WASHINGTON — Pete Hegseth and his allies declared “total victory” after House Republicans defeated an impeachment effort against him, but the vote likely only offered the beleaguered Pentagon leader a brief respite.
Numerous challenges still loom for Hegseth: a battle over Pentagon funding, voter frustration over an unpopular Iran war, and an incoming Democratic majority eager to launch investigations and revive the push to impeach him.
House Republicans on Nov. 10 banded together to shield Hegseth from impeachment, dismissing the effort in a vote along party lines. It represented a remarkable turn of events after he appeared to be living on borrowed time just a week earlier.
The Republican Party’s midterm shellacking — widely viewed as a referendum
on the economic consequences of the Iran war — prompted some GOP lawmakers to demand President Donald Trump fire Hegseth, who they blamed for the party’s historic losses. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, filed eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth, four of which dealt with the Iran conflict.
Despite the win, Hegseth’s political future remains uncertain as he continues to face bipartisan criticism in Congress.
Some Republicans said they chose to oppose the specific impeachment articles Massie drafted, but were still dissatisfied with Hegseth's leadership of the Pentagon.
The failed vote, meanwhile, only stiffened Democrats’ resolve preparing to impeach Hegseth and force him to face a bruising trial in the Senate after they reclaim control of Congress with a significant majority in January.
“We’re going to impeach him,” Rep.-elect Richard Ojeda, D-North Carolina, said in an interview. “He needs to be impeached and prosecuted.”
Republican lawmakers are also bracing for more impeachment fights next year.
“We’re not going to have the votes to stop it," Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Florida, told USA TODAY. “Here, the only thing that matters is the majority, and we don't have it.
The impeachment resolution introduced by Massie accused Hegseth of violating the Constitution and abusing the power of his office by waging war in Iran without congressional approval, launching lethal military strikes against alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean Sea and ignoring laws intended to minimize civilian casualties during military conflict.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Washington, said she believes that Hegseth is a war criminal.
“I don’t use that word lightly, but I don’t know what else to call somebody who goes and authorizes and does these boat strikes on Venezuela, that kidnaps, that goes in and uses military might in ways to terrorize people,” Jayapal said.
Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colorado, said that Hegseth’s ability to avoid impeachment for a few months does not make his position at the Pentagon any less precarious.
“He continues to be embattled,” Crow told USA TODAY. “He is his own worst enemy. He just can’t help himself from falling on his face constantly, so I expect he will continue to do that.”
Hegseth’s next battle with Congress is right around the corner. He has asked lawmakers to provide the Pentagon with a record-breaking $1.5 trillion budget for FY 2027, a figure substantially higher than what Democrats are willing to support.
As lawmakers on the congressional armed services committees gear up for intense budget negotiations in the coming days, some Democrats said that Hegseth will likely be an obstacle toward reaching a deal to fund the Pentagon.
Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Virginia, said as long as Hegseth remains in office, the Pentagon will struggle to work with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
“What relationship?” he asked.
“He has not been on the Hill, certainly not with Democratic members, so there’s no real relationship to speak of,” he added. “They've got a tremendous amount of work to do at the Pentagon for that.”
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, concurred.
“We’ve got to end an illegal war,” Kaine said. “Hegseth has been one of the chief cheerleaders of that war, so that is number one of his list of very serious problems.”
In the meantime, Hegseth is using the impeachment battle to shore up support at a time when his fate seemed in doubt.
The Trump administration launched a days-long campaign on social media ahead of the vote, assailing the effort to oust him and trumpeting his accomplishments in office. It culminated in a rare press briefing at the Pentagon, where Hegseth argued the campaign against him was a continuation of the two impeachment votes against Trump.
“Both times he came back stronger, and the American people sent him back to the White House,” Hegseth said. “Now they’re trying a third time, this time against a member of his Cabinet. They will fail again.”
“If standing with President Trump puts me in that company, I’ll take that company every day of the week,” he added.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell celebrated the failed effort to impeach Hegseth in a statement on Nov. 10, dismissing it as a “political exercise devoid of merit, evidence, or seriousness.”
“It collapses under the weight of Secretary Hegseth’s record of restoring the warrior ethos, delivering results, and putting the mission first,” he added. “The American people see through it.”
Trump, too, took a victory lap after the vote.
“The Democrats’ attempt to impeach Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has miserably FAILED!” Trump wrote on social media. “Every single Republican, except Thomas Massie, a major LOSER, voted in favor of Pete.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hegseth survives impeachment vote, but challenges loom for Pentagon chief
