WASHINGTON — House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries threw his weight Sunday behind an effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, elevating what began as a rebellion by a rogue conservative into a major bipartisan confrontation in the final weeks of the current Congress.
Speaking on ABC’s “This Week,” Jeffries, D-N.Y., declared he is a “hard yes” on an eight-article resolution authored by outgoing Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., which accuses Hegseth of violating the War Powers Resolution of 1973 by conducting military action against Iran without required congressional approval. Jeffries charged that Hegseth “abused his power, undermined our national security and engineered this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran.”
A swift shift in congressional power
The Democratic leader’s declaration carries immediate consequences because Massie plans to introduce the measure as a privileged resolution as early as Monday. Under House rules, raising a question of privilege forces leadership to schedule a floor vote within two legislative days. That timing thrusts the question of Hegseth’s tenure directly into a lame-duck session reeling from last week’s midterm elections, in which Democrats won control of the House.
Jeffries, who is widely expected to become speaker when the new Congress convenes in January, said House Democrats will gather Tuesday morning to discuss their strategy. While Jeffries acknowledged the conference has yet to formally adopt a unified position, he told ABC News that he expects “incredibly strong support.” Several rank-and-file Democrats, including Rep. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona, who introduced her own impeachment resolution in April, have also called for an immediate vote.
The push highlights how quickly the political landscape shifted after election night. Exit polling by ABC News showed that 55 percent of House voters viewed government corruption as “crucial” to their decision, while public discontent over the conflict in Iran and high inflation weighed heavily on the results. With dozens of Republican lawmakers having lost their seats, House GOP leaders now anticipate enough defections to pass the resolution, Axios reported.
The White House pushes back
President Donald Trump has mounted a public defense of his Pentagon chief, rejecting suggestions that Hegseth could be forced out. Trump told CBS News’ “60 Minutes” on Sunday that calls for impeachment were “very unfair” and asserted that the U.S. had prevailed in recent military operations, stating, “We had two wars, we won both. We won Venezuela, we won Iran.” In prior remarks to reporters, Trump called Hegseth’s performance “fantastic” and insisted he intends to keep him in office.
Behind the scenes, however, Hegseth’s footing appears less stable. NBC News reported that Trump privately told allies he was weighing whether to replace Hegseth, and an administration adviser told Axios that the defense secretary was “definitely on thin ice.”
Hegseth has remained defiant, dismissing the charges in a video posted to social media as “sham articles of impeachment” orchestrated by a “disgruntled, defeated congressman.” Hegseth asserted that the campaign was driven by “the politics of personal destruction.” The Pentagon also told the BBC that it complied with the law and would not be sidelined by “phony investigations.”
Foreshadowing conflicts in the next Congress
The battle over Hegseth offers an early blueprint for the confrontations expected when Democrats assume the House majority in January. Massie noted on social media that his resolution is merely a precursor to broader oversight, predicting Democrats will launch formal “hearings & trials” once in charge.
Simultaneously, the administration has signaled it plans to retaliate rather than compromise. Trump announced he directed the Department of Justice to review alleged “criminal” acts by Democrats, without providing specific details. Attorney General Todd Blanche supported that directive Sunday, telling CNN that rhetoric from lawmakers proposing investigations “with no basis” warranted serious concern.
Whether the impeachment resolution clears the House floor this week depends on the turnout of defeated Republicans and the unity of House Democrats. What remains clear is that the struggle over the Pentagon’s leadership has already set an aggressive tone for Washington’s coming era of divided governance.
