Story summary
Congress returned from its August recess with just four voting days left in the House and slightly more time in the Senate before members leave to campaign ahead of the November midterm elections. This short session means little legislation of broad national consequence is expected to pass, leaving unresolved issues such as immigration, healthcare costs, and Social Security reform for future sessions or administrations.
Lawmakers are focusing on passing messaging bills they can use during their campaigns rather than addressing urgent legislative priorities like AI regulation, data center power costs, and military funding. The House will vote on the Ratepayer Protection Act to require tech companies to pay for infrastructure needed to construct data centers, which could help vulnerable incumbents address voter concerns about rising energy costs tied to these facilities.
Meanwhile, the Senate plans to take up bills related to cryptocurrency market structure and college sports reforms. However, these efforts may be delayed due to ongoing disputes over ethics rules governing former President Donald Trump and his family's influence on legislation. Additionally, the House faces time-sensitive issues like annual defense policy bill reauthorization, warrantless surveillance program extensions, and farm bill renewals that will likely need to wait until after the elections.
Republican Thomas Massie introduced a resolution on Tuesday calling for Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's impeachment over his handling of military actions in Iran, arguing it constitutes "high crimes and misdemeanors" as Congress never formally declared war in the region. This procedural move forces an immediate vote without going through committee review, reflecting internal party tensions amid Trump-era policies and candidates' election-year maneuvering.
Written for “Congress Midterm Recess Planning” on 2026-09-17,
grounded in this article and the 15 other(s) covering the same event.
- Sign up HERE for the DC Insider Newsletter- our guide to what's rocking Washington, rattling the White House and setting tongues wagging on the Hill
- See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source
Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie, who was ousted in a bitter primary fight this year by a Trump-backed foe, is targeting Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in his latest move.
Speaking on the US House floor Tuesday afternoon, Massie blasted Hegseth for committing 'high crimes and misdemeanors,' and for continuing to carry out military actions in Iran despite Congress never formally declaring a conflict in the region.
asserted
Congress → sign → region
Massie's introduction of a privileged resolution will force a vote on the matter by using a procedural move that allows issues to bypass the committee process.
asserted
issues → force → process
He used a similar method to force a vote on the release of the Epstein Files last year, rejected pressure from GOP leadership to kill his transparency campaign.
asserted
He → use → campaign
Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson told the Daily Mail in a statement, 'Secretary Hegseth has been a transformative leader for the Department of War.
asserted
Hegseth → tell → War
'Secretary Hegseth has slashed bureaucracy, unleashed innovation, and delivered for our warfighters every step of the way.
asserted
Hegseth → slash → way
The entire Department is unified behind the Secretary’s vision and will continue working to put our warfighters and America first,' Wilson added.
asserted
Wilson → unify → warfighters
Hegseth went to Kentucky to campaign against Massie during his primary season, something that was a shocking move by a top military official.
asserted
that → go → official
Back in May, Hegseth made an unusual last-minute trip to Massie's district to endorse Ed Gallrein, who largely kept his campaign away from media scrutiny.
uncertain
who → make → scrutiny
US Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, introduces a resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in connection with the US conflict with Iran
Pete Hegseth delivers a speech during an observance ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon, in Washington, DC
'
asserted
Hegseth → introduce → Washington
President Trump needs reinforcements, and that's what war fighters do.
asserted
fighters → need → what
They stand behind leaders and have their back,' Hegseth said about Massie in May while stumping for Gallrein.
uncertain
Hegseth → stand → Gallrein
'Too often, Thomas Massie has acted like his job is to stand apart from the movement that President Trump leads, instead of strengthening it.
asserted
Trump → act → it
When President Trump needs backup, Massie wants to debate process.'
asserted
Massie → need → process
'At some point, being against everything becomes an excuse for accomplishing nothing.
asserted
being → become → nothing
President Trump does not need more people in Washington who are trying to make a point,' Hegseth said.
asserted
Hegseth → need → point
'When conservatives are fighting the most radical left in American history, too often Massie’s instinct is to throw elbows at fellow Republicans instead of the people who are destroying our country or want to destroy our country.'
asserted
who → fight → country
The secretary said at the time that he was speaking 'as a private citizen' — and not as a member of Trump's Cabinet.
asserted
he → say → Cabinet
There was no known precedent for a sitting defense secretary actively campaigning for a congressional candidate.
asserted
secretary → be → candidate
The former Fox News host is a top target of House Democrats who have stirred an uproar about his handling of the Iran war, his central involvement in the SignalGate scandal and his countless strikes in the Caribbean.
asserted
who → stir → Caribbean
'Hegseth got us into an illegal and costly war in Iran which we are losing.
asserted
we → get → which
He has fired generals capriciously and ordered the killing of fishermen in the Caribbean,' Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California told the Daily Mail.
asserted
Khanna → fire → Mail
'He should be impeached.'
asserted
He → impeach → ?
All impeachments start in the House, which Democrats are forecast to win this November.
asserted
Democrats → start → which
That would hand them the power to subpoena Trump administration officials and drag them before Congress under oath.
asserted
That → hand → oath
Trump reportedly screamed at Hegseth about a military munition shortage problem that he thought was resolved during the Camp David Cabinet meeting shown above in late July
Some have accused Army veteran Hegseth (pictured with wife Jennifer) of being 'incompetent' and 'unfit' to serve as secretary
Similar to Trump's first term, when former Speaker Nancy Pelosi maneuvered to foil Trump's final two years and even brought two impeachments against him, Democrats are planning another wave of resistance.
uncertain
Democrats → scream → resistance
However, not all on the left are determined that impeachment is the proper path forward, should it become an option.
asserted
it → determine → left
But most are salivating at holding Trump and his posse's feet to the flames.
asserted
most → salivate → flames
'Pete Hegseth has got to go,' Congressman Jason Crow, who serves on the House panels overseeing the CIA and Pentagon, told the Daily Mail.
asserted
who → get → Mail
'Democrats won’t hesitate to use very tool available to hold the Defense Secretary accountable,' he added, without expounding on whether he has the appetite for impeachment.
asserted
he → hesitate → impeachment
He and others have accused Army veteran Hegseth of being 'incompetent' and 'unfit' to serve as secretary.
asserted
He → accuse → secretary
Lawmakers on the left have accused him of politicizing the Pentagon, firing experienced generals, and jeopardizing service members by 'recklessly' sharing classified information.
asserted
Lawmakers → accuse → information
'Pete Hegseth is an unqualified, narcissistic, wannabe Chief of War,' Democrat Jill Tokuda of Hawaii, another member of the House Armed Services Committee, told the Mail.
'
asserted
Tokuda → tell → Mail
Similar to what this administration did to others, his picture should be stripped from the wall of the Pentagon, he should face charges domestically and globally for crimes against humanity.'
asserted
he → strip → humanity
It is not just liberal lawmakers who disapprove of Hegseth, the latest Quinnipiac Poll found that he has a 57 percent disapproval rating compared to 32 percent approval.
asserted
he → disapprove → approval
The secretary's net -25 rating has plummeted since the beginning of the Iran conflict, when the same pollster found Hegseth then had a -9 point approval.
asserted
Hegseth → plummet → approval
The Aporia
