extensive civilian deaths.

A Pentagon spokesperson on Tuesday defended Hegseth, calling him a “transformative leader” and saying the department is unified behind his leadership.

A group of nine Democrats introduced an impeachment resolution against Hegseth in April, but Massie’s measure stands out because it targets a Cabinet member from his own party.

Massie is set to leave the House in January after losing his primary in May to former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein. Hegseth had campaigned for Gallrein, accusing Massie of “too much grandstanding, too few great votes.”

The House is scheduled to return to Washington on Nov. 9, following the midterm elections.