United States lawmakers are preparing to force an impeachment vote against Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has become the focus of Republican recriminations over the party’s heavy defeat in this week’s midterm elections.
No impeachment has yet taken place. Republican congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky filed eight impeachment accusations against Hegseth in September and has said he will trigger a vote when Congress reconvenes next week.
The arithmetic
Impeachment in the House of Representatives requires only a simple majority of 218 votes. Democrats hold 214 seats after Tuesday’s result, meaning a small number of Republican defections would be enough to carry the motion.
Removing Hegseth from office is a far higher bar. That requires a two-thirds majority in the Senate — 67 votes — where Democrats hold at most 56 seats and would need 11 Republicans to join them.
Blamed for the war, and the result
The US-Israeli war on Iran, launched in February, dominated the campaign. About four in ten voters said the economy was their main concern, with most citing petrol and grocery prices that rose sharply after the war began.
Vice President JD Vance said bluntly that “the reason we lost is the war”, adding that “any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there”. One party figure told Al Jazeera that Hegseth “sold the war to Trump, telling him it would be an easy win” and “cost us this election”.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis said Hegseth would face “a reckoning” in the post-election session and would be unable to secure the Pentagon funding he needs. Tillis, who voted to confirm Hegseth in January 2025, called that vote the “biggest regret of my career”.
Hegseth has not resigned. President Trump has said his defence secretary is “doing a very good job” and ruled out replacing him. Hiru News reported that the vote would proceed only if Hegseth does not step down first.
