US House begins vote on motion to advance impeachment of Pete Hegseth

What the report says

The US House of Representatives has begun voting on a procedural motion that would determine whether a resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth advances or is sent back to committee, which would stop it from moving forward. The vote comes after a midterm election in which voters expressed anger over the Iran war, a conflict Hegseth has been accused of helping lead without congressional approval.

According to the article, the impeachment effort was introduced by Republican Representative Thomas Massie and includes eight articles accusing Hegseth of launching an unlawful war against Iran and overseeing strikes on alleged drug trafficking vessels that critics say amount to extrajudicial killings. The House is expected to hold a final vote on Wednesday if the procedural motion succeeds. Democratic lawmakers are expected to back the effort, creating a test of whether enough Republicans will break with President Donald Trump’s administration.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has publicly said he supports the resolution, while Hegseth has rejected it as sabotage and a farce. Trump and other senior administration figures have stood by him. The political context is significant because the war has been linked by some voters and lawmakers to rising costs, and Republicans’ losses in the midterms have intensified speculation about Hegseth’s future.