US House begins vote on motion to advance impeachment of Pete Hegseth

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkA lone protester holds an 'Impeach Hegseth' sign on the grounds of the US Capitol ahead of a procedural vote related to the potential impeachment of US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Washington, DC, US, November 10, 2026 [Jonathan Ernst/Reuters]By Al Jazeera Staff and The Associated PressPublished On 10 Nov 202610 Nov 2026A vote on whether to move forward with the impeachment of Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has began in the US House of Representatives, following a midterm election in which voters vented frustrations over the Iran war Hegseth has helped spearhead.The procedural vote on Tuesday will decide whether to block the resolution, brought by Republican Representative Thomas Massie, or proceed to a final vote on Wednesday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3US congressman files resolution to impeach Defence Secretary Pete Hegsethlist 2 of 3Hegseth impeachment: What is he accused of, and could he be removed?list 3 of 3‘Another round of war less likely’: Momentum builds for peace in Iranend of listDemocratic representatives are expected to support the measure, setting up a test for whether Republican lawmakers will break with the Trump administration and seek to distance themselves from the unpopular war after a rebuke at the polls.Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries has said that he is a “hard yes” on the resolution.Massie’s resolution includes eight separate counts of impeachment, accusing the combative Pentagon chief of launching an illegal war against Iran without congressional approval and overseeing a campaign of strikes targeting alleged drug trafficking vessels that legal scholars say are extrajudicial killings.Hegseth has denounced the resolution as “sabotage” and a “farce” while Trump and prominent members of his administration have expressed their continued support for him. Speculation about Hegseth’s position within the administration has circulated as polls suggest that voters partly blame the war for surging prices of things like gasoline and groceries and has grown stronger after Republicans faced punishing losses in the midterm elections.“Is he being truthful in the way the war is going?” outgoing Republican Senator Joni Ernst said of Hegseth on Tuesday.