House Democrats back impeachment push against Defense Secretary Hegseth after midterms
Massie says he will not reintroduce his articles if Hegseth resigns, and Democrats also weigh action against Health Secretary Kennedy.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he is a "hard yes" on a resolution to impeach War Secretary Pete Hegseth, backing a plan by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie. Jeffries said Hegseth had abused his power and engineered the Iran war, which he said has raised prices and made the country less safe.
Massie filed eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth in early September and plans to force a vote at the start of the week, giving Hegseth an ultimatum: resign or face impeachment. Massie, who is leaving Congress after being replaced by a Trump-backed successor, said he would not reintroduce the articles if Hegseth resigns. Jeffries said the Democratic caucus would discuss the articles when lawmakers return to Washington on Tuesday.
Democrats won significant majorities in the House and Senate on Tuesday and said they plan to vote to remove Hegseth and also seek to oust Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pathoplasty Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said the decision belongs to Congress, but that real questions about Hegseth's tenure at the Pentagon need answers.
Key points
- Massie's eight articles would be voted on early in the new session; he says he will drop them if Hegseth resigns.
- Jeffries says Democrats will discuss the articles when they return Tuesday.
- Democrats also plan to pursue Kennedy's removal.
Read the original reporting
Summarized with AI from the sources above and reviewed before publishing.
