House Refers Hegseth Impeachment Resolution 211–204

Key takeaways

• The House voted 211–204 on November 10, 2026, to refer Rep. Thomas Massie's impeachment resolution against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to the House Judiciary Committee.

• The vote was on a motion to refer the resolution, not on whether to impeach Hegseth; 18 representatives did not vote.

• The next developments to watch are whether the Judiciary Committee takes up the measure and whether lawmakers pursue the separate war-powers vote Massie said he planned to seek.

The House of Representatives voted on November 10, 2026, to send a resolution seeking the impeachment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to the Judiciary Committee, with the motion passing 211–204. The vote did not impeach Hegseth or send articles of impeachment to the Senate; it decided how the House would handle the resolution.

What happened in the House vote?

The House Clerk's official record identifies the vote as Roll Call 317 on H.Res. 1655. The question was whether to agree to a motion to refer the resolution, which Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, introduced on November 10.

The motion passed 211–204. The Clerk's breakdown shows 210 Republicans and one independent voted yes, while 203 Democrats and one Republican voted no. Eighteen members did not vote.

That split is central to understanding the outcome. Massie was the only Republican recorded as voting against the referral motion. The vote was not a recorded vote on adopting impeachment articles.

The resolution sought to impeach Hegseth, who leads the Department of Defense. CBS News and the Associated Press reported that the House action halted the immediate effort to impeach him after the motion to refer passed. The official record is more precise about what lawmakers decided: the motion to refer passed.

The House Clerk's Roll Call 317 record lists the vote totals and each member's vote. The Congress.gov page for H.Res. 1655 identifies Massie as the sponsor and records the resolution's November 10 introduction.

Why does the referral matter?

Analysis: A motion to refer sends a measure to a committee rather than advancing it directly to a final House vote. In this case, the motion directed the impeachment resolution to the House Judiciary Committee. That means the House did not approve articles of impeachment, and the Senate did not receive an impeachment case through this vote.

The result also shows the difference between a member introducing an impeachment resolution and the House adopting it. A resolution can be introduced, referred, considered, amended or left without further action. The November 10 vote settled the referral question, not the underlying allegations.

The resolution arose amid disagreement over Hegseth's conduct as defense secretary and the administration's handling of the war with Iran. NBC News reported that Massie's allegations included waging the Iran war without a declaration of war or statutory authorization, along with claims involving other military actions. Those are allegations made in support of impeachment, not findings established by the House vote. Congress.gov said the resolution's text had not yet been received for publication as of November 11, 2026.

Hegseth rejected the impeachment effort before the vote. He argued that the allegations were political disagreements and said the effort could undermine service members during wartime. NBC News' report on his November 10 Pentagon news conference and the C-SPAN recording of the news conference provide his public response.

What does this mean for Americans?

There is no immediate change to the Department of Defense's leadership as a result of this vote. Hegseth was not impeached, and the House did not send the resolution to the Senate for an impeachment trial.

For people following the Iran conflict, the vote is relevant as an example of congressional oversight and disagreement over the administration's military policy. It does not itself authorize or end military operations, change a deployment order, or settle the legal questions raised by the resolution.

Three practical points help separate the vote from its wider political context:

• For the status of the impeachment effort: Check the official Congress.gov action history. It is the record to watch for any committee action or later House consideration.

• For the member-by-member result: Use the House Clerk's roll-call page, rather than relying on summaries of the party split.

• For the separate war-powers debate: Watch for an official notice of any new resolution or scheduled vote. CBS News reported that Massie said he planned to force a vote on a war-powers resolution, but the November 10 impeachment vote did not decide that separate question.

What is still unknown and what should readers watch next?

The next important question is whether the Judiciary Committee schedules a hearing or takes another formal step on H.Res. 1655. The public Congress.gov record lists the measure as introduced and records the November 10 action; the resolution's text had not yet been posted there as of November 11, 2026.

No committee hearing date or later floor vote was identified in the official records checked for this report. That could change if the committee or House leadership announces a new step.

A second issue is whether Massie or other members move forward with a separate war-powers measure. That would be a different legislative action with its own text, vote and procedural status. It should not be treated as a continuation of the impeachment vote unless lawmakers formally connect the two.

The broader dispute over the Iran war also remains separate from the impeachment procedure. Lawmakers may debate the administration's legal authority, costs and conduct through oversight hearings, appropriations or war-powers measures even if the impeachment resolution receives no further action.

FAQ

Did the House impeach Pete Hegseth?

No. The House voted to refer the impeachment resolution to the Judiciary Committee. It did not vote to adopt articles of impeachment or send a case to the Senate.

What was the final vote count?

The motion to refer passed 211–204 on November 10, 2026. Eighteen representatives did not vote, according to the official House Clerk record.

Who introduced the impeachment resolution?

Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, introduced H.Res. 1655 on November 10, 2026. The resolution sought to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

What did Hegseth say about the effort?

Hegseth rejected the effort at a Pentagon news conference on November 10. He argued that the accusations were political disagreements and said the effort could harm the military during wartime, according to NBC News' report.

Can the Senate hold an impeachment trial now?

Not on the basis of this vote. The House did not approve articles of impeachment, so this action did not send a case to the Senate for a trial.

Bottom line

The November 10 vote referred the Hegseth impeachment resolution to the Judiciary Committee; it did not impeach the defense secretary. Readers who want to follow the next formal step should monitor the resolution's Congress.gov action history and the House committee's public notices.