An impeachment motion against US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been introduced in the House of Representatives. Republican Thomas Massie submitted the motion, which was read out on the floor. The central accusation is that Hegseth sent armed forces into combat operations in Iran without obtaining congressional approval. A vote in the House could take place as early as this week.
The Democrats support the initiative. Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic leader in the House, accuses Hegseth of abusing his power. President Donald Trump, by contrast, has publicly backed his defense secretary and described his work as "fantastic." Some Republicans are reportedly open to voting for impeachment. However, the Republican majorities in both chambers of Congress are extremely narrow. Whether the vote takes place despite this situation therefore depends primarily on the votes of individual lawmakers who have not yet committed to a position.
A conviction in the Senate would require a two-thirds majority, which is considered very unlikely. Massie is therefore widely seen as a symbolic figure. He will lose his seat in January after losing the primary to a challenger backed by Trump; previously he had criticized the handling of the Epstein case. The motion thus comes at a time shaped by the consequences of the midterm elections: a week earlier, Republicans had suffered heavy losses in the congressional elections. When the new Congress convenes in January, the Democrats will take over the majority in the House of Representatives.
The war against Iran forms the backdrop to the proceedings. The United States and Israel began the war against Iran at the end of February. The conflict is not over: the regime has not been toppled, and the risk in the nuclear dispute has not decreased. According to the reports, the costs exceed 47 billion US dollars, and munitions stocks are said to have shrunk considerably. A US strike on a girls' school in Iran reportedly resulted in about 170 deaths, including children. Trump had also claimed that no people were killed in an operation in Venezuela, which is not true.
Hegseth's tenure is controversial even apart from the Iran war. Under his leadership, dozens of senior officers were dismissed or pushed to step down. The so-called Signal affair, in which militarily classified information was shared via a messaging service, also weighs on him. Critics accuse him of incompetence, corruption, and endangering national security. For the coming year, the Pentagon has submitted a budget proposal of 1.5 trillion US dollars. Hegseth's term runs until January 2029; how the proceedings will end remains open.