Photo: Rep. Thomas Massie in an official portrait, circa 2025. House Creative Services, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain in the United States. Archive image, not a photograph of the November 10 vote.
WASHINGTON, November 10, 2026. The House of Representatives sent Rep. Thomas Massie’s impeachment resolution against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, blocking an immediate floor decision on the charges.
The referral passed 211–204, according to The Wall Street Journal’s report. Massie was the only Republican to oppose the referral, according to the Guardian.
A referral, not an impeachment verdict
The House Clerk’s official floor record confirms that Rep. Darrell Issa moved to refer H.Res. 1655 to the Judiciary Committee at 5:34 p.m. Eastern. The House agreed to that motion at 6:02 p.m., in Roll Call 317.
The distinction matters: members voted on where the resolution would go, not on whether to approve its eight articles of impeachment. Hegseth was not impeached by Tuesday’s vote, and the House did not issue a finding on the allegations.
A subsequent motion to reconsider was laid on the table without objection. That was a separate procedural step, not a vote to table the impeachment resolution itself. The resolution’s immediate destination is the Judiciary Committee.
What Massie’s articles allege
Massie, a Kentucky Republican who serves on the Judiciary Committee, announced the renewed push on November 9. His charges center on the administration’s use of military force and the limits Congress places on it.
Three articles allege violations of the War Powers Resolution in Iran: beginning hostilities without congressional authorization, continuing them after Congress directed withdrawal, and exceeding statutory deadlines. Other articles concern civilian protections, lethal strikes against suspected drug traffickers, alleged retaliation against Sen. Mark Kelly, the operation to seize Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores in Venezuela, and military action in Yemen.
These are allegations advanced by Massie, not established findings of misconduct. Hegseth disputes that the operations were unlawful.
The Pentagon’s response
Speaking before the vote at a Pentagon news conference, Hegseth called the effort “a farce” and “a stunt.” He argued that the articles reflected policy disagreements rather than impeachable offenses and said the military operations had been ordered by President Donald Trump, reported to Congress and lawfully carried out.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell called it “total victory” and said the committee should end the effort, the Guardian reported.
What happens next
The referral stops this immediate route to a floor vote, but it is not a Senate acquittal or a permanent prohibition on further impeachment action.
Under the constitutional impeachment process, the House can approve articles by a simple majority. A separate Senate trial would follow, and conviction requires two-thirds of senators present. Removal from office follows conviction, not merely the introduction or referral of articles.
This report reflects the November 10 House referral vote and the Pentagon’s initial response.
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