Congress Debates Hegseth's War It Never Authorized

At least 80 vessels destroyed. 243 people killed. And the Pentagon hasn't shown the public a shred of evidence for its claims against the people it killed. That's CNN's tally of the strikes on suspected drug boats in the Western Hemisphere, which began last year. Now, on Monday, November 9, 2026, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) stood on the House floor and read eight articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and a vote could land as early as this week.

Who Has the Power

The first article, per Massie's own announcement, "charges Secretary Hegseth with waging the Iran war despite no declaration of war, statutory authorization, attack on the United States, or imminent threat. It establishes that the war was unlawful from its inception." Three more accuse Hegseth of violating congressional war powers, including sections of the War Powers Resolution of 1973. The remaining articles cover civilian casualties, "extrajudicial killings," the boat strikes, retaliation against Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), the capture of Nicolás Maduro, and what the articles call an "unlawful war in Yemen."

The articles describe the Maduro operation as "an act of war against a sovereign country executed under the guise of narcotics law enforcement." They say Hegseth cultivated "a war-making culture at the Department of Defense which he boasts as being dismissive of 'stupid rules of engagement' with preference for 'maximum lethality, not tepid legality.'" And they call the deadly U.S. strike that hit an elementary school in Iran a "foreseeable" consequence of his decision making.

Congress holds the power to declare war under Article I of the Constitution. The last time it formally did so was World War II. Since the early 2000s, presidents from both parties, Trump included, have leaned on congressional authorizations for the use of military force to order strikes without a fresh green light from lawmakers. The paperwork changes. The wars keep coming.

What They're Calling "Order"

Hegseth's response to the charges? Contempt. "We're not worried about that," he told reporters Monday, adding he'd hold a Pentagon press conference Tuesday and hoped everyone would "come loaded for bear." He said he'd launch the Iran war again if he had a do-over. He called disagreements in Congress "disagreements with success" and said anyone who objects to military operations under his watch is "taking issue with the troops."

In a video filmed outside the Defense Department, he called the articles "sham" and "the politics of personal destruction." Trump called Massie a "loser" and, per HuffPost, seemed unable to remember former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's name while demanding to know why Austin wasn't impeached. Hegseth, Trump said, is "guilty of two things: basically winning two wars."

The Reform Trap

Here's where the machinery shows itself. Massie filed the measure as privileged, so House GOP leaders must act within two legislative days. But Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) controls the schedule, and Republicans could instead move to table the resolution with a simple majority. Massie first introduced these articles in September. House GOP leaders recessed the chamber early, pushing a vote until after the midterms. He had to restart the clock with a new resolution.

Even if the House impeaches, conviction takes 67 senators. Republicans hold 53 seats until Democrats take over next year. CNN reported a two-thirds vote has never happened for a Cabinet official, and a GOP aide said the Senate might refer the matter to committee instead of trial. The last Cabinet impeachment, of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in 2024, ended when the Democratic-led Senate voted to dismiss the charges. Secretary of War William Belknap was impeached 150 years ago over kickbacks, and the Senate failed to convict him too.

Massie himself framed this as a "much gentler version of what's coming when the Democrats assume control of the House and Senate next year." He urged Trump to replace Hegseth "now while he can still get a replacement confirmed in the Senate." Some Republicans, Axios reported, might treat Hegseth as the fall guy. USA Today reported some have urged the White House to fire him before Democrats reclaim Congress in January. The calculation is about confirmations and midterm math, not the dead.

Massie told HuffPost that six of the eight articles amount to Hegseth carrying out orders he knew were illegal, and that for those six "both the president and Hegseth are culpable." Yet the president isn't the target. Massie is retiring at the end of the year after Trump endorsed his primary opponent.

Jeffries called himself a "hard yes" and said the war "skyrocketed prices on the American people." Voter backlash over the war and rising oil prices, per the reporting, helped Democrats in last week's midterms. The war began in late February with joint U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, about eight months ago. Notice what finally moved the institution: prices and election results. The Pentagon's still not showing evidence for the 243 dead.