WASHINGTON − Riding high after a historic blue-wave election, Democrats in the House of Representatives were ready this week to notch another big political victory: impeaching Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, one of President Donald Trump's most controversial Cabinet members.
D.C. traffic, however, had other ideas.
Eleven House Democrats missed a critical procedural vote Tuesday night, effectively letting the measure die for now. The truancies were a significant political blunder for Democrats, who had hoped the rebuke would be a loud finale during the remaining weeks of the Republican-controlled Congress.
Retiring Rep. Julia Brownley, D-California, and several other
female lawmakers were on their way back from an event hosted by Elect Democratic Women, a political action committee that helps elect pro-choice women to Congress.
Brownley, who said she's been "very clear" about her support for ousting Hegseth, said she departed with plenty of time to spare. But an accident on Pennsylvania Avenue left her stuck. So the 74-year-old congresswoman got out of her car and started running.
"I missed it by seconds," she told USA TODAY, blaming Republicans for closing the vote "because they knew that there were some missing people."
Rep. Marilyn Strickland, D-Washington, missed the vote by just one minute. Her chief of staff, Andrew Noh, told USA TODAY he was driving her and was forced by Capitol Police to wait for a motorcade to pass.
And Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-New Mexico, said a police escort of a bus crowded the roadways, keeping her from voting. By the time she reached the House floor, Republicans had already gaveled the chamber out, her office said in a statement.
"Pete Hegseth must be impeached now," the statement said, stressing that she swiftly documented her opposition to killing the impeachment articles in the congressional record.
Rep. Thomas Massie, a maverick anti-war Republican, had laid the groundwork to force impeachment articles onto the floor this week. The House voted 211-204 to send the resolution to the Judiciary Committee, effectively killing it. Seven Republicans were absent for the vote.
Had the 11 Democrats been present, impeachment of the head of the Pentagon would have likely been on its way. Republican absences and discontent over the Iran war had given Massie and Democratic leaders confidence that the measure would ultimately succeed.
It wasn't immediately clear, however, whether the lawmakers caught in the traffic jam would have been enough to close the gap in the vote.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-California, had returned to San Francisco for an event honoring local veterans, according to spokesman Ian Krager, who called it "an important and longstanding district tradition she regularly attends." He stressed that the former speaker supports impeaching Hegseth.
And Democratic Rep. Lou Correa posted on social media Nov. 10 that he would be undergoing a medical procedure and, according to his doctor's advice, avoid traveling from California. He said he "vehemently" supports impeaching Hegseth.
Still, the absences generated plenty of anger and recriminations.
"We knew that this vote was coming, so people should have gotten their raggedy selves up these steps to vote. There is no reason why we should have lost this vote because of attendance issues," Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-California, told reporters.
She added: "So shame on folks who are not here. Because these people lost. They lost, and they still found a way to show up to table this bill. Shameful."
After the impeachment push failed, several House Republicans told USA TODAY they were relieved. At the same time, they acknowledged the short-term victory probably wouldn’t stop Democrats from trying again once they regain the majority in January.
"I'm not sure how we can fight it," Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Florida, told USA TODAY. "We're not going to have the votes to stop it."
Zachary Schermele is the congressional correspondent for USA TODAY. Reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com and on Signal @zachschermele.02. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Did a traffic jam save Pete Hegseth from impeachment?
