A Republican on his way out of Congress is forcing a vote on eight charges against the defense secretary, starting with an Iran war Congress never approved.
By Joseph Jackson | TAMPA (Nov. 9, 2026)
The short version
What happened: Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., filed eight articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the House floor Monday.
When is the vote: House leaders have two legislative days to act. A vote has to come by Wednesday.
What leaders can do: Hold a straight vote, move to table (kill) the articles, or send them back to committee. Every option is a recorded vote.
Where it stands: Democrats are expected to vote yes. Some Republicans say they are open to it. Hegseth calls it a "sham."
Why it matters: If it passes, Hegseth becomes only the third Cabinet secretary in U.S. history to be impeached.
The latest
Rep. Thomas Massie stood on the House floor Monday afternoon and read out a 34-page resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. (CBS News)
It is a privileged resolution, a rule that forces House leaders to act within two legislative days. That puts a vote on the calendar by Wednesday. (CNN)
Leaders have three choices: an up-or-down vote on the articles, a motion to table them, or a motion to send them back to committee. (MS NOW) Each of those is a vote too, so every member of the House will be on the record.
"Secretary Hegseth is breaking the law and must be held accountable," Massie said in a statement. (Rep. Massie)
The eight charges
Massie accuses Hegseth of "high crimes and misdemeanors." Here is what each article says, in plain English (full list from Massie's office):
Starting the Iran war illegally. No declaration of war, no vote by Congress, no attack on the United States and no imminent threat.
Ignoring Congress's order to stop. Both chambers passed a resolution, H. Con. Res. 86, directing U.S. forces to withdraw. The war kept going.
Blowing past the legal deadline. The War Powers Resolution allows 60 days, plus 30 to pull out, without Congress's approval. The Iran war ran past both.
Ignoring laws meant to protect civilians. CBS reports this article cites a strike on an Iranian school. (CBS News)
The boat strikes. Replacing drug interdiction with lethal military strikes that the article says killed at least 243 people, including strikes on survivors and failing to rescue people in the water.
Going after Sen. Mark Kelly. Using Pentagon power to retaliate against the Arizona Democrat for saying troops can refuse unlawful orders.
The Maduro raid. Ordering the operation to seize Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, without legal authority.
Yemen. Launching an operation there without Congress's approval and without filing the required war powers reports.
His second try
Massie offered impeachment articles in September, but Speaker Mike Johnson adjourned the House before a vote could happen. (Yahoo News) Massie lost his primary in May to a Trump-backed challenger and leaves Congress in January.
He refiled Monday with updated articles to meet House rules. He also urged President Trump to replace Hegseth now, while Republicans still control the Senate and can confirm someone new. Massie called his effort "a much gentler version of what's coming" when Democrats take over Congress in January. (Rep. Massie)
Who is for it, who is against it
Democrats: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told ABC's "This Week" he is a "hard yes." Democrats are expected to vote nearly as a bloc. (CBS News)
Republicans: The GOP majority is narrow, so a handful of Republican votes could decide it. Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., told CBS there are "a lot of questions" about Hegseth and the lack of a clear Iran strategy. Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., said he is undecided and wants to hear the debate. (CBS News) Two Republicans told MS NOW they think the articles would pass if they reach a floor vote. (MS NOW)
Massie answered colleagues who say they will vote no because they like Hegseth's results. "That's not the question," he wrote on X. The question, he said, is whether Hegseth committed impeachable acts: "yes, eight times." (CBS News)
Hegseth: He called the articles a "sham" from a "disgruntled, defeated congressman" and Democrats, and said it "won't work with me." (CBS News) His aides are circulating four pages of talking points to allies that call Massie a "rogue legislator," The Washington Post reported. (The Washington Post)
Trump: On Sunday, the president called Hegseth and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. "very fine people" and told Democrats to "get back to the country." (CNN) Last week, CBS reported Trump had privately asked aides whether Hegseth should stay, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis floated as a replacement. (FMNN, Nov. 6)
What impeachment does, and what it doesn't
Impeachment is a charge, not a conviction. If the House impeaches, the Senate holds a trial. Removing Hegseth takes two-thirds of senators. The Senate can also vote to bar him from ever holding federal office again.
Only two Cabinet secretaries have been impeached before (CBS News):
William Belknap, secretary of war, in 1876, over corruption. The Senate acquitted him.
Alejandro Mayorkas, homeland security secretary, in 2024, over the border. The Senate dismissed the charges.
What to watch
By Wednesday: whether Speaker Johnson allows a straight vote or tries to table or refer the articles.
Republican votes: Comer, Hill, and members who lost their seats last week.
The Senate: if the House impeaches, whether the Republican-run Senate holds a trial before January or leaves it to the new Senate.
The White House: whether Trump replaces Hegseth before the vote, as Massie urged.
This story will be updated as the vote happens.
Related reading
Impeach Hegseth? Here's the Bill: $47.1 Billion, 18 Dead, 81 Aircraft (Nov. 5)
Trump Weighs Replacing Hegseth With DeSantis as Impeachment Vote Nears (Nov. 6)
Opinion | Impeach Pete Hegseth. Then Prosecute Him. (Nov. 5)
Sources
Rep. Thomas Massie press release, Nov. 9 — https://massie.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=395863
CBS News — https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pete-hegseth-impeachment-vote-house-thomas-massie/
CNN live updates, Nov. 9 — https://www.cnn.com/2026/11/09/politics/live-news/midterm-election-trump-congress
CNN live updates, Nov. 8 — https://www.cnn.com/2026/11/08/politics/live-news/midterm-election-trump-congress
The Washington Post, talking points — https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/11/09/hegseths-team-gives-talking-points-allies-before-expected-impeachment-vote/
Yahoo News, September attempt — https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/house-republican-sets-off-hegseth-192236782.html
MS NOW — https://www.ms.now/news/rep-thomas-massie-moves-to-force-vote-on-hegseth-impeachment