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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
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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
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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
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Watch: Moment Thomas Massie introduces articles of impeachment against Pete Hegseth
A Republican congressman plans to force a vote in the House of Representatives this week to impeach Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, alleging he has violated the US Constitution.
"By engaging in hostilities in Iran for more than 90 days without congressional authorisation, Secretary Hegseth is breaking the law and must be held accountable," Representative Thomas Massie said.
The effort will likely fail, as Republicans remain in power in Congress until January. But Massie says the effort is aimed at pushing President Donald Trump to replace Hegseth before Democrats can launch their own impeachment process.
Hegseth has called the impeachment effort a "sham" and defended his record.
"You see, they attack me. They attack us because we are effective," he said in a video statement last week. "It's not going to work. We will not back down."
He called Massie a "disgruntled, defeated congressman" and said he was not concerned about the impeachment effort. In the video, Hegseth defended his leadership of the department and listed ways he has fulfilled Trump's America First agenda.
Massie formally introduced his articles of impeachment in a resolution on the House floor on Monday afternoon. The move starts a 48-hour clock for the chamber to take up the measure. Lawmakers could vote on the resolution directly, vote to refer it to committee or to set it aside.
"I'm doing this because it's the right thing to do," he told reporters after introducing the articles.
Massie, who lost re-election earlier this year, has been critical of Trump and the war in Iran since it started nearly nine months ago. He has previously garnered headlines over demanding the Trump administration release the files related to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Kentucky congressman first introduced impeachment articles in September and has now brought them back in the wake of Republicans losing control of both the House and Senate in last week's midterm elections.
He has said the effort was aimed at preventing a Democrat spectacle next year when they have control of Congress. He said he hoped to force Trump to name a replacement, who could be quickly confirmed while Republicans have power.
"My effort to impeach Secretary Hegseth is a much gentler version of what's coming when the Democrats assume control of the House and Senate next year," Massie also said in a statement. "They will hold hearings and trials."
Democratic leadership has signalled openness to such an effort against Hegseth once they take control in January.
Asked about the effort on Monday, Hegseth said, "We're not worried about that".
He said he planned to hold a news conference on Tuesday to discuss the subject.
Impeaching a cabinet secretary is rare. It must be approved by both chambers for the secretary to be removed from office.
Trump was impeached by the House twice in his first term in office but was cleared by the Senate after two trials and not removed.
As with the presidential process, the House would first hold a vote on charges against Hegseth and the Senate then would conduct a trial to decide whether to acquit or convict.
The House has voted to impeach only two cabinet members in US history, but the Senate did not convict either one.
While impeachment has been "an incredibly rare process", it has become far more normalised since the House impeached President Bill Clinton in 1998, said Paul Gowder, a law professor at Northwestern University in Chicago.
He said it has become "much more common as the country has become more politically polarised," adding a prediction that several more of Trump's cabinet members may face impeachment over the next two years.
Massie told reporters he was not sure if the measure had sufficient backing to pass. It would need a majority to pass the House and even with all Democratic support, it would still likely need some Republican support as the party holds a slim majority.
Peter Loge, a professor of public affairs at George Washington University, told the BBC that he believed it was likely to pass due to those slim margins.
"There are enough angry Republicans that more than enough Republicans are gonna simply not show up to vote," he said.
Currently, there are 218 Republicans and 214 Democrats in the House.
While the House requires a simple majority to pass articles of impeachment, the Senate mandates a two-thirds vote to convict, threshold that is difficult to meet in the current congressional term.
When Democrats take over in January, they are likely to have at least 54 Senate seats - though two races do not yet have winners due to slim voting margins. A total of 60 votes will be required to convict and remove an official from office.
Top House Democrat 'a hard yes' on impeaching Hegseth
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