Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky is leading a push to
, accusing the Pentagon chief of a broad range of high crimes and misdemeanors stemming from his conduct in office.
asserted
Massie → lead → office
The charges are laid out in a 34-page impeachment resolution spanning eight articles that Massie introduced in the lower chamber on Monday.
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Massie → lay → Monday
The House is on whether to advance the articles at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
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House → advance → Tuesday
Some Republicans are upset with the administration's handling of the Iran war, particularly given GOP losses in the midterm elections.
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Republicans → give → elections
House GOP leaders are vowing to defeat Massie's resolution, but attendance issues among members who lost their election could open the door for its passage.
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who → vow → passage
The impeachment resolution focuses on Hegseth's involvement in some of the most controversial episodes of President Trump's second term: the war with Iran,
, an and the .
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resolution → focus → Iran
Hegseth called the resolution " " in a press conference Tuesday morning.
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Hegseth → call → conference
Here's a look at what the impeachment resolution says:
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resolution → say → what
The first impeachment article accuses Hegseth of following illegal orders to begin the Iran war.
"
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article → accuse → war
Secretary Hegseth directed and caused United States Armed Forces to be introduced into hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran," even though Congress had not declared war or authorized an attack, Article I says.
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Article → direct → attack
The resolution says Hegseth acted in violation of the
, which allows the president to use force without congressional authorization in narrow circumstances.
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president → say → circumstances
"Secretary Hegseth nevertheless knowingly executed and implemented the order to commence such hostilities, employing the powers, personnel, weapons, and resources of the Department of Defense to initiate military action against another sovereign nation," the article says.
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article → execute → nation
The second article accuses Hegseth of ignoring a resolution approved by both chambers of Congress that directed the administration to end the Iran war.
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that → accuse → war
The House and Senate both
that ordered the administration to "remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran," the mechanism for Congress to force the executive branch to end fighting under the War Powers Resolution.
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Congress → order → Resolution
Massie's impeachment article notes that this was "the first successful passage of such a legislative vehicle by both chambers of Congress" in history.
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this → note → history
"In response, and without lawful cause or excuse, Secretary Hegseth continued to direct United States Armed Forces into hostilities with the Islamic Republic of Iran on June 26, 2026, and continues to do so," the impeachment article says.
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article → continue → June
At the time, the administration argued that "hostilities" with Iran had already ended, rendering the war powers measure inapplicable.
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measure → argue → Iran
The War Powers Resolution says the executive branch must end the use of force within 60 days if Congress has not approved the operation, with another 30-day window to safely remove troops.
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Congress → say → troops
Mr. Trump notified Congress of the hostilities on March 2, so the 60-day window
on May 1.
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Trump → notify → May
In a letter that day, the administration that "hostilities" had "terminated."
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hostilities → terminate → letter
Hegseth told senators: "We are in a ceasefire right now, which in our understanding means the 60-day clock pauses or stops in a ceasefire.
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clock → tell → ceasefire
"But the impeachment resolution says Hegseth kept directing hostilities after that deadline and beyond June 1, "the date on which even the maximum possible additional 30-day withdrawal period would have expired."
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period → say → which
The article also says Hegseth directed U.S. forces to keep fighting "in a manner calculated not to terminate the unauthorized use of such forces and bring about their prompt removal, but rather to continue prosecuting the war to pursue additional military objectives not authorized by Congress."
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Hegseth → say → Congress
Article IV: Ignoring laws meant to minimize civilian casualties
The fourth article accuses Hegseth of dismantling systems and processes at the Pentagon that Congress established to
, saying that his actions led to the deadly strike on an Iranian school in the first wave of attacks against Iran in February.
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actions → ignore → February
The Tomahawk missile strike , most of them children, Iranian media has reported.
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media → report → them
The U.S. has not directly accepted responsibility for the attack.
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U.S. → accept → attack
The resolution says Hegseth oversaw "the systemic deterioration and removal of Department of Defense infrastructure that Congress had mandated by law to limit collateral damage to civilians and non-military objects during military operations."
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Congress → say → operations
The article cites Hegseth's cuts to staff dedicated to mitigating civilian casualties, his
of the military's top lawyers and his public comments about the "stupid rules of engagement.
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article → cite → engagement
"Hegseth's actions laid the groundwork for the strike on the school, Massie alleges.
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Massie → lay → school
"By directing the Department of Defense in a manner that foreseeably dismantled the safeguards necessary to distinguish civilian objects from military objectives, Secretary Hegseth thereby effected the murder of civilians," the article says.
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article → direct → civilians
"The strike on the elementary school was not an isolated targeting failure divorced from the conduct of the Secretary of Defense, nor can Secretary Hegseth's conduct be dismissed as a single targeting error or isolated failure in the fog of war," the resolution says.
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resolution → divorce → war
The fifth article centers on the Pentagon's campaign against alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean.
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article → center → Caribbean
The resolution says the strikes have killed at least 243 people since September 2025.
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strikes → say → September
Massie accuses Hegseth of using the military to target suspects of crimes.
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Massie → accuse → crimes
"By subjecting persons merely suspected of criminal conduct to lethal military force without judicial process, without congressional authorization, and without establishing a lawful basis for treating such persons or vessels as military targets, Secretary Hegseth arrogated to himself and the Executive Branch the roles of judge, jury, and executioner and asserted a unilateral power to determine who may live and who may die," the article says.
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article → subject → power
The article also cites the first strike of the campaign, on Sept. 2, 2025, when the military
."The strike destroyed and capsized the vessel.
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strike → cite → vessel
Approximately 45 minutes later, while two survivors clung to the wreckage, a secondary strike was ordered, killing both survivors," the resolution says.
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resolution → cling → survivors
"In doing so, Secretary Hegseth has endangered members of our Armed Forces in future military engagements by encouraging adversaries to subject American service members to the same treatment.
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Hegseth → do → treatment
The sixth article accuses Hegseth of "retaliating against a Member of Congress for constitutionally protected speech," specifically Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona.
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article → accuse → Arizona
In November 2025, Kelly, a retired Navy captain,
with other lawmakers to deliver a message to members of the military and intelligence community: "Our laws are clear.
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laws → deliver → community
…and 13 more, not listed.
The Aporia
