Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used his first Pentagon news conference in six months to reject the eight articles of impeachment filed against him by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.
"It's a farce, and it's a stunt, and everybody knows it," Hegseth said of the effort, a day after Massie read the resolution on the House floor.
The articles accuse him of violating the 1973 War Powers Resolution in the Iran war, of extrajudicial killings tied to strikes on suspected drug boats, and of retaliating against Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., over protected speech.
Massie's measure also covers strikes in Yemen and the January operation that seized former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, according to a reading of the resolution.
The math in the House
The House votes Tuesday on a procedural motion that decides whether the resolution advances to debate and a vote.
Republicans hold a 218-214 majority, so three Republicans joining every Democrat would be enough to pass the impeachment resolution.
Three Republican Votes Decide the Hegseth Impeachment Resolution
US House seats and GOP defections needed, as of Nov. 10, 2026
Bar chart. Number of votes/seats. House Republicans: Count 218. House Democrats: Count 214. GOP Defections Needed: Count 3.
Source: CNBC, PolitiFact
Absences could matter too, since lawmakers who lost on Nov. 3 are disproportionately Republican and may skip the vote.
Conviction and removal would require a two-thirds Senate vote. No US Cabinet secretary has ever been removed, and only two have been impeached, William Belknap in 1876 and Alejandro Mayorkas in 2024.
What it means for Pentagon spending
The fight lands while the administration pushes a $1.5T defense spending package through Congress.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis said Hegseth's strained relationship with lawmakers was already undermining that push, Reuters reported.
The war itself has now passed its ninth month with no negotiations underway and intermittent fighting continuing.
For the defense industry, the stakes are timing. Hegseth has pressed lawmakers to pass a funding request to pay for the war and argued the Pentagon needs to keep rebuilding the military.
Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., expected to chair the House Armed Services Committee in January, has promised wide-ranging investigations covering the Iran war and the firing of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
An impeached secretary who stays in office faces a Senate trial that consumes floor time otherwise available for spending bills.
Hegseth defended his record. He cited more than 13K targets struck in the opening Iran campaign and more than 70 suspected drug vessels destroyed, while acknowledging 18 Americans killed in that campaign.
Trump has said he will stand by Hegseth even if the House impeaches him, though advisers have floated a replacement after Vice President JD Vance blamed the Iran war for the midterm losses.
The Defense Department says Hegseth is committed to leading the Pentagon through the end of Trump's term, a stretch that now includes a Democratic Congress from January.
