The key facts

  • The U.S. House of Representatives voted 211–204 to send the impeachment resolution against Pete Hegseth to committee, effectively closing the matter
  • The resolution with eight articles was introduced by Republican Thomas Massie; he was the only Republican to vote against the referral
  • Hegseth, at a Pentagon briefing, called the effort a 'farce' and a 'stunt'

The vote and the party breakdown

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday voted 211–204 to send the resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to committee — a procedure that effectively ends consideration of the initiative. Republicans backed the move 210 to one, joined by the chamber's sole independent member. All 203 Democrats who took part in the vote opposed it. The only Republican to vote against was the resolution's author, Congressman Thomas Massie.

Contents of the resolution

Massie's resolution, introduced on Monday, contained eight articles of impeachment. Hegseth is accused of: waging war against Iran without congressional authorization, extrajudicial killings in airstrikes against suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean, the unlawful detention of then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, actions against Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, and an 'illegal war' in Yemen.

The defense secretary's reaction

Even before the vote, at a Pentagon briefing on Tuesday, Hegseth rejected the very initiative. “It's a farce, and it's a stunt, and everybody knows it”, he said, adding: “These are not high crimes. This is work, and the work was done well.” The practical outcome of the vote is that the resolution goes to committee, from where, as noted, the impeachment effort will effectively not return to consideration by the full House.