Members of Congress literally have one job: show up and vote.
asserted
Members → have → job
And they often can't be bothered to do it.
asserted
they → bother → it
On Tuesday afternoon, the House of Representatives voted 211–204 not to have a full vote on impeaching Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, with all Republicans but the libertarian-leaning Rep. Thomas Massie (R–Ky.) voting against the impeachment.
asserted
Republicans → vote → impeachment
Republican leadership had actually been expecting the impeachment to move forward and pass, Politico reports.
asserted
Politico → expect → ?
But 11 Democrats missed the vote.
asserted
Democrats → miss → vote
According to an Axios reporter, some of them were attending a reception for a group called Elect Democratic Women.
uncertain
some → accord → Women
Ironically, the group was founded by House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (Conn.), whose literal job is making sure members show up to vote the right way.
asserted
members → found → Clark
Democrats weren't the only ones to play hooky.
asserted
Democrats → play → hooky
Seven Republicans also failed to show up.
asserted
Republicans → fail → ?
The procedural decision to avoid a vote on specific articles of impeachment suggests that many members simply didn't want to put their stances on the record.
uncertain
members → avoid → record
So does the unusually large absence on both sides of the aisle (often with flimsy reasons) for a close, high-stakes vote.
asserted
absence → do → vote
Rep. Lou Correa (D–Calif.) had warned publicly beforehand that he couldn't make it to the vote due to a medical procedure.
asserted
he → warn → procedure
The office of Rep. Steven Horsford (D–Nev.) said afterwards that he had to miss the vote due to an unnamed personal emergency.
asserted
he → say → emergency
That made it even more important for the rest of the Democratic caucus to show up—at least, if they wanted the vote to pass.
asserted
vote → make → caucus
The vote was scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
asserted
vote → schedule → p.m.
Meanwhile, the Elect Democratic Women reception was scheduled from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm at a restaurant that is normally a five-minute drive from the Capitol building.
asserted
that → schedule → building
Four Democratic members—Laura Gillen (N.Y.), Jonathan Jackson (Ill.), Melanie Stansbury (N.M.), and Marilyn Strickland (Wash.)—all blamed the traffic for their absence.
asserted
members → blame → absence
Given the scheduling conflict and the importance of the vote, Elect Democratic Women could have rescheduled the reception.
uncertain
Women → give → reception
The organization did not respond to Reason's questions by email.
asserted
organization → respond → email
Meanwhile, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D–Calif.) missed the vote for a prescheduled Veterans' Day event in California, her spokesman told The Washington Sun.
asserted
spokesman → miss → Sun
Rep. Brittany Petersen (D–Colo.) stated that she was "denied the ability to vote on this motion" without elaborating.
asserted
she → state → motion
Democratic Reps. Julia Brownley (Calif.), Haley Stevens (Mich.), Frederica Wilson (Fla.) didn't respond to Reason's questions about their absence.
asserted
Brownley → respond → absence
Neither did most of the absent Republicans.
asserted
most → do → Republicans
A spokesperson for Rep. Julia Letlow (R–La.) tells Reason that "she ran to the floor but got there too late which is why she missed the vote," and says that she would have voted to stop the impeachment.
asserted
she → tell → impeachment
A spokesperson for Rep. Rudolph Yakym (R–Ind.) says he would've voted similarly, without explaining why he was absent.
asserted
he → say → Yakym
Massie, who wrote the articles of impeachment, made Hegseth's impeachment a referendum on the Trump administration's wars, particularly the February 2026 surprise attack on Iran.
asserted
impeachment → write → Iran
The first three articles accuse Hegseth of waging war on Iran against Congress' wishes.
asserted
articles → accuse → wishes
The fourth and fifth concern the killing of civilians in Iran and the Caribbean.
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fourth → concern → Iran
The sixth accuses him of attempting to "retaliate against and intimidate" Sen. Mark Kelly (D–Ariz.) for his criticism of the killings.
asserted
sixth → accuse → killings
Voting on those specific questions may have been uncomfortable for Democratic leadership, which is notably lukewarm on the war in Iran.
uncertain
which → vote → Iran
Although Democratic voters (and Americans in general) overwhelmingly oppose the war, party members reportedly saw it as a necessary evil that was better to saddle Republicans with.
uncertain
that → oppose → Republicans
On its first day, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) stated that "Iran is a bad actor and must be aggressively confronted" while doubting President Donald Trump's ability to do so.
asserted
Iran → state → ability
Stevens, a party favorite who lost her primary to upstart Abdul El-Sayed, called El-Sayed soft on Iran and endorsed the Republican candidate a few days before the general election.
asserted
who → lose → election
Asked by Reason, her office did not explain her absence from the Hegseth vote.
asserted
office → ask → vote
The vote on Hegseth also put Republican members in an awkward spot.
asserted
vote → put → spot
Even the arch-hawk Sen. Ted Cruz (R–Texas) had said before the vote that "either [Hegseth] will resign voluntarily or Trump will fire him."
asserted
Trump → say → him
On the other hand, Trump made support for Hegseth a symbol of personal loyalty to himself.
asserted
support → make → himself
Still, Tuesday's non-vote was only a temporary reprieve for representatives worried about having to do their jobs.
asserted
vote → worry → jobs
When the new Congress takes office in two months, Democrats will have a clear majority to pass articles of impeachment on parties, but not the two-thirds majority needed to convict Hegseth.
asserted
Democrats → take → Hegseth
Lawmakers can expect more votes where their presence matters.
asserted
presence → expect → votes
The Aporia
