Republican Congressman Thomas Massie has formally introduced a resolution to impeach U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth before the House of Representatives. The legislative move stems from allegations that the defense chief has violated the U.S. Constitution by continuing military operations against Iran for more than 90 days without explicit congressional approval.
Massie stated that Hegseth’s actions constitute a breach of the law and must be addressed through accountability measures. “By continuing military operations against Iran for more than 90 days without authorization from Congress, Secretary Hegseth is breaking the law and must be held accountable,” Massie said in his statement regarding the introduction of the articles.
The congressman submitted the resolution officially on Monday afternoon. This filing triggers a 48-hour window for the House to consider the measure. During this period, lawmakers can vote directly on the resolution, refer it to one of the relevant committees, or set it aside. The U.S. Constitution grants the House the exclusive power of impeachment, while the Senate holds the authority to conduct trials for such cases.
While the Republican majority in Congress makes the failure of this attempt highly probable, Massie indicated that the primary objective is to pressure President Donald Trump into replacing Hegseth. The lawmaker aims to preempt potential impeachment proceedings initiated by Democrats should they gain control or leverage in the future.
Hegseth dismissed the efforts to remove him as a “farce” and defended his tenure. In a video statement released last week, he argued that critics are attacking him because his administration is achieving results. “They are attacking me and attacking us because we are getting things done, but that won’t work, and we will not back down,” Hegseth declared.
If the House votes to impeach, which requires a simple majority, the matter would then move to the Senate for trial. Conviction in the Senate demands a supermajority of two-thirds of its members. The process typically begins with an investigation by a House committee, the findings of which are subsequently presented to the full chamber for a vote on specific articles of impeachment.
