House sends Hegseth impeachment to committee, ending the effort

The House on Tuesday voted to send a Republican-led impeachment resolution against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to committee, a move that effectively ends the push for the remainder of this Congress.

The motion to refer H. Res. 1655 passed 211-204 at 6:02 PM ET, according to the official roll call. It was not a vote to impeach or acquit Hegseth; it shelved the articles by moving them off the floor.

How did the vote unfold?

The House confronted a procedural question: whether to refer H. Res. 1655, which accused Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of high crimes and misdemeanors, to committee. At 6:02 PM ET on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, lawmakers voted 211 yeas to 204 nays, with no members voting “present” and 18 not voting, to approve the referral.

The party breakdown underscores how the Republican-led chamber disposed of the measure. Republicans cast 210 yeas, 1 nay, and 7 not voting. Democrats registered 203 nays, 11 not voting, and no yeas. One independent voted yea. The tally appears in the official Clerk of the House record as Roll Call 317, 119th Congress, 2nd Session.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who authored and filed the impeachment resolution, was the sole Republican voting against referral—effectively voting to keep the impeachment effort alive on the floor. By contrast, the overwhelming share of Republicans joined with one independent in voting to send the resolution to committee, while nearly all Democrats voted no on referral, preferring to leave the resolution on the floor where it could have been voted down or otherwise disposed of.

What does “refer to committee” mean in this case?

A motion to refer a privileged impeachment resolution to committee places the measure off the floor and into a committee’s jurisdiction. In practice, this step is commonly understood to halt action for the remainder of the current Congress unless leadership or the committee later acts. In this case, the referral effectively ends the impeachment push against Hegseth for the rest of this session. The fact sheet notes the move is not a vote that “impeaches” or “acquits” Hegseth. Impeachment and removal are distinct steps; the articles are allegations, not findings of guilt.

Because Democrats are set to take control of the House in January and have said they plan to undertake investigations, and because the current session is nearing its end, NPR has reported the Hegseth measure is virtually guaranteed not to be taken up before this session expires.

Who brought the articles—and why was a vote required?

Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, authored the resolution and filed it as a privileged measure. Filing the resolution as privileged forced floor consideration within two legislative days. According to the fact sheet, this was Massie’s second attempt to force action. In an earlier effort before the election, Speaker Mike Johnson called a recess to avoid a pre-election vote, which caused the first resolution to expire. The Tuesday vote came as the second privileged attempt reached the floor and House leaders opted to refer it.

What was in Massie’s impeachment articles?

Massie’s resolution contained eight articles—allegations that, taken together, he said amounted to high crimes and misdemeanors by the Secretary of Defense. As summarized in the fact sheet, the articles alleged:

• Waging the Iran war without a declaration or authorization by Congress.
• Continuing hostilities after congressional direction and after the War Powers Resolution’s 60-day period.
• Violations of civilian-casualty laws.
• Maritime lethal operations against suspected drug traffickers, including secondary strikes and alleged no-rescue orders.
• The seizure and deposition of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
• Alleged retaliation against Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.
• Operations in Yemen.

These are allegations contained in the text of the resolution; the House did not adjudicate their truth. Referring the resolution to committee does not indicate either acceptance or rejection of the claims. It moves the matter away from immediate floor action, and, as the fact sheet notes, effectively kills the push for the remainder of this Congress.

How did Hegseth respond before the vote?

Before the vote, Hegseth spoke at a Pentagon briefing on Nov. 10 and called the impeachment drive a “farce” and a “stunt.” Those remarks were reported earlier Tuesday and are discussed in NewsCubby’s same-day coverage: Hegseth calls impeachment push a ‘farce’ as House action nears. The Defense Secretary has also had the backing of President Trump, who has continued to support him.

Why did Massie vote against referral if Republicans led the move?

As the author of the impeachment resolution, Massie opposed referral because it would remove the measure from the floor and, in practical terms, stop it from advancing this session. His “nay” on referral aligned with his intent to keep the resolution active for immediate consideration, even as most Republicans voted to send it to committee and effectively put it on hold for the rest of the Congress.

How does this outcome fit the broader political context?

The House remains under Republican control through the end of the current Congress, with Democrats set to take the gavel in January. Democrats have said they plan to conduct investigations after they assume the majority. Against that backdrop, Tuesday’s vote to refer the Hegseth impeachment resolution to committee functionally ends the current GOP-led push. The fact sheet also notes that NPR reports the measure is virtually guaranteed not to be taken up before this session expires.

For additional context on House leadership dynamics during this period, see NewsCubby’s coverage here: Minority leader and leadership positioning. And for the policy and scheduling pressures shaping the lame-duck calendar, see: Congress returns with a December funding deadline.

What happens to the resolution now?

By approving the motion to refer, the House places H. Res. 1655 with committee, where it is not expected to advance during this Congress. As the fact sheet states, the referral effectively kills the impeachment effort for the remainder of the session. With the calendar running down and a new majority arriving in January, action before adjournment is virtually off the table.

What the numbers say about support and opposition

The recorded vote shows how each side approached the procedural question. Among Republicans, 210 voted to refer, 1 voted against, and 7 did not vote. Democrats unified in opposition to referral with 203 nays, and 11 did not vote; none voted to refer. One independent voted to refer. No members voted “present.” The sum produced a 211-204 passage on the motion.

Those numbers reflect vote choices on the procedural disposition of the resolution, not on the merits of the allegations or the ultimate question of impeachment. The House did not reach a vote on adopting articles; it voted on whether to move the resolution into committee.

What did leadership do the first time—and what changed?

This was the second attempt by Massie to force action using a privileged resolution. On the first try, before the election, Speaker Mike Johnson called a recess to avoid a pre-election vote, allowing that version to expire. On the second attempt, House leaders made a different calculation: bring the motion to refer to the floor and vote to send the resolution to committee.

While the reasons for those tactical decisions are not detailed in the fact sheet, the outcomes are clear. The first effort lapsed without a floor disposition; the second was referred to committee by the chamber, effectively ending it for the rest of the Congress.

What’s in play in the articles—at a glance

The eight articles raised a wide spectrum of national security and use-of-force issues as allegations against Hegseth. They encompassed claimed violations or overreach involving hostilities without congressional authorization, continued operations beyond the War Powers Resolution’s 60-day clock, and compliance with civilian-casualty laws. They also alleged maritime lethal actions against suspected drug traffickers, including references to secondary strikes and purported orders not to conduct rescues, as well as actions described as the seizure and deposition of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The resolution further alleged retaliation against Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and included operations in Yemen among the claims.

The House’s referral does not establish findings on these allegations. As noted above, impeachment articles are accusations; they are not themselves determinations of guilt.

What’s next

With the motion to refer passed, H. Res. 1655 moves off the floor and to committee, where it is effectively dormant for the rest of this Congress. As Democrats prepare to take control of the House in January and have promised investigations, attention could shift to their oversight plans in the new Congress rather than to advancing the current resolution.

For continuing coverage of the day’s developments, see NewsCubby’s earlier report: Hegseth calls impeachment push a ‘farce’ as House action nears. For related House leadership coverage, visit: Leadership changes and positioning. And for the broader legislative calendar pressures, see: December funding deadline ahead.

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