WASHINGTON (HornPost) — The U.S. House of Representatives has effectively blocked an effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over allegations that he launched military action against Iran without congressional approval.
The House voted 211-204 on Tuesday to refer the impeachment resolution to the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee. The procedural move effectively ended the immediate effort to bring the charges to a full House vote.
The resolution was introduced by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a critic of President Donald Trump within his own party. It accused Hegseth of misconduct, including launching the war against Iran without authorization from Congress.
Hegseth Dismisses Impeachment Effort
Hegseth rejected the impeachment effort during his first Pentagon news conference in six months. He described the move as baseless and an attempt to disrupt the government’s work.
The effort faced significant political obstacles. Removing Hegseth would have required support from a number of Republicans willing to break with Trump and his administration.
Massie was the only Republican who voted against referring the resolution to the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. The committee is controlled by Republicans.
The motion passed by 211 votes to 204. Eighteen lawmakers did not vote, including 11 Democrats and seven Republicans.
House Vote Effectively Ends Impeachment Push
The decision to send the resolution to committee effectively ended the impeachment effort during the current session of Congress. Lawmakers have limited time before the new Congress takes office in January, when Democrats are expected to take control of the House.
The referral also means the House did not vote directly on the impeachment charges or determine whether Hegseth committed impeachable offenses.
President Donald Trump welcomed the outcome. In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said the impeachment effort had failed badly.
The vote marks a setback for Massie’s attempt to hold the defense secretary accountable over the administration’s military actions against Iran. However, the broader political debate over congressional authority and the war remains unresolved.
HornPost Staff
