By Ben Jenkins, Podcast Manager 

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) sent the House home a day early this past Wednesday, delaying a vote on the impeachment of the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth.  

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) proposed a resolution that included the impeachment of Hegseth on Tuesday, Sept. 15. He cited Hegseth’s handling of U.S. military operations, particularly in Iran.  

Massie stated that Hegseth overstepped his constitutional authority by conducting military operations without approval by Congress.  

The House was originally scheduled to remain in session until Sept. 17 before the beginning of their recess until the November midterms. However, Johnson announced that Congress would finish their votes Wednesday and leave Washington a day early. This decision pushed the Hegseth impeachment to vote back until after the midterms.  

The decision to send the House home a day early sparked much controversy. Massie accused Johnson of ending the session early to prevent lawmakers from voting on the impeachment decision. Johnson denied that accusation, stating that the choice was unrelated. He also stated that the impeachment effort was purely a publicity stunt. 

Massie’s resolution was proposed as a privilege measure, meaning the House would have been required to make a vote on the matter within the two legislative days, but the cancellation of Thursday’s session prevented that vote from happening.  

Attorney General Todd Blanche defended Hegseth following the introduction of the impeachment resolution, stating that he follows the law and that the Justice Department will ensure that all military operations have and will continue to follow legal requirements.  

The resolution included eight articles that outlined the allegations against Hegseth. In addition to the war in Iran, Massie cited U.S. military strikes against suspected drug-trafficking ships in the Caribbean and the operations surrounding the capture of Cuban President Nicolás Maduro. It also accused Hegseth of failing to follow laws intended to minimize innocent deaths during military operations.  

Massie argued that these actions showed an abuse of the defense secretary’s powers and qualified as grounds for removal from the office. 

The early recess also delayed other legislative businesses. Massie and many others had been working on a bipartisan effort to release more of the Epstein files; this decision will now also be delayed to November. 

Johnson stated that Congress had completed all their work before leaving D.C. He also assured that all members would remain on a 48-hour notice to return to the capital if needed. 

The Constitution requires a simple majority vote in the House of Representatives to pass an impeachment bill. If the House were to approve the impeachment, the case would then move to the Senate, where a two-thirds majority is required to officially impeach Hegseth.  

The House is scheduled to return on Nov. 9. Massie’s impeachment resolution remains unresolved, and no vote has been held in any form regarding Hegseth’s future.  

Congress will have the opportunity to consider the proposal when they return, although a vote has not been officially scheduled. Until then, Hegseth will continue to serve as the United States Secretary of Defense.