House Kills Hegseth Impeachment Effort in 211-204 Referral Vote

The House Clerk recorded Roll Call 317 on Nov. 10 as a motion to refer H.Res. 1655, not a direct vote on the eight articles themselves. The measure passed 211-204, with 18 members not voting, sending the privileged resolution to the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee and short-circuiting a floor vote before this Congress ends.

Massie, a Kentucky Republican, was the only member of his party to vote against the referral. No Democrat voted to send the resolution to committee. He had filed the measure as privileged on Nov. 9, forcing Republican leaders to bring it up within two legislative days.

Eight Articles, No Floor Verdict

The resolution charges Hegseth with “high crimes and misdemeanors,” a case Clash Report detailed when Massie reintroduced the articles. The core counts allege War Powers violations over the Iran war that began on Feb. 28, 2026, including launching hostilities without a declaration or statute and continuing them after Congress directed a withdrawal and after the 60-day clock expired.

Further articles accuse Hegseth of ignoring laws meant to minimize civilian casualties; “extrajudicial killings” in lethal strikes on suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific; retaliating against Sen. Mark Kelly; the January capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro; and an unlawful war in Yemen.

Massie, who lost his GOP primary after President Donald Trump backed a challenger, told colleagues that Hegseth “has violated the norms of war” and that impeachment was the way to insist on following “the laws that are on the books.” Even some Republican critics of the secretary said the conduct did not, in their view, rise to impeachable offenses.

Hegseth and Trump Denounce the Push

Hours before the vote, Hegseth held a rare Pentagon news conference, his first at the department since May, and dismissed the effort as a “political spectacle,” a “farce” and a “stunt.” He said the operations cited in the articles were “lawful,” adding, “I stand behind every one of these operations. I was proud to execute them, and I would do it again tomorrow,” as Clash Report reported from that briefing.

Trump, who had already pledged to “stand by” Hegseth, posted after the vote that it was an “EXONERATION of a Great American Patriot” and that Democrats’ attempt had “miserably FAILED.” Vice President JD Vance had separately called the impeachment push “absurd,” arguing it was not about the Iran war.

Democrats Signal a New Fight in January

The vote ends Massie’s second attempt in this Congress. Speaker Mike Johnson had earlier recessed the House to block a September version of the resolution, which then expired.

Hegseth is safe for the remainder of the lame-duck session, but Democrats, who will take control of the House in January, have already previewed a new confrontation. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, on track to be elected speaker, has said Democrats will “run Pete Hegseth out of town” and told NPR last week, “He’s got to go.” Conviction in the Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-seat majority, would still require a two-thirds vote.