The House moved to refer articles of impeachment against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to the Judiciary Committee, a result that came after 11 Democrats missed the vote and drew public rebukes from within their party, according to the Western Journal article and other cited reports.
The vote—and what it did
Outgoing Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, introduced six articles alleging unlawful military actions involving Iran, Venezuelan cartel drug boats, the seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and strikes against Yemen, the Western Journal reported. The motion to refer the articles to the Judiciary Committee passed 211–204, per that outlet; CNN’s Jake Tapper separately posted a 210–204 tally on X. The Western Journal said the effect is that the articles will die in committee and not return for a full House vote this session.
The Western Journal noted there were seven Republicans and 11 Democrats absent. The account “Power to the People” (@ProudSocialist) asserted on X that if the 11 Democrats had been present, and with absent Republicans still not voting, the impeachment articles would have advanced 215–211. That scenario is a claim by the account and depends on assumptions about attendance and party-line voting.
Who missed—and why, per reports
Axios congressional reporter Andrew Solender posted on X that, “per several members,” some House Democrats who missed the vote were returning from an Elect Democratic Women event about 1.5 miles away and were stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on Independence Avenue. He added that some members found other ways back to the Capitol, including walking or getting dropped off on the Senate side.
Newsweek reported that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi missed the vote while receiving a “Lifetime Advocate for Veterans Award” in San Francisco.
Tapper listed the 11 House Democrats who did not vote as: Brownley, Correa, Hollen, Hosford, Jackson (IL), Pelosi, Pettersen, Stansbury, Stevens, Strickland, and Wilson (FL), in his X post.
Democrats blast their own
Democratic Rep.-elect Richard Ojeda of North Carolina told CNN, “shame on them for not showing up,” when asked about the Democrats who missed the vote, according to Newsweek. He added, “This is important. They had an opportunity to finally get rid of this buffoonery that we have, and they failed,” Newsweek reported.
Democratic Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan said to the absent lawmakers, “You should show up and do your job,” per the same coverage.
Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove of California told MeidasTouch, “We knew that this vote was coming, so people should have gotten their raggedy selves up these steps to vote.” She added, “There’s no reason why we should have lost this vote because of attendance issues,” according to Newsweek.
What Hegseth and Trump said
Before the vote, Hegseth said at a news conference, “Make no mistake about what is happening. This is not about me,” according to a video clip circulated by DOW Rapid Response. He argued that politicians had accused “sailors and pilots who struck narco-terrorist boats of war crimes,” and said, “If they want to come for the warriors, they are going to have to come through me,” per the same clip. He also said the resolution would signal to adversaries that the United States would “punish its own warriors and its own civilian leadership,” calling it “sabotage,” according to the Western Journal account of his remarks.
After the vote, Hegseth shared a Truth Social post by President Donald Trump noting that, in Trump’s telling, all Republicans except Massie voted against impeaching Hegseth. Trump also claimed Hegseth oversaw victories in Venezuela and Iran and sparked the “Best Recruitment Numbers in the History of the Military.” Those are the president’s assertions.
What’s next
The House’s referral means the articles moved to the Judiciary Committee. The Western Journal reported that this effectively ends the impeachment effort for the current session.
