Eleven Democrats and seven Republicans did not vote to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on November 10. The motion for impeachment was brought by Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie but was quashed by Republicans. The ayes had 211 votes while the nays managed 204, with 18 people not voting, the US House of Representatives records showed.
The move by House Republicans means that Massie’s efforts stand killed till Democrats take over the US Congress in January 2027. Hegseth faced an impeachment motion for US military actions in the Middle East and Latin America.
Who are the eleven Democrats who did not vote?
The Democrats who did not vote to impeach Hegseth include –
- Julia Brownley of California
- J. Luis Correa of California
- Laura Gillen of New York
- Steven Horsford of Nevada
- Jonathan L. Jackson of Illinois
- Nancy Pelosi of California
- Brittany Pettersen of Colorado
- Melanie A. Stansbury of New Mexico
- Haley M. Stevens of Michigan
- Marilyn Strickland of Washington
- Frederica S. Wilson of Florida
Who are the seven Republicans who did not vote?
The Republicans who did not vote to impeach Hegseth include –
- Monica De La Cruz of Texas
- Neal P. Dunn of Florida
- Russell Fry of South Carolina
- Julia Letlow of Louisiana
- Thomas P. Tiffany of Wisconsin
- Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin
- Rudy Yakym III of Indiana
Massie was the only Republican to vote for Hegseth’s impeachment. GOP leaders forced a procedural vote in order to block the quick consideration of the impeachment measure which Massie had introduced on Monday. This sends the measure to the Judiciary Committee where it is expected to languish.
While there was speculation of President Donald Trump removing Hegseth from the Defense Secretary role after Republicans took a drubbing in the US midterm elections, the president has come out strongly in support of the former Fox News host. Trump said that Hegseth had won two wars, even as his own Vice President JD Vance appeared to blame the war in Iran for the Republicans’ poor election performance.
Hegseth, meanwhile, had called a Pentagon news conference early Tuesday where he cast the impeachment motion as a politicized attack on US troops and on lawful military operations ordered by Trump. Hegseth’s tenure has also been marked by pushing out high-ranking officers, rhetorical attacks on “woke” diversity initiatives and transgender troops. It has also seen the rapid depletion of key munitions due to the conflict in the Middle East. Hegseth has also reportedly irritated key members of Congress with his lack of transparency about the progress of the war, its cost and its casualties, Bloomberg noted.