The House passed a motion to refer Thomas Massie’s eight-article impeachment resolution against Pete Hegseth to committee, blocking an immediate floor debate and vote.

Mike Johnson’s House has now blocked Thomas Massie’s impeachment resolution against Pete Hegseth from reaching a floor debate and vote.

Rep. Darrell Issa’s motion to refer the resolution to the House Judiciary Committee passed, ending its immediate consideration on the House floor.

Massie had introduced eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth, citing the Iran war, Venezuela, and an effort to punish Democratic lawmakers who told troops they should disobey orders.

When asked whether Republicans had committed to supporting the resolution, Massie said none had. He added that several lawmakers had told him they disliked Hegseth, even if they did not support the entire impeachment package.

Massie also acknowledged that he did not know whether the measure could pass the House. He said his larger goal was to force a Senate vote so members would have to take a public position, even if they attempted to dismiss the matter without a substantive trial or hearing.

Before the referral passed, Speaker Mike Johnson predicted that the effort to sideline the resolution would succeed. “We have the votes,” Johnson said, describing Massie’s effort as an “impeachment gambit.”

Massie had planned to seek separate votes on each article if the referral failed. He said several members supported parts of the resolution but not the package as a whole. The committee vote blocked that plan from moving forward on the floor.

Even if the resolution had cleared the House, Johnson could still have prevented Senate consideration by refusing to transmit it. That created another barrier beyond the vote itself.

Hegseth answered the impeachment effort during a morning press conference, calling it a “farce” and a “stunt.” He also described Massie as “disgruntled and defeated.”

The procedural decision ends the immediate House showdown while leaving Massie’s individual allegations without the floor votes he wanted.

The live feed referenced in the report appears below, along with Massie’s statement about separate votes.

Why It Matters

The immediate issue is not only whether Hegseth would face an impeachment trial. The vote also determined whether lawmakers would have to publicly take positions on allegations involving the Iran war, Venezuela, and the dispute over instructions to service members. Massie wanted that public record, while the committee referral kept those allegations from receiving the floor treatment he sought. That makes the procedural maneuver more than a scheduling choice. It determines whether the House debate happens at all and whether the Senate is ever placed in the position Massie described.

The fight also shows competing priorities inside the House. Massie is using impeachment to force a recorded choice even though he acknowledged that support was incomplete. Johnson is using the committee route to end what he called an impeachment gambit. Hegseth rejects the case as a political stunt, while lawmakers who may agree with individual articles now have no immediate floor vote on those claims. The open questions are whether any article might have drawn support on its own, whether the Senate would ever have considered the matter, and whether the confrontation leaves lasting pressure on Hegseth or ends with the referral.

Source: The Gateway Pundit