The US House refers Hegseth’s impeachment to committee and “freezes” it – how Republicans and Democrats voted

The initiative of Kentucky Republican congressman Thomas Massie to impeach War Secretary Pete Hegseth did not reach a vote on the merits. On the afternoon of Tuesday, November 10, Washington time, the House of Representatives approved by 211 votes to 204 a motion to send resolution H. Res. 1655 to the Judiciary Committee. The move, without formally rejecting the eight articles of impeachment, essentially leaves them in a drawer for what remains of the current session of Congress.

The House floor record, published by the Office of the Clerk of the House, logs the whole course. At 16:17 Massie raised the resolution as a question of the privileges of the House and the chair ruled that it met the requirements. At 17:34 Republican Darrell Issa moved to refer the text to the Judiciary Committee. Debate followed on his motion and not on the charges, and the roll call closed at 18:02.

Privileged status was Massie’s weapon, since it obliged the House to decide within two legislative days. The roads ahead of it were three: a vote on the merits, a tabling, or referral to committee. It chose the third, which spares Republicans a direct vote for or against the secretary. The charges concerned mainly the war with Iran without authorisation from Congress and the strikes on vessels suspected of carrying drugs, as we presented when Massie refiled the eight articles.

One Republican against everyone

The tally of vote 317 shows near-total party discipline. In favour of the referral voted 210 Republicans and Kevin Kiley of California, recorded as an independent. Against voted all 203 Democrats present in the chamber, together with a single Republican, Massie himself. Eighteen members were absent: 11 Democrats, among them Nancy Pelosi, and 7 Republicans. The chamber currently numbers 218 Republicans, 214 Democrats, one independent and two vacant seats.

Donald Trump rushed to celebrate. In a Truth Social post he wrote that the Democrats’ “attempt” to impeach Hegseth “failed miserably”, called Massie a “big loser” and attributed the secretary’s “exoneration” to the “victories in Venezuela and in Iran” and to recruitment numbers. In the same tone, the War Department’s rapid-response account called the articles a “political witch hunt” and spoke of a “complete victory” for Hegseth.

A few hours before the vote Hegseth had given his first press conference at the Pentagon in six months, in which he went on the counter-attack against Massie over the impeachment, speaking of a “hoax” and “sabotage”.

The issue is not closed for good, however. Massie, who lost his primary in May to a candidate backed by Trump, argued that replacing Hegseth now would allow the Senate to confirm a successor while it is still controlled by Republicans. After their win in the midterm elections, the Democrats take over the majority in both chambers in January, at which point they will be able to launch their own impeachment process.