Washington (TDI): The US House of Representatives has gone into an early recess without voting on Republican Representative Thomas Massie’s resolution seeking to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the administration’s military campaign against Iran.
House Speaker Mike Johnson canceled the chamber’s scheduled business for Thursday, sending lawmakers home a day earlier than planned and effectively delaying consideration of Massie’s impeachment resolution until after the November midterm elections.
Massie, a Kentucky Republican, introduced eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth on Tuesday, accusing the defense secretary of conducting military operations against Iran without congressional authorization and violating the War Powers Resolution.
The resolution also contains allegations concerning other US military operations and actions by Hegseth, including claims related to civilian casualties and the use of Pentagon authority. Massie has argued that Hegseth should be held accountable for what he describes as unconstitutional conduct.
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Under House rules, Massie’s privileged resolution required the chamber to take action within two legislative days. Johnson’s decision to cancel Thursday’s session meant that deadline could not be met before lawmakers left Washington.
Massie criticized the move, saying he was attempting to stop the war and accusing Johnson of preventing a House debate over the administration’s military campaign.
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Johnson defended the early recess and dismissed the impeachment effort as a “stunt,” arguing that the House had completed its legislative work before lawmakers returned to their districts for the election campaign.
The House had also voted earlier this week on a separate war-powers measure concerning the Iran conflict, with lawmakers debating limits on the administration’s authority to continue military operations.
Massie’s resolution is now expected to remain pending until the House returns after the November elections. The move comes as the Trump administration continues to face congressional debate over its authority to conduct military operations against Iran. Massie has been one of the more vocal Republican critics of the conflict, while the Pentagon has defended Hegseth amid the impeachment effort.
The proposed impeachment does not itself remove Hegseth from office. If the House were eventually to approve articles of impeachment, the matter would then move to the Senate for consideration.
