Massie to Force House Vote on Impeaching Hegseth, Possibly Monday

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie is expected to reintroduce a privileged resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as soon as Monday. Once the resolution lands, the House has two legislative days to take it up — no dodging the floor. Massie, who is leaving Congress after losing his primary this summer to a Trump-backed challenger, hasn't amended the eight articles of impeachment, which run from waging war without Congress's consent to suppressing free speech.

This is round two. Massie went through the same process in mid-September only to get blocked by Speaker Mike Johnson, who canceled the final scheduled day of legislative business before the midterm elections and staved off the vote. "They will expire," Massie told ABC News on Sept. 16. "Maybe they'll grow. Maybe he'll do something between now and the election that warrants another article."

The math puts Republicans on the spot. Massie needs a simple majority, meaning just three GOP defectors joining every Democrat would get it done — and he told ABC News' Jon Karl he's confident those votes are there. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is already a "hard yes," telling "This Week" on Sunday he supports impeaching Hegseth. But allies aren't lining up: Oversight Chairman James Comer declined to back the effort, though Massie said "there's a lot of questions about" Hegseth, including his Iran strategy. Retiring Rep. Don Bacon told ABC News' Kyra Phillips on Friday he'll "weigh the debate and make a decision," adding that the secretary "has made some bad mistakes."

GOP leaders have another escape hatch: a motion to "table" the resolution instead of voting on the substance, which would also need a simple majority. The pressure is real — several Republicans blamed the party's sweeping midterm losses on the Iran war. Even if the House passes it, the GOP-controlled Senate would need two-thirds to convict, a threshold the report describes as unlikely to be met.

Hegseth isn't flinching. In a video posted Thursday, he vowed not to back down, doubling down on the Iran war and his Pentagon cultural agenda and likening his situation to Trump's two impeachments. "A disgruntled, defeated congressman, along with all his Democratic allies has also dropped sham articles of impeachment against yours truly," he said. Trump has said he has "every intention to keep" Hegseth running the Pentagon.