US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth could face an impeachment vote in the House of Representatives as soon as the week of November 9, after Republican lawmaker Thomas Massie renewed his effort to bring charges against the Pentagon chief. The push comes in the immediate aftermath of the November 3 midterm elections, but a House impeachment vote alone would not remove Hegseth from office.
President Donald Trump said Thursday that he intends to keep Hegseth in his post. The Pentagon has rejected the accusations, describing the planned investigations as politically driven. With Republicans still controlling Congress until the newly elected lawmakers take office in January, the coming days offer an unusually direct test of support for the secretary within Trump’s own party.
Massie wants a vote when Congress returns
Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, told Roll Call before the election that he intended to pursue the impeachment measure during the first week of the post-election congressional session. On November 5, CNN reported that Massie plans to trigger a vote when lawmakers return and that several Republican sources expect the measure to pass. That expectation is not a recorded vote or a confirmed outcome.
Massie had introduced eight articles of impeachment in September. His allegations include the conduct and legal authorization of US military operations against Iran and other decisions made during Hegseth’s tenure. These remain allegations advanced by the lawmaker, not findings of wrongdoing by Congress or a court.
Massie indicated that Hegseth’s resignation would be the development that stops his renewed impeachment effort, according to Stars and Stripes.
Why the midterm result matters
The November 3 elections changed the political balance in Washington. Democrats secured control of the next House and Senate, according to the Associated Press’s November 5 election update, although individual Senate races remained unresolved. Those newly elected lawmakers will not take their seats until January 2027.
That creates two separate political calendars. The existing Republican-controlled House can consider Massie’s proposal in November or December. The incoming Democratic-led Congress can subsequently pursue investigations, committee hearings and its own impeachment proceedings. Neither situation automatically changes who serves as defense secretary.
Some Republican critics have linked the party’s election losses to the war with Iran and to Hegseth’s advice to the president. But the decision to undertake military action ultimately rests with the president as commander-in-chief; responsibility for specific decisions remains a matter of political dispute and congressional scrutiny. Axios reported renewed debate over the secretary’s position in the wake of the election.
Can Congress actually fire the defense secretary?
Yes, through the constitutional impeachment process — but not simply by passing an ordinary vote of no confidence.
The US Senate’s official explanation sets out two stages:
- House of Representatives: a simple majority can approve articles of impeachment, formally charging a federal official. That step does not remove the official from office.
- Senate: it holds a trial. Conviction, and therefore removal, requires two-thirds of senators present. If all 100 senators participate, at least 67 votes would be needed.
A majority in both chambers is therefore not, by itself, enough to dismiss Hegseth. A Senate conviction requires a much larger cross-party coalition, unless the number of participating senators changes the two-thirds threshold. The precise number of lawmakers who would support conviction is not established by the present reporting.
The president also has a separate route: Trump can decide to replace his defense secretary. A successor would ordinarily require Senate confirmation, a process that would occur under whichever Senate is in office at the relevant time.
Trump is standing by Hegseth — for now
Asked about the secretary on November 5, Trump told ABC News he had “every intention” of keeping him. Trump also acknowledged calls from people dissatisfied with Hegseth and recognized that confirming a replacement would be simpler before the change of Senate control in January.
A Pentagon spokesperson rejected the impeachment campaign as an attempt to score political points and stated that Hegseth intends to remain in office, as reported by Quartz. These responses underline the difference between a proposed investigation or impeachment and an actual decision to remove a cabinet officer.
Three developments to watch next
The next concrete milestone is whether Massie formally brings the resolution before the House in the week beginning November 9. The second is whether Republican members vote with him, rather than merely criticizing Hegseth publicly. The third is whether any impeachment measure reaches the Senate and, if so, whether senators initiate a trial.
Further into the calendar, the new Congress will assume office on January 3, 2027. Its committees can demand information about Pentagon spending and military operations, conduct oversight hearings and seek testimony. Those powers are important even if an impeachment effort does not produce a Senate conviction.
Bottom line: a House vote could come within days, but an impeachment resolution is not a dismissal. The constitutional route to removal passes through the Senate’s two-thirds threshold, while Trump retains the separate political choice of replacing the secretary himself.
For developments elsewhere in the election aftermath, see Votendi’s 2026 US midterm results live and our comparison of Senate and House election projections with results.
Sources and method: Reporting reviewed November 5, 2026: CNN (via Gray Television), ABC News, Stars and Stripes, Roll Call, Associated Press and Axios. Constitutional procedure: US Senate, About Impeachment. The article distinguishes allegations, planned proceedings and confirmed actions. Image: official US Department of Defense portrait of Pete Hegseth (2025), public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
