By SCN NEWS
WASHINGTON — Republican Representative Thomas Massie launched a surprise effort on Tuesday to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the U.S. war with Iran, using a procedural maneuver that could force House Republicans into a politically difficult vote just weeks before November’s midterm elections.
The Kentucky Republican introduced his articles of impeachment as a privileged resolution, a designation requiring the House to address the measure within two legislative days. Republican leaders could seek to table or otherwise defeat it, and the resolution appears unlikely to secure enough support to impeach Hegseth, but Massie’s maneuver ensures lawmakers cannot simply leave the issue dormant.
Massie accused Hegseth of abusing the powers of his office by carrying out military operations against Iran without congressional authorization. He argues that continued hostilities violate Congress’s constitutional authority over war and requirements under the War Powers Resolution.
The impeachment push injects another confrontation over presidential war powers into an already volatile House schedule. The United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, and lawmakers — predominantly Democrats but joined on some votes and initiatives by Republicans critical of the conflict — have repeatedly challenged the administration over the absence of explicit congressional authorization. Those efforts have not brought the fighting to an end.
Massie has emerged as one of the most outspoken Republican opponents of the Iran conflict and has also challenged U.S. assistance to Israel. His opposition has repeatedly put him at odds with President Donald Trump and Republican leadership. Massie will leave Congress after losing his May Republican primary to Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL backed by Trump.
The Pentagon defended Hegseth following Massie’s move. Press secretary Kingsley Wilson said the department remained unified behind the defense secretary and would continue pursuing his agenda for U.S. forces.
What makes Tuesday’s development particularly unusual is its timing. Democratic Representative Al Green of Texas had already introduced his own privileged impeachment resolution targeting Trump, accusing the president of abusing executive authority in connection with federal immigration enforcement. That maneuver similarly puts House leaders under procedural pressure to address an impeachment question rapidly.
Green alleges that Trump and his administration transformed Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection into forces operating without sufficient accountability and oversight. His resolution cites deaths involving U.S. citizens during federal immigration operations as part of the case against the president. The White House and Republicans reject Democratic accusations that the administration’s immigration enforcement amounts to impeachable misconduct.
Massie’s intervention therefore creates an unusual situation in which the House faces competing impeachment initiatives — one brought by a Republican against a Republican administration’s defense secretary and another brought by a Democrat against the Republican president.
The procedural difference is important politically. Massie’s resolution forces Republican lawmakers to confront criticism of the Iran war coming from inside their own party rather than solely from Democrats. With the House expected to leave Washington for an extended recess after this week, the chamber could have to dispose of the Hegseth resolution by Thursday.
The timing also raises the electoral stakes. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Monday showed Democrats ahead of Republicans by 44% to 37% in congressional vote preference, while the Iran conflict and its economic consequences have become increasingly difficult issues for Republicans approaching the November 3 elections.
Massie’s resolution is unlikely by itself to remove Hegseth. Impeachment requires approval by a majority of the House, followed by a Senate trial where conviction and removal require a two-thirds vote. But the immediate significance of Massie’s action lies less in its prospects for removal than in forcing lawmakers to publicly confront the administration’s conduct of the Iran war shortly before voters decide control of Congress.