Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi missed a key vote on articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after leaving Washington, D.C., to attend a veterans event in San Francisco, where she was receiving an award.
The House voted 211-204 on Tuesday to refer eight articles of impeachment introduced by Republican Representative Thomas Massie to the House Judiciary Committee, effectively halting the effort.
Eleven Democrats , including Pelosi, were recorded as not voting. Eight additional votes against the motion would have been enough to defeat it.
Pelosi's absence was notable because the former speaker has previously called for Hegseth to leave office, saying in an October 9 social media post that he was "beyond unfit" to lead the military and declaring: "He must go."
Unlike several Democratic lawmakers who said traffic prevented them from reaching the chamber, Pelosi left the Capitol before the vote to attend Swords to Plowshares’ 30th Annual Veterans Day Celebration, described by her office as "an important and longstanding district tradition."
"Speaker Emerita Pelosi returned to San Francisco to join and honor local veterans at Swords to Plowshares’ 30th Annual Veterans Day Celebration tonight, an important and longstanding district tradition she regularly attends and will mark for the last time as a Member of Congress by receiving the Lifetime Advocate for Veterans Award," Pelosi's spokesman Ian Krager said.
Krager said Pelosi supported impeaching Hegseth and would have voted against referring the articles to committee.
The event’s official listing confirms that it was held Tuesday evening at the Julia Morgan Ballroom in San Francisco, with doors opening at 6 p.m. and remarks beginning at about 7:15 p.m. It described Pelosi as the subject of a "special tribute" recognizing her work on veterans’ rights and programs.
Swords to Plowshares said Pelosi, who is completing her final term in Congress, had worked with the organization for decades and served on its advisory board.
The group credited her with helping secure funding for veterans’ housing and supporting the PACT Act, which expanded health care and benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances.
Earlier Tuesday, Pelosi also announced legislation with Democratic Representative Kathy Castor intended to help aging veterans and veterans with disabilities remain in their homes.
"Veteran homelessness is a challenge to the conscience of our nation," Pelosi said in a public statement on the bill. "No person who served our nation in uniform should be forced to sleep on our streets because the support they earned and deserve is out of reach."
The House Clerk recorded 210 Republicans and independent Representative Kevin Kiley voting to refer the resolution to committee.
All 203 Democrats who voted opposed referral, alongside Thomas Massie, the only Republican to do so. Seven Republicans did not vote.
Massie’s resolution accused Hegseth of violating the War Powers Resolution through military operations involving Iran; failing to comply with civilian-protection requirements; directing extrajudicial killings; retaliating against Senator Mark Kelly; and conducting unlawful actions involving Venezuela and Yemen. The allegations have not been adjudicated.
Hegseth denied the allegations, describing the impeachment effort as "a farce" and "a stunt." He said the articles concerned policy disagreements rather than conduct meeting the constitutional standard of high crimes and misdemeanors.
Several Democrats said circumstances prevented them from reaching the House floor in time.
Representatives Laura Gillen, Jonathan Jackson and Melanie Stansbury said a traffic incident and a police-escorted bus delayed their journeys to the Capitol.
All three said they would have voted against referring the articles to the Judiciary Committee.
Stansbury said she reached the chamber shortly after the vote closed and subsequently recorded her intended "no" vote in the Congressional Record.
Marilyn Strickland’s office said she was caught behind a motorcade and missed the vote by one minute.
Steven Horsford was absent because of a personal emergency, according to his office, which said he supported impeaching Hegseth and would have opposed the referral motion.
Representative J. Luis Correa remained in California for a medical procedure after being advised by his doctor not to travel. He said he "vehemently" supported the impeachment effort.
No public explanations had been identified for the absences of Representatives Julia Brownley, Haley Stevens, Brittany Pettersen and Frederica Wilson as of Wednesday morning.
Newsweek contacted their offices by email and telephone on Wednesday morning seeking the reasons for their absences and asking how they would have voted and is awaiting responses.
The referral does not prevent lawmakers from starting a new impeachment effort in the next Congress. It does, however, leave the current resolution with the Judiciary Committee, which is not required to return it to the House floor.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here .
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Sam Stevenson and James Debens