House Blocks Pete Hegseth Impeachment as 11 Democrats Miss Vote

The Republican-controlled House voted 211-204 on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, to block an effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, sending eight articles accusing him of unlawful military operations and abuse of power to the House Judiciary Committee. Eleven Democrats were among 18 lawmakers who did not vote.

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who introduced the impeachment resolution, was the only Republican to oppose referring the charges to committee. All 203 Democrats who voted joined him, while 210 Republicans and independent Rep. Kevin Kiley of California supported the motion.

The 11 Democrats recorded as not voting were Julia Brownley, Lou Correa and Nancy Pelosi of California; Laura Gillen of New York; Steven Horsford of Nevada; Jonathan Jackson of Illinois; Brittany Pettersen of Colorado; Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico; Haley Stevens of Michigan; Marilyn Strickland of Washington; and Frederica Wilson of Florida.

The vote prevented Massie from forcing separate House votes on the impeachment charges, effectively ending his effort during the current Congress. Hegseth remains defense secretary, with the resolution referred to the Judiciary Committee.

Massie introduced eight articles of impeachment Monday, accusing Hegseth of violating federal law and constitutional limits on military authority during operations in Iran, Yemen and Venezuela. The resolution also alleged unlawful killings during strikes against suspected drug-trafficking vessels, failures to protect civilians and retaliation against Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona over his statements about unlawful military orders.

Hegseth rejected the allegations during a Pentagon news conference earlier Tuesday, describing the impeachment effort as a political stunt and defending military operations carried out under President Donald Trump.

Following the vote, Trump celebrated the defeat of the impeachment effort and praised Hegseth's leadership. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell called the referral a victory for the defense secretary and said the department would defend his actions before the Judiciary Committee.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries had supported impeachment, while Republican leaders backed the referral. Democrats, who won control of both chambers in the November midterm elections, will assume their new congressional majorities in January 2027.

Massie first introduced the impeachment effort in September before reviving it through a procedural mechanism that required House action within two legislative days. The Kentucky Republican, who is leaving Congress in January, said Tuesday's referral would effectively end the effort during the current session.

The impeachment process requires a simple majority in the House to approve at least one article, followed by a Senate trial where a two-thirds vote is necessary for conviction and removal from office. Tuesday's procedural vote prevented the charges from advancing to that stage.

The eight articles remain before the House Judiciary Committee. Democrats could introduce a new impeachment resolution when the next Congress convenes in January, with Jeffries already on record supporting the effort against Hegseth.