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The most powerful Democrat in the House has just put himself on the record: he wants Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth impeached. Appearing on ABC's This Week on Sunday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told co-anchor Jonathan Karl: "I'm a hard yes on the Hegseth resolution." It is a short sentence with large consequences — because Jeffries is poised to become Speaker of the House when Democrats take control of Congress in January, and his backing turns a long-shot resolution into a live one.
What Jeffries actually said
Jeffries did not hedge. "The so-called secretary of defense has abused his power, undermined our national security, and engineered this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran," he said, according to reports from Al Jazeera. "Pete Hegseth has got to go." He added that he believed there would be "incredibly strong support" for the resolution among House Democrats, who are due to discuss it when the caucus meets on Tuesday, November 10 — its first gathering since the midterm elections. Jeffries also said Democrats would seek to end the conflict in Iran when they take control of Congress in January, and that the party is preparing wider investigations into the Trump administration.
The resolution itself comes from an unlikely source: Representative Thomas Massie, an outgoing Republican from Kentucky who has repeatedly broken with President Donald Trump. Massie read eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth into the Congressional Record on September 15, including allegations that Hegseth violated the War Powers Resolution of 1973 by conducting military operations against Iran without congressional authorisation. Massie has said he intends to reintroduce the measure as a privileged resolution as early as Monday, November 9 — a procedural move that would force a vote within two legislative days.
How impeachment would actually work
It is important to be precise about what a "hard yes" can and cannot do. Impeachment requires only a simple majority in the House, but removal from office requires conviction by two-thirds of senators present — a far higher bar. Right now, Republicans still hold the House, so a vote forced this week would be an uphill fight for the resolution's supporters. The arithmetic changes fundamentally in January, when Democrats take control of both chambers after their midterm victories. With a Democratic majority in the House, impeachment becomes a realistic prospect; conviction in the Senate would still need substantial Republican support.
Hegseth has dismissed the effort. In a video posted on X on Thursday, November 5, he called the articles a sham and "all about the politics of personal destruction", saying it "won't work with me", according to CNN. The accusations against him remain allegations contained in a proposed impeachment measure — not findings of wrongdoing by Congress. But the politics have shifted since September, when Massie first filed his articles: the Democrats' midterm sweep, the rising cost of the Iran war, and Jeffries' own rise to the speakership have turned what looked like a protest gesture into a genuine test of the new Congress. Whether it ends in impeachment, a failed vote, or a negotiated resignation, the "hard yes" guarantees the question will be asked — starting this week. For the wider White House shake-up, see Trump Names Stephen Miller White House Chief of Staff, and for the midterm fallout, JD Vance's 2028 Brand After the Midterm Rout.