Representative Thomas Massie announced on September 15 that he will force a House floor vote to impeach Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, launching a 34-page resolution that accuses Hegseth of violating the War Powers Resolution and other laws in the U.S. campaign in Iran.
Massie’s office published a press release saying the congressman will “force the House to vote on eight specific charges” against Hegseth, including multiple alleged violations of the War Powers Resolution of 1973 and accusations of unlawful operations in Iran, Venezuela and Yemen.
CNN reported that Massie read the resolution on the House floor and that the surprise move deepened tensions within the GOP; the outlet said the measure is likely to be symbolic and that a vote could take place this week unless leaders send the House home early.
The Massie release lists eight articles — including charges that Hegseth “waged war in contravention of the War Powers Resolution” and that he “directed Operation ABSOLUTE RESOLVE” to seize a foreign leader — and links to the full text of the articles of impeachment.
CNN noted that Massie did not warn party leaders before filing the resolution and that Republicans privately viewed the move as an unwanted distraction days before a long recess. The network also reported that Attorney General Todd Blanche publicly defended Hegseth, saying the secretary “follows the law.”
This development comes amid other Massie-led procedural pushes this month, including a recent discharge petition effort to force votes on unrelated transparency measures, highlighting the Kentucky Republican’s willingness to use House rules to compel floor action.
How this will play out is uncertain: the impeachment push is widely reported as unlikely to succeed in removing a Cabinet official and could be treated as a symbolic rebuke. But the forced vote will put members on the record about Hegseth’s conduct and the war powers question.
Sources
- Rep. Thomas Massie press office — press release announcing Massie will “force the House to vote on eight specific charges” and linking the 34-page articles of impeachment (September 15, 2026).
- CNN — reporting that Massie surprised colleagues, read a 34-page resolution on the floor, that the measure is likely symbolic and that Attorney General Todd Blanche defended Hegseth.
- ECIKS — internal coverage and context on Massie filing the articles of impeachment.
