Republicans in the US House of Representatives have blocked an attempt to impeach US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, averting a politically damaging confrontation for US President Donald Trump just days after his party suffered a major defeat in the midterm elections. The House voted 211 to 204 on Tuesday evening (10 November) to refer the impeachment resolution introduced by Republican Congressman Thomas Massie to the Judiciary Committee, effectively preventing a vote on the substance of the allegations. Trump celebrated the outcome and launched another attack on Massie, describing him as a “major loser”.

The result was a notable demonstration of Republican unity despite the party’s internal divisions following its electoral defeat. However, the narrow margin and the absence of 11 Democratic lawmakers have emerged as significant details of the vote, with Reuters reporting that the procedural motion would have failed had just eight of those Democrats been present and voted against it. Reuters+1

According to the official House voting record, 210 Republicans supported the motion, while Massie was the only Republican to oppose it. All 203 Democrats who participated voted against referring the resolution to committee, alongside Massie. One independent lawmaker supported the Republican motion, while seven Republicans and 11 Democrats did not vote. The final result allowed the Republican leadership to prevent a direct impeachment vote. clerk.house.gov+1

BREAKING: Thomas Massie’s resolution to impeach Pete Hegseth fails in the House 211-204, after 11 Democrats failed to show up for the vote. If those 11 Democrats had showed up, Hegseth would have been impeached 215-211. https://t.co/jjNmTTj6wf

— Power to the People ☭🕊 (@ProudSocialist) November 10, 2026

The 11 absent Democrats and the votes that could have changed the outcome

The absence of Democratic lawmakers proved decisive. According to Reuters, eight additional votes against the motion would have been sufficient to defeat it, potentially clearing the way for the House to consider the eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth.

Among those absent was former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Her spokesman, Ian Krager, told Reuters that Pelosi had returned to San Francisco to attend an annual event honouring military veterans, adding that she would have voted against the procedural motion had she been present.

The motion was introduced by Republican Congressman Darrell Issa of California, who sought to send Massie’s resolution to the House Judiciary Committee. The decision effectively shelves the initiative for the remainder of the current Congress, although it does not constitute a formal finding that Hegseth committed no wrongdoing.

Trump: ‘The impeachment attempt has miserably failed’

Minutes after the vote, Donald Trump reacted on Truth Social, presenting the outcome as a personal and political victory.

“The Democrats’ attempt to Impeach Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has miserably FAILED! Every Republican, except for Thomas Massie, a major loser, voted for Pete,” the US president wrote, even though the impeachment resolution had been introduced by Massie, a Republican congressman from Kentucky.

Trump went on to cite what he considers his administration’s military successes, particularly in Venezuela and Iran, as well as recruitment figures and morale within the US armed forces, to defend Hegseth.

“Again, the victories in Venezuela and Iran, the best recruiting numbers in military history (with long waiting lists to join!), and morale like we have rarely seen before, led to the EXONERATION of a Great American Patriot,” Trump wrote, before accusing Democrats of exploiting and weaponising American institutions and concluding with his familiar slogan, “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Trump attacks Massie as Hegseth dismisses impeachment as a political stunt

Trump had already expressed his public support for the defence secretary on Monday evening, attacking Thomas Massie, who has repeatedly clashed with the president over foreign policy and federal spending.

The president described Massie as a failed Republican congressman attempting to remove what he claimed was one of the country’s most successful military leaders. Speaking to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Trump also made clear that he would continue supporting Hegseth even if impeachment proceedings moved forward.

Hegseth himself addressed the controversy during a rare Pentagon press conference on Tuesday, his first in six months, dismissing the allegations as a political spectacle.

“It’s a farce, and it’s a stunt, and everybody knows it,” the defence secretary said, defending the military operations carried out under his leadership. “I stand behind every one of these operations,” he added. “I was proud to execute them, and I would do it again tomorrow.” OPB+2

Behind the scenes, Republican congressional leaders and White House officials had been working to secure sufficient attendance for the vote, fearing that the party’s narrow majority and internal disagreements could allow the impeachment resolution to advance.

What Hegseth was accused of in the eight impeachment articles

Massie’s resolution contained eight articles of impeachment alleging serious abuses of power, including violations of congressional war powers and unlawful military operations.

The allegations centred on the US military campaign against Iran, which began without a formal declaration of war by Congress, as well as operations in Yemen, American strikes against vessels suspected of drug trafficking in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January 2026.

The resolution also challenged Hegseth’s actions against Democratic Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, following Kelly’s participation in a video reminding US service personnel that they were not required to obey unlawful orders.

Massie argued that Hegseth had exceeded his constitutional authority and carried out military operations without the necessary congressional authorisation. The defence secretary rejected those accusations, maintaining that his orders and the operations conducted under his command were lawful. Reuters+2

The impeachment effort was particularly significant because Hegseth would have become the first US defence secretary to be impeached. The last impeachment of a civilian leader of the US military occurred in 1876, when William Belknap served as secretary of war. Reuters

Pentagon declares ‘total victory’ for Hegseth

The Pentagon welcomed the result, with chief spokesman Sean Parnell describing the referral of the impeachment resolution to committee as a “TOTAL VICTORY” in a post on X.

Parnell argued that the initiative had been a political exercise lacking substance, evidence or seriousness, claiming that it had collapsed in the face of Hegseth’s record at the Pentagon.

He credited the defence secretary with restoring the military’s warrior ethos, delivering results and placing the mission first, insisting that the American public recognised those achievements.

US Vice President JD Vance also defended Hegseth, arguing that the impeachment effort was politically motivated rather than justified by any wrongdoing.

“Has Pete Hegseth committed impeachable crimes? The question is absurd and the answer is: obviously not,” Vance wrote on X on Tuesday.

He accused Congress of allowing impeachment proceedings to become a substitute for meaningful policymaking and argued that lawmakers had other mechanisms available to challenge government decisions. The Guardian+1

Massie compares Republicans to passengers aboard the Titanic

Following the vote, Massie expressed disappointment that no other Republican had joined him in opposing the procedural motion.

Speaking to Reuters, the Kentucky congressman compared his colleagues to passengers aboard the Titanic who knew the vessel was sinking but had chosen to remain on board.

“They know it’s a sinking ship but committed to stay on board,” Massie said.

The result also highlighted the reluctance of Republicans to challenge Trump directly, despite disagreements over the war in Iran and Hegseth’s handling of the Pentagon. Even Republicans who have criticised the administration’s military policy declined to support impeachment. Reuters

Democrats prepare for investigations when they take control in January

Although the procedural vote effectively prevents the current impeachment initiative from advancing before the end of the congressional session, the controversy surrounding Hegseth is far from over.

Democrats, who won control of both chambers of Congress in the November midterm elections, are expected to launch investigations into the Pentagon after assuming their majorities in January 2027.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has already backed the impeachment effort, accusing Hegseth of abusing his power, undermining national security and helping to engineer a costly war against Iran.

Speaking to PBS on Tuesday, Jeffries described himself as a firm supporter of the resolution, while telling Reuters that discussions over a new impeachment effort would take place at the appropriate time.

A Democratic-controlled House could summon senior military officers to testify, including generals and admirals dismissed by Hegseth, and examine the administration’s handling of the Iran war, its approach to Ukraine and military strikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels.

The issue is also likely to remain politically sensitive because of public opposition to the Iran war. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday found that a majority of Americans wanted the incoming Congress to act to end the conflict, which has entered its ninth month.

For now, Tuesday’s vote gives Hegseth a reprieve and allows Trump to claim a political victory. However, with Democrats preparing to assume control of Congress and the defence secretary’s policies facing renewed scrutiny, the prospect of fresh impeachment proceedings in 2027 remains open. Reuters+2