Rep. Thomas Massie forced a House vote on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the Iran conflict.
The Kentucky Republican, 55, filed articles Tuesday accusing Hegseth of “high crimes and misdemeanors” for waging war without congressional approval. Massie made the announcement on the House floor, targeting Hegseth for allegedly violating the War Powers Resolution of 1973. That law requires lawmakers to authorize military operations lasting longer than 90 days.
“Peter Brian Hegseth, in his capacity as Secretary of Defense, has executed unlawful orders in contravention of Section 2(c) of the War Powers Resolution of 1973,” Massie declared.
“Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth, by such conduct, has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to the Constitution if allowed to remain in office, and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with his duties and the rule of law.”
The move comes seven weeks before midterm elections for Massie, who lost his May primary to a Trump-backed opponent. The libertarian lawmaker has a history of breaking with the White House, including his push to release federal Jeffrey Epstein files.
Both the House and Senate passed resolutions earlier this year calling on President Trump to end the Iran war, which began Feb. 28. The White House maintains the conflict ended after an initial fighting phase, resetting the 90-day clock, and argues the War Powers Resolution unconstitutionally limits presidential foreign policy power.
Attorney General Todd Blanche defended Hegseth during a Rose Garden press briefing.
“Secretary Hegseth is doing a phenomenal job, and the secretary of war doesn’t just go off and do things. He follows the law. And so the DOJ plays a role in that, and we play an active role in making sure the law is complied with,” Blanche told a reporter.
“You called it a war. I disagree with that characterization, as does most of Congress. And so there’s been votes on whether it’s a war and what to do.
“Why votes through Congress, which have determined that he’s not doing anything wrong and the president’s not doing anything wrong, should result in articles of impeachment — I guess you’ll have to talk to Massie about that.”
Courts have long declined to order presidents to halt conflicts exceeding the War Powers Resolution timeline, ruling that legislators must enforce limits themselves through funding cuts or disciplining officials. Massie’s impeachment push represents one such enforcement mechanism.
The Pentagon praised Hegseth’s leadership without directly addressing war powers claims.
“Secretary Hegseth has been a transformative leader for the Department of War. Standards and merit are back, our arsenal is stronger than ever before, and morale and recruitment across every service are at all-time highs,” Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson said in a statement.
“Secretary Hegseth has slashed bureaucracy, unleashed innovation, and delivered for our warfighters every step of the way. By every measurable metric, the Department of War is better under President Trump and Secretary Hegseth’s leadership than before. The entire Department is unified behind the Secretary’s vision and will continue working to put our warfighters and America first.”
Trump has pursued negotiations to end Iran’s nuclear program and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. A cease-fire in place since April 8 and a June 17 memorandum of understanding signed by Trump collapsed in July when Iran attacked commercial ships using a U.S.-preferred route through the strait.