US House blocks impeachment resolution against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

Republicans in the United States House of Representatives have blocked an effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, rte.ie reported. The House voted 211 to 204 to send the impeachment resolution to the House Judiciary Committee, which effectively derailed the planned action. [3]

The resolution followed eight articles of impeachment introduced by Republican Representative Thomas Massie, as FTMQ News reported earlier. Massie accused Hegseth of abusing his powers and illegally waging military action in Iran without congressional authorization. The BBC and the New York Post both reported that Massie led the push for the impeachment vote. [1][11][16]

During a press conference at the Pentagon, Hegseth denounced the impeachment push, thejournal.ie and Al Jazeera both reported. Thejournal.ie reported that Hegseth called the effort a farce, a stunt, slander, and sabotage, while defending his record leading military operations in Iran under President Donald Trump. [4][6]

President Trump and the White House supported Hegseth against the impeachment effort, the New York Post reported. The outlet noted that Trump posted on Truth Social praising Hegseth for his defense against Massie, while Vice President JD Vance pointed out that lawmakers had also failed in past attempts to impeach Trump. [1]

Peter Brian Hegseth has served as the 29th United States secretary of defense since 2025 [13]. The House vote to refer the resolution to committee came just days after a party defeat for Republicans in the midterm elections, according to rte.ie. [3][13]