Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has survived an impeachment effort, at least for now, after the U.S. House on Tuesday blocked a vote over charges that the Cabinet official oversaw extrajudicial killings and an illegal war against Iran.

The House voted 211-204, largely along party lines, to refer articles of impeachment against Hegseth to a committee — effectively killing the impeachment effort until the end of the current Congress in January. Eleven Democrats and seven Republicans missed the vote.

The vote came hours after Hegseth defended himself in a fiery news conference at the Pentagon, where he denounced the impeachment effort as an attack on American service members.

He called the bid to remove him a “farce” and flatly rejected the notion that he had committed impeachable offenses as the top civilian leader of the military. He likened himself to President Donald Trump, who was twice impeached during his first term.

“Let’s be clear about what this resolution actually does. It tells our enemies — Iran, the cartels, every adversary watching — that the United States will actually punish its own warriors and its own civilian leadership for successfully executing lawful military operations,” Hegseth said.

Rep. Thomas Massie, an outgoing Kentucky Republican, introduced articles of impeachment Monday alleging the Defense secretary waged unlawful war against Iran, ordered extrajudicial killings and ignored laws intended to minimize civilian casualties, among other charges. 

Impeachment would have represented an extraordinary rebuke of one of the most divisive members of Trump’s Cabinet. 

Hegseth, a 46-year-old former Fox News personality who narrowly won Senate confirmation last year, has sought to project a swashbuckling, masculine image as the military’s top civilian leader. He has rebranded the Department of Defense as the “Department of War,” purged numerous high-ranking officers and tried to kick critical media outlets out of the Pentagon.

On Tuesday, Hegseth called Massie a “disgruntled and defeated congressman” who is attempting a “political spectacle” driven by ego and resentment. Massie, who has often clashed with Trump, lost his primary in May to a Trump-backed challenger.

“It’s a farce and it’s a stunt and everybody knows it,” Hegseth said.

Hegseth’s opponents could try again to impeach him during the new Congress, which begins in January. Democrats will hold a large majority in the House at that time.

Earlier in the day, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat who will likely become majority leader when his party takes over the chamber, said Hegseth should stand trial in the Senate if impeached.

“Hegseth is already trying to hide behind our troops, falsely claiming that Congress disapproves of our courageous servicemembers even though we have fought to bring them home for months,” Schumer said.

President Donald Trump has so far stood by Hegseth. He praised the Defense secretary in multiple public remarks over the past two weeks,  saying he’s “done a fantastic job” in reducing the number of “woke” four-star generals, and for conducting the “war with Venezuela,” which he said “was over in 48 minutes.”

“Pete Hegseth should be praised, not Impeached. Congress, stand up for Pete!!!” Trump wrote in a social media post on Monday.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth struck a defiant tone Tuesday as he faces potential impeachment by the U.S. House of Representatives this week, casting the effort as an attack on American service members.

Hegseth during a rare news conference at the Pentagon called the impeachment effort a “farce” and flatly rejected the notion that he had committed impeachable offenses as the top civilian leader of the military. He likened himself to President Donald Trump, who was twice impeached during his first term.

“Let’s be clear about what this resolution actually does. It tells our enemies — Iran, the cartels, every adversary watching — that the United States will actually punish its own warriors and its own civilian leadership for successfully executing lawful military operations,” Hegseth said.

The House, led by Republicans during the lame-duck session following the Nov. 3 election, is set to vote on impeaching Hegseth as soon as Wednesday, with a procedural vote expected later Tuesday. 

Massie impeachment articles

Rep. Thomas Massie, an outgoing Kentucky Republican, introduced articles of impeachment Monday alleging the defense secretary waged unlawful war against Iran, ordered extrajudicial killings and ignored laws intended to minimize civilian casualties, among other charges. 

Impeachment would represent an extraordinary rebuke of one of the most divisive members of Trump’s Cabinet. Democrats, as well as some Republicans, are expected to support the effort, raising the possibility the articles will pass and trigger a trial in the Senate, though the outcome is unclear there.

Hegseth, a 46-year-old former Fox News personality who narrowly won Senate confirmation last year, has sought to project a swashbuckling, masculine image as the military’s top civilian leader. He has rebranded the Department of Defense as the “Department of War,” purged numerous high-ranking officers and tried to kick critical media outlets out of the Pentagon.

On Tuesday, Hegseth called Massie a “disgruntled and defeated congressman” who is attempting a “political spectacle” driven by ego and resentment. Massie, who has often clashed with Trump, lost his primary in May to a Trump-backed challenger.

“It’s a farce and it’s a stunt and everybody knows it,” Hegseth said.

Drug boats

Massie told reporters on Monday that Hegseth’s conduct of the military has endangered Americans. 

As an example, he pointed to a second strike conducted on survivors of a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean that had already been hit, suggesting it will encourage enemies of the U.S. to act similarly in the future. Hegseth has denied ordering the strike, but said he supported it.

Massie dismissed Hegseth’s attacks on him, adding that he was “being polite” by using the impeachment process, which would only remove Hegseth from office but not subject him to criminal charges.

“Well, he’s right about one thing, I’m a defeated congressman. I’m not disgruntled,” Massie said.

The House can impeach Hegseth with a simple majority vote, though GOP leaders may first attempt to derail the measure with procedural votes, such as sending the articles to a committee. 

But convicting Hegseth and removing him as defense secretary will take a two-thirds vote in the Senate — 67 senators — a high bar to clear. 

The Senate is currently composed of 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats, including two independent senators who caucus with Democrats. Beginning in January, Democrats will control the chamber with at least 54 seats.

Trump praise

Trump has so far stood by Hegseth. He praised the defense secretary in multiple public remarks over the past two weeks,  saying he’s “done a fantastic job” in reducing the number of “woke” four-star generals, and for conducting the “war with Venezuela,” which he said “was over in 48 minutes.”

“Pete Hegseth should be praised, not Impeached. Congress, stand up for Pete!!!” Trump wrote in a social media post on Monday.

Impeachment would mark a significant escalation in Congress’ push to restrain Trump’s war in Iran — and its efforts to assert authority over presidential warmaking. The U.S. Constitution grants Congress the power to declare war, something lawmakers haven’t done since World War II.

The U.S. military, in conjunction with Israeli forces, attacked Iran in late February. The American campaign, overseen by Hegseth, killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and numerous other Iranian officials. 

Iran retaliated by firing missiles at U.S. bases across the Middle East and moving to cut off traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping point for oil. The lack of safe, regular access to the strait has sent energy prices rising in the U.S. and around the world.

War Powers Resolution

The articles of impeachment include three articles alleging Hegseth directed military operations against Iran in violation of the War Powers Resolution, legislation Congress approved in 1973 over the veto of President Richard Nixon. The War Powers Resolution sets limits on when presidents can engage in military conflict without authorization by Congress.

The legality of the War Powers Resolution has long been disputed, with the executive branch asserting it improperly interferes with the president’s conduct of foreign policy. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as recently as May called the War Powers Resolution unconstitutional.

Impeachment would signal that executive branch officials could face consequences if they don’t abide by the War Powers Resolution.

“Pete Hegseth is obligated to follow the laws on the books, not the laws that he wants to follow,” Massie said Monday.

Hegseth disputed the allegations, saying he had overseen lawful military operations first ordered by Trump. He said initiating the impeachment effort ahead of Veterans Day on Wednesday sends a message to service members that “their service was a crime.”

“We destroyed terror regimes’ capabilities. We sank the boats carrying poison into our communities. We put a narco dictator in handcuffs,” Hegseth said. “These are not high crimes. This is the job, and it’s a job well done.”

Next Congress

Massie, who has said he would drop his impeachment effort if Hegseth resigns, suggested that the defense secretary will face more intense scrutiny in the next Congress if he survives the current impeachment effort.

Democrats, Massie said, will hold hearings on Hegseth’s conduct that could prompt more Republican senators to vote to convict him. Democrats will have a strong majority in the House beginning in January and will almost certainly have enough votes to impeach Hegseth if Massie’s effort comes up short.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat expected to become speaker in January, told reporters Monday that he is a “hard yes” on Massie’s articles of impeachment.

“He’s the architect of the reckless and costly failed war of choice in Iran,” Jeffries said of Hegseth.

On Monday, Trump told reporters at the White House that Hegseth had won two wars, referring to the conflicts in Iran and Venezuela, where U.S. special forces seized President Nicolás Maduro in a nighttime raid. Maduro is now awaiting trial in the United States on federal narco-terrorism charges.

Eighteen U.S. service members have died since the start of the war in Iran on Feb. 28, with the most recent deaths in July, according to the Defense Casualty Analysis System. No service members died in Venezuela.

Trump questioned why leaders who oversaw past wars with far higher casualty counts weren’t impeached.

“We lost 18 — 18,” Trump said. “They lost 65,000 in Vietnam.”

Ashley Murray contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump Thursday announced that the execution of a man convicted of the Fort Hood shooting will not be livestreamed, a reversal after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week that Nidal Hasan’s death by firing squad would be public. 

“I think streaming the execution for all to see might have been a strong deterrent for the World to witness how America deals with Terrorists and SCUM like Hasan but, many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die, through streaming, or through any other visual device,” Trump wrote on his social media site, Truth Social. “He will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed.”

Last week, Hegseth’s decision to make Hasan’s execution public garnered bipartisan backlash, and members of Congress urged the Trump administration to reconsider. 

On Friday, Trump “absolutely” said he had approved the livestreaming but also said he would make a determination about whether it should occur.

Vice President JD Vance appeared skeptical that a public execution would be approved, and already stated he would not watch it. 

Earlier this month, Trump approved of Hasan’s execution by firing squad on Dec. 3 at Fort Hood, Texas, the military installation where Hasan carried out a mass shooting on Nov. 5, 2009. 

He was an Army Medical Corps psychiatrist from Virginia who was convicted and admitted to killing 13 people and injuring 32 others at Fort Hood, making it the deadliest non-combative attack on a U.S. military base. 

Hasan was also shot during the mass shooting and is paralyzed from the waist down. 

Trump added in his announcement that the only people who will be viewing the execution in person are “the immediate families of the victims, if they so choose.” 

President Donald Trump on Friday appeared to leave open the possibility that the federal government won’t livestream a military execution planned for December that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had said would be public.

But Trump also told reporters at the White House that he had “absolutely” approved livestreaming the execution.

The apparently contradictory comments came as the Trump administration faced a wave of criticism over plans to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, a former Army major convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009. Hegseth announced Thursday that Hasan’s death by firing squad would be public.

“I’m going to make a determination about that, but he will be killed,” Trump first told reporters when asked about the livestream.

A short time later, Trump was asked whether he had approved livestreaming the execution. He replied, “Did I approve? Absolutely.”

Plans for the public execution came under bipartisan condemnation from lawmakers, along with numerous religious figures, Thursday and Friday. 

Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, wrote on social media that public executions are “what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do.” He called the plans “beyond disgusting.”

Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat, on social media urged the Pentagon to reverse course.

“We are long past the days of public hangings in the town square,” Murray wrote. “Kids watch what our leaders do and say, is this kind of bloodshed really what we want them seeing?

Even Vice President JD Vance cast doubt on whether the execution would be broadcast. He told reporters that if it’s ultimately livestreamed, “I’m not gonna be watching it.”