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Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, moved Monday to force a vote to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The resolution was introduced as soon as the House opened its first day of sessions after the midterms. It largely focuses on the war in Iran but also refers to Hegseth’s role in military actions in Yemen and Venezuela. Massie said the secretary’s actions amount to “high crimes and misdemeanors” and that his leadership at the Pentagon “thus warrants impeachment.”

A House vote could come by midweek, putting pressure on Republicans, many of whom blamed their election losses on the Iran war. The next steps, however, are highly uncertain. House Speaker Mike Johnson had tried to prevent this outcome and warned lawmakers against impeaching the Defense secretary while the U.S. is engaged in military actions in the Middle East. Most House Democrats are expected to support impeachment, and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said over the weekend that it is time for Hegseth to go. If the House votes to impeach, the resolution would go to the Senate for a potential trial. Republicans remain in the majority in both chambers until the new Congress convenes in January, when Democrats will take control.

Hegseth said he is eager to defend the military actions that he and President Donald Trump have taken against Iran, Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, and Venezuela’s previous leaders. Speaking to reporters Monday, he said that anyone who objected to those operations was “taking issue with the troops and what they accomplished.” Hegseth also announced a news conference for Tuesday, his first in more than 180 days, on the impeachment threat. His last briefing was in May, and he has not held one on the Iran war, strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats, or other U.S. military actions since then.

Hegseth dismissed the impeachment push after giving a speech at the Naval War College in Rhode Island. “There’s a lot of politically motivated people who may have substantial policy disagreements, but their disagreements are with success,” he told reporters. He said his team was “not worried about the noise.” Asked about Vice President JD Vance blaming the Iran war for the Republican losses, Hegseth said Trump had stated he would do it again, and “I agree.” He largely repeated a line Secretary of State Marco Rubio gave reporters a day earlier: “It doesn’t have to be necessarily popular, but it can be necessary.”

The Pentagon chief is bearing the brunt of anger and calls for his ouster after the Iran war and its economic impact contributed to severe Republican losses in the midterm elections, which cost the party control of Congress. That position carries heavy responsibility, and leaders who hold it are expected to answer for their decisions (Luke 12:48). Hegseth argued that the war was necessary because “someone had to confront the Iranian regime’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon.” Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran has 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

Hegseth said “Iran is devastated,” although the Islamic Republic has continued to strike U.S.-used military bases in the Middle East, causing billions of dollars in damage, as well as commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Disruptions to shipping in that waterway, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil passed before the war, have raised energy prices that affect voters’ household budgets. According to The AP Voter Poll, a survey of more than 100,000 voters in the United States, about 6 in 10 voters said the U.S. made the “wrong decision” in taking military action against Iran. Trump defended Hegseth on Sunday night, saying, “I believe we saved the Middle East and Israel combined.”

Hegseth has also posted a video on social media acknowledging the impeachment threat, describing it as “all about the politics of personal destruction.” Since then, scores of political appointees within the Pentagon have posted images of Hegseth with the words “Stand. Fight. Defend the Republic.” The White House also posted a video to social media that featured praise from Trump.

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