House blocks Massie’s Hegseth impeachment effort in 211-204 vote
The House referred Rep. Thomas Massie’s impeachment resolution against Pete Hegseth to committee, stopping an immediate vote on the allegations.
By Sal Moretti · Money Reporter
2 min read
The Massie Hegseth impeachment vote ended with the House sending Rep. Thomas Massie’s resolution to the Judiciary Committee, a 211-204 procedural decision that stopped an immediate vote on whether to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
CBS News reported that the House adopted the referral motion Tuesday. C-SPAN’s floor-video transcript recorded 211 yeas and 204 nays. The move effectively shut down this current impeachment push, though it did not amount to a House vote to impeach Hegseth or a ruling on the accusations against him.
Massie, a Kentucky Republican, was the only Republican to vote against referring the resolution, CBS News reported. All Democrats also opposed referral.
What did the House vote on in the Hegseth impeachment case?
Lawmakers voted on whether to send Massie’s resolution to the Judiciary Committee rather than take up the impeachment articles immediately. According to CBS News and Deadline, referral kept the articles from receiving an immediate House floor vote.
That distinction matters: impeachment would require the House to approve articles against an official. Tuesday’s vote instead put Massie’s proposed articles aside for now.
Massie had introduced eight articles accusing Hegseth of abuse of office. The allegations included launching the war with Iran without congressional authorization, failing to follow laws intended to reduce civilian casualties, ordering extrajudicial killings in Pentagon boat strikes in the Caribbean, directing the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and retaliating against Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, according to CBS News.
Those are allegations in Massie’s resolution, not findings by the House.
How did Hegseth respond?
Hegseth rejected the impeachment effort at a Tuesday news conference, calling it a “farce” and a “political spectacle,” CBS News reported. He argued that the articles reflected partisan disagreements over policy rather than conduct that met the standard of high crimes or misdemeanors.
Hegseth also said he did not intend to resign, according to Time.
Massie has clashed with President Donald Trump and lost his Republican primary earlier this year, CBS News and Time reported. CBS News said Massie told reporters Monday that he would not introduce another impeachment resolution.
The issue could return after Democrats take control of Congress in January. CBS News and Time reported that Democrats could pursue a new impeachment effort then, but no future House vote has been set.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.