Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, stood on the House floor on Monday and read out eight articles of impeachment against Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. He then filed them as a privileged resolution, which means House leaders must take it up within two legislative days. A vote could come as early as Wednesday.
What Massie filed on Monday
Massie introduced the resolution as lawmakers returned to Washington for the lame-duck session. It is his second attempt in two months, after he first filed the articles on September 15. The 34-page resolution charges Hegseth with high crimes and misdemeanors. According to a summary released by Massie's office, the charges centre on the war in Iran, deadly strikes on boats suspected of drug trafficking, military operations in Yemen and Venezuela, and retaliation against Senator Mark Kelly. The articles are allegations in a political charging document. They are not findings by a court, a military tribunal or an inspector general, and Hegseth has not been charged with any crime.
Three of the eight articles concern the war in Iran. The first charges Hegseth with waging the war without a declaration of war, statutory authorisation, an attack on the United States or an imminent threat, which the resolution argues made the war unlawful from its first day. Hostilities began on February 28, 2026, according to the articles. The second article says Hegseth continued the war after both chambers of Congress passed H. Con. Res. 86, a concurrent resolution directing the removal of US forces. The third says he kept forces in hostilities past the War Powers Resolution's 60-day termination clock and its additional 30-day withdrawal window. In a statement, Massie said that by engaging in hostilities in Iran for more than 90 days without congressional authorisation, Hegseth was breaking the law and must be held accountable.
Civilian casualties in the articles
The articles also accuse Hegseth of ignoring laws designed to minimise civilian casualties. They cite a Tomahawk strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab, Iran. According to the articles, at least 156 civilians were killed in that strike, including at least 120 schoolchildren. The articles further accuse Hegseth of replacing maritime law enforcement with lethal military strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats. CNN reported that at least 80 vessels have been destroyed and 243 people killed in those operations since they began last September, with the Pentagon not providing public evidence for its claims against the people killed. The articles also cover Operation Rough Rider in Yemen, with more than 1,100 strikes over about 52 days from March 15, 2025, and the capture of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro.
Because Massie raised the resolution as a question of privilege, House rules require leaders to act on it within two legislative days. The Republican-controlled House could vote as early as Wednesday, and some lawmakers from Trump's party have signalled they might join Democrats in supporting the charges. Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is expected to become speaker in January, told ABC News he was a "hard yes" on the resolution. But impeachment would not automatically remove Hegseth from office. That would require a trial and conviction by a two-thirds majority in the Senate, a far higher hurdle even after Democrats take control of the chamber in January. Only two Cabinet secretaries have been impeached in US history, and neither was removed by the Senate.
Hegseth and Trump push back
Hegseth has dismissed the impeachment effort as a "sham", calling Massie "disgruntled" and accusing his opponents of pursuing political destruction, according to TRT World. The Pentagon has rejected the accusations. President Donald Trump has publicly stood by his defence chief, declaring last week, "I have every intention to keep him." The Pentagon has announced a rare press briefing by Hegseth scheduled for Tuesday. Massie, an outspoken critic of Trump, lost his own primary this spring to a candidate backed by the president, and he is using a special congressional procedure to force the House to consider his resolution.
The impeachment push has gathered momentum since the midterm elections, when Democrats swept both chambers of Congress amid anger over the Iran war and soaring fuel prices. Republicans retain control of Congress until the newly elected lawmakers take office on January 3, but their defeat has fuelled recriminations and weakened party discipline. Some Republican lawmakers who lost their seats could also skip votes, which could make it easier for the measure to pass. Several Republicans have expressed dissatisfaction with Hegseth's leadership without committing to impeaching him. Arkansas congressman French Hill said on Sunday he wanted to hear the debate before deciding whether the accusations justified impeachment.
What the vote will decide
The House vote this week will decide whether the charges go forward, not whether Hegseth is guilty of them. If the House votes to impeach, the case moves to the Senate for trial. If it votes the resolution down, Massie's second attempt fails like his first. Either way, the vote will force every member of the House to take a public position on the Iran war, the boat strikes and the limits of presidential war powers, just as the new Congress prepares to take office.
