The House voted 211–204 on Nov. 10 to send Rep. Thomas Massie’s resolution seeking the impeachment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to the House Judiciary Committee. The referral effectively halted immediate consideration of the measure; lawmakers did not hold a direct vote on whether to impeach Hegseth.

What the House vote decided

The motion to refer the resolution passed 211–204. Rep. Massie was the only Republican to oppose the referral, according to CBS News and Reuters. The House Clerk’s official roll call records the vote as a motion to refer the impeachment resolution to Judiciary.

That distinction matters: impeachment requires the House to approve articles of impeachment. The Nov. 10 action instead routed Massie’s resolution to committee and ended its immediate path to a floor decision. The Senate did not consider removal from office.

A measure built around disputes over the Iran war

Massie’s resolution accused Hegseth of misconduct connected to the administration’s Iran war policy and other military actions. Those points are allegations in the resolution, not findings established by the House vote. Hegseth rejected the effort, describing it as political opposition to policy decisions, CBS reported.

The vote followed Massie’s public push to bring the resolution forward as lawmakers returned to Washington. Globuzz covered that pre-vote effort in its earlier report on Massie’s renewed impeachment push.

What happens next

The referral stopped the current resolution from receiving an immediate impeachment vote. It does not itself remove Hegseth or settle the underlying disputes. CBS reported that Democrats could revisit the issue after taking control of the House in January, while Massie said he would not introduce another impeachment resolution. Any future action would require a separate decision by lawmakers.

Image: AI-generated editorial illustration of Pete Hegseth in a neutral briefing setting; it does not depict the House vote.

Sources

CBS News: House blocks Massie’s effort to impeach Hegseth
Reuters: House votes to derail Hegseth impeachment effort (syndicated by Investing.com)
U.S. House Clerk: Roll call 317