House could vote this week to impeach Hegseth, with GOP sources expecting it to pass

The House could vote as soon as this week on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. That would come weeks before the Democratic majority is sworn in ¹. Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, told CNN he plans to trigger the vote when Congress returns ¹.

"Multiple GOP sources told CNN they expect it to pass." CNN did not name them ¹. No vote has been held, and we found no official vote count.

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How the vote would work

Massie told Roll Call on Oct. 26 that he would force a vote the week of Nov. 9 ². He plans to file the resolution as a "question of the privileges of the House," a procedure that forces floor action ². If the House parliamentarian agrees it qualifies, the Speaker has up to two legislative days to schedule a vote ².

The House could vote on the resolution itself or on a motion to table it. Tabling means killing it without a direct vote on the charges ².

From Channel GOPMassie presses Patel on names in Epstein filesMassie · 414 plays · captioned, with the source named

The draft has eight articles of impeachment, which Massie read aloud on the House floor in mid-September ². They accuse Hegseth of violating the 1973 War Powers Resolution in the Iran war. They also allege illegal military campaigns in Venezuela, Yemen, the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific, and disregard for protecting civilians in wartime ². These are allegations, not findings.

Who is saying what

Massie, a seven-term Republican, is leaving Congress after losing his primary to a Trump-backed rival ². He gave the resolution "better than a 50 percent chance of passing" ². He said he might win "a handful of Republicans," who may be more open to voting for it during the lame-duck session after the election ².

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I give it better than a 50 percent chance of passing

Democrats are described as virtually united against Hegseth ². Rep. Jason Crow, a Colorado Democrat, said on CBS's "Face the Nation" that Hegseth "remains incompetent and is not doing what's necessary to protect our servicemembers" ².

Pete Hegseth remains incompetent and is not doing what's necessary to protect our servicemembers

Unnamed White House insiders say President Trump supports Hegseth and wants him to fight the effort ¹. Trump acknowledges the Iran war affected the midterms but says he is not considering replacing Hegseth ¹. Many GOP lawmakers remain reluctant to break with the president ¹.

What happens next

An impeachment is like an indictment. The House votes on the charges, and the Senate then holds a trial. Whether the Senate would convict Hegseth is a separate question ².

The House has impeached only two Cabinet members. War Secretary William Belknap was impeached in 1876. In 2024 the House voted 214-213 to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and the Senate dismissed the charges without a trial ².

The vote could depend on absences as much as defections. Some members who lost re-election may skip votes in a narrowly divided House ².

Why it matters

That matters because the push is coming from inside Hegseth's own party. Many Republicans want to blame him for persuading Trump to attack Iran "with no exit strategy," CNN reported ¹. Republican strategists privately say the party's problems go beyond the war, and that the decision to attack was ultimately Trump's ¹.

The Pentagon leads the military that veterans and their families rely on. A vote would show whether Republicans will hold the Pentagon's civilian chief accountable now that the election has passed.

The Record

1. Sep 15, 2026Massie read eight draft articles of impeachment against Hegseth aloud on the House floor, according to Roll Call ².
2. Oct 26, 2026Massie told Roll Call he would force a vote the week of Nov. 9 ².
3. Nov 5, 2026CNN reported that multiple GOP sources expect an impeachment vote to pass ¹.

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<h2>House could vote this week to impeach Hegseth, with GOP sources expecting it to pass</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files National Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/house-could-vote-this-week-to-impeach-hegseth-with-gop-sources-expecting-it-to-pass">The GOP Files</a> on Sunday, November 8, 2026.</em></p> <p>The House could vote as soon as this week on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. That would come weeks before the Democratic majority is sworn in . Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, told CNN he plans to trigger the vote when Congress returns .</p> <p>&quot;Multiple GOP sources told CNN they expect it to pass.&quot; CNN did not name them . No vote has been held, and we found no official vote count.</p> <h2>How the vote would work</h2> <p>Massie told Roll Call on Oct. 26 that he would force a vote the week of Nov. 9 . He plans to file the resolution as a &quot;question of the privileges of the House,&quot; a procedure that forces floor action . If the House parliamentarian agrees it qualifies, the Speaker has up to two legislative days to schedule a vote .</p> <p>The House could vote on the resolution itself or on a motion to table it. Tabling means killing it without a direct vote on the charges .</p> <p>The draft has eight articles of impeachment, which Massie read aloud on the House floor in mid-September . They accuse Hegseth of violating the 1973 War Powers Resolution in the Iran war. They also allege illegal military campaigns in Venezuela, Yemen, the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific, and disregard for protecting civilians in wartime . These are allegations, not findings.</p> <h2>Who is saying what</h2> <p>Massie, a seven-term Republican, is leaving Congress after losing his primary to a Trump-backed rival . He gave the resolution &quot;better than a 50 percent chance of passing&quot; . He said he might win &quot;a handful of Republicans,&quot; who may be more open to voting for it during the lame-duck session after the election .</p> <blockquote><p>I give it better than a 50 percent chance of passing</p><p>&mdash; Thomas Massie, U.S. Representative, R-Kentucky</p></blockquote> <p>Democrats are described as virtually united against Hegseth . Rep. Jason Crow, a Colorado Democrat, said on CBS&#39;s &quot;Face the Nation&quot; that Hegseth &quot;remains incompetent and is not doing what&#39;s necessary to protect our servicemembers&quot; .</p> <blockquote><p>Pete Hegseth remains incompetent and is not doing what&#39;s necessary to protect our servicemembers</p><p>&mdash; Jason Crow, U.S. Representative, D-Colorado</p></blockquote> <p>Unnamed White House insiders say President Trump supports Hegseth and wants him to fight the effort . Trump acknowledges the Iran war affected the midterms but says he is not considering replacing Hegseth . Many GOP lawmakers remain reluctant to break with the president .</p> <h2>What happens next</h2> <p>An impeachment is like an indictment. The House votes on the charges, and the Senate then holds a trial. Whether the Senate would convict Hegseth is a separate question .</p> <p>The House has impeached only two Cabinet members. War Secretary William Belknap was impeached in 1876. In 2024 the House voted 214-213 to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and the Senate dismissed the charges without a trial .</p> <p>The vote could depend on absences as much as defections. Some members who lost re-election may skip votes in a narrowly divided House .</p> <h2>Why it matters</h2> <p>That matters because the push is coming from inside Hegseth&#39;s own party. Many Republicans want to blame him for persuading Trump to attack Iran &quot;with no exit strategy,&quot; CNN reported . Republican strategists privately say the party&#39;s problems go beyond the war, and that the decision to attack was ultimately Trump&#39;s .</p> <p>The Pentagon leads the military that veterans and their families rely on. A vote would show whether Republicans will hold the Pentagon&#39;s civilian chief accountable now that the election has passed.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/house-could-vote-this-week-to-impeach-hegseth-with-gop-sources-expecting-it-to-pass">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/house-could-vote-this-week-to-impeach-hegseth-with-gop-sources-expecting-it-to-pass.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. CNN (via KBTX), “House could vote next week to impeach Hegseth as GOP support wavers” (2026-11-05). kbtx.com/2026/11/05/house-could-vote-next-week-impeach-hegse
2. Roll Call, “Massie vows 'week one' vote in lame duck to impeach Hegseth” (2026-10-26). rollcall.com/2026/10/26/massie-vows-week-one-vote-in-lame-du

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