Hegseth faces an impeachment vote as early as next week, with Republicans joining the push

Hegseth faces an impeachment vote as early as next week, with Republicans joining the push

Two days after Republicans lost both chambers of Congress in Tuesday's midterm elections, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth woke up Thursday facing something that looked, to multiple members of his own party, like a reckoning. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) is planning to force a House floor vote on articles of impeachment against Hegseth the week of Nov. 9, the day Congress returns from its election recess. Multiple Republican sources told CNN they expect the measure to pass. President Trump said Thursday he has "every intention" of keeping Hegseth, but the political math around him is shifting fast.

The timeline is tight and the procedural terrain is complicated, but the core fact is new: a Republican congressman, with backing from members of his own caucus and near-unanimous Democratic support waiting in the wings, is trying to remove a sitting cabinet secretary through the constitutional process, in a Congress his party still technically controls.

What Massie is doing and why now

In September, Massie introduced eight impeachment articles accusing Hegseth of human rights abuses and waging a war against Iran without congressional authorization, among other violations. The House delayed action before the elections. Now Massie says the delay is over.

Massie said Wednesday he will reintroduce the articles unless Hegseth steps down. "There is one contingency in which I won't reintroduce the articles of impeachment: Hegseth resigns," he wrote on X. He told CNN he plans to trigger the vote when Congress returns next week.

The Pete Hegseth impeachment resolution is a "week one" issue for the House lame-duck session, Massie told Roll Call in a phone interview. "I'm not sure if I would do it the night we get back, but it would be soon after we return, if he's still in the job," he said.

Massie is optimistic that his resolution will be adopted. "I give it better than a 50 percent chance of passing," he said. He gave his reasoning: "Will all the Democrats vote for it? And then the second question is, do I get a handful of Republicans? And I think they're probably more inclined in the lame-duck session to vote for it than they were before their campaigns were over."

Massie also charges Hegseth with disregarding the protection of civilians in wartime and suppressing the free speech of a U.S. service member.

Republican cracks, and what the numbers mean

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis said Hegseth would face "a reckoning" in the post-election lame-duck Congress and claimed Trump would not be able to get the necessary Pentagon funding if Hegseth remains in his job. Tillis, who backed Hegseth's confirmation in January 2025, called that vote the "biggest regret of my career."

Sen. Ted Cruz also predicted Hegseth would face impeachment before the new Congress reconvenes. "I expect in the lame duck we will see an impeachment of Pete Hegseth," Cruz said.

Democrats are virtually united in their opposition to Hegseth and most if not all would be expected to vote in favor of impeaching him. Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), a member of the Armed Services Committee, said on CBS News' "Face the Nation" on Sunday that getting rid of Hegseth is his top priority. A House impeachment vote would turn largely on Republican defections, but member absences could loom especially large in a narrowly divided chamber.

An impeachment vote needs only a simple majority to pass in the House. If the vote takes place after the new House takes shape in January, Democrats will not need any Republican support: the party is on track to amass the largest majority since at least the 2008 election, with 240 seats confirmed so far and more on the way.

So why push it now, before the new Democratic majority is seated? Massie explained on X: "If Trump's going to replace appointees like Hegseth, he should do it while he can still get the replacements confirmed in the Senate. Also, my Hegseth impeachment resolution is a much gentler version of what's coming when Dems control Congress."

The White House holds the line, for now

According to CNN, citing White House officials, Trump told aides that Hegseth should fight back against impeachment efforts and any investigations into his decision-making. Trump on Wednesday dismissed reports that he was considering replacing Hegseth, telling reporters the defense secretary was "doing a very good job."

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Hegseth "will not back down or be deterred by politicians seeking to score partisan points." "Secretary Hegseth is 100% committed to leading the Department until the end of President Trump's term in office," Parnell added.

In the immediate aftermath of Tuesday's results, one person close to Hegseth told CNN that the defense secretary still expects to stay in his role and is prepared to fight an impeachment effort. "I think he probably knows he's dead but would like an exit sufficiently dramatic that it gives him a launching pad to run for POTUS," one administration official said.

Massie intends to use a privileged resolution to refile the articles upon the House's return to force consideration, although lawmakers could vote to table the measure rather than vote directly on impeachment. Assuming the parliamentarian affirms that the resolution qualifies for such consideration, the speaker would have up to two legislative days to schedule a vote. The House could vote on the resolution or consider a motion to table it.

Massie has less than 60 days left in his term to seek a vote on the impeachment resolution. If the House impeaches Hegseth, removing him from office would require a Senate trial and a vote to convict by two-thirds of senators present. Republicans retain their Senate majority until January, when the 120th Congress is sworn in.

Meanwhile: Trump's arch heads to a federal commission, and a judge watches

The Hegseth standoff was not the only collision between the Trump administration and Washington's institutional guardrails on Thursday. Across town, the National Capital Planning Commission met to consider final approval for Trump's proposed 250-foot triumphal arch at Memorial Circle on Arlington Memorial Bridge.

The government submitted final renderings to the commission depicting a 250-foot arch topped with three gold statues and an eternal flame. For months, the Trump administration has barreled toward building the arch in Washington: rubber-stamping and side-stepping various federal reviews, cutting out Congress, and announcing imminent construction despite a lack of final approval and an ongoing legal battle.

Commission chair Mark Paoletta opened the hearing praising Trump. "President Trump understands as president and a superb builder that it's important to our national identity to display who we are through grand monuments," he said. Paoletta called it a "national disgrace" that a memorial arch had not been placed there, citing a 1925 law that designated such a memorial.

Trump has said the arch would include a military complex with drones and snipers that he said would be important for national security. The final plans submitted to the commission, however, do not mention drones, ammunition storage, or sniper positions.

The commission's vote was set against an active legal challenge. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ordered the government to notify the court within one hour of any arch decision by the National Capital Planning Commission, National Park Service, and Department of the Interior, and to provide notice within 30 minutes of "any activity related to or in preparation for the construction of an arch on Memorial Circle." Chutkan's order suggests she may wait to issue a ruling on construction until after the planning commission meeting, which was scheduled to adjourn at 6 p.m.

At a recent hearing, Chutkan asked why the Trump administration was so keen on moving ahead quickly despite the ongoing lawsuits, aside from Trump's "desire to bedazzle the city." Administration lawyer Robert Stander said the arch was "absolutely a high-priority project" and that any ruling delaying construction would impede the work of the government.

Asked by a reporter who the arch was for, Trump pointed to himself and said: "Me."

What to Watch

• Nov. 9: The lame-duck session begins, six days after Election Day. Massie has said the impeachment vote is a "week one" priority. Watch whether Speaker Mike Johnson calls it up or moves to table it, and how many Republicans break from the White House.
• Hegseth resignation: Trump publicly backed Hegseth on Thursday, but Republican pressure from senators including Tillis and Cruz is building. Any resignation announcement before Nov. 9 would foreclose Massie's immediate path forward.
• Judge Chutkan on the arch: A judge has been asked to block construction so long as lawsuits are still being litigated, and she could rule as early as Thursday. Her order requiring one-hour notification after any commission vote suggests she is ready to act quickly.
• Lame-duck spending deadline: Federal funding runs out on December 11 unless Congress passes full-year spending bills or another stopgap. The Hegseth fight will compete for floor time with that fiscal cliff, the farm bill, and a lapsed FISA Section 702 surveillance authority.
• Senate confirmation math: Democrats secured control of the Senate on Tuesday, a seismic shift that effectively blocks Trump's campaign to reshape the Federal Reserve and would require Democratic approval for any new Pentagon nominee if Hegseth departs after January.

Sources

• CNN: Republicans quickly turn against Pete Hegseth after midterms rout
• Roll Call: Massie vows 'week one' vote in lame duck to impeach Hegseth
• Stars and Stripes: Hegseth faces renewed impeachment push after Democratic midterm wins
• Al Jazeera: 'Knives out': Will Congress impeach Pete Hegseth after GOP midterms loss?
• Anadolu Agency: Massie to force House vote on Hegseth's impeachment unless he resigns
• The Hill: Massie says he'll move to impeach Hegseth if he's not gone after midterms
• The Washington Sun: Trump Backs Hegseth as an Impeachment 'Reckoning' Looms
• Fox News / WFMD: Hegseth faces bipartisan impeachment threat
• NPR: Trump's arch is on the verge of federal approval. But a judge could block construction
• NBC News: Trump's D.C.-area arch expected to be approved, but without sniper or drone plans
• Yahoo Finance / Stifel: Democratic takeover raises fresh questions on crypto legislation, Federal Reserve
• No Labels: The 2026 Lame-Duck Session, What Congress Still Has to Pass