Thomas Massie Files Impeachment Articles Against Pete Hegseth, Says Congress Must Act on Illegal Actions by Donald Trump's Defense Secretary

Outgoing Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie revealed plans to force a vote in the House of Representatives to impeach Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, claiming he violated three specific provisions of the War Powers Resolution of 1973.

"By engaging in hostilities in Iran for more than 90 days without congressional authorization, Secretary Hegseth is breaking the law and must be held accountable," Massie said in a statement released by his office on Tuesday, September 15.

Massie claimed that Hegseth's violations "extended beyond the illegal war in Iran," which he believed moved forward without proper legislative guidance.

The Kentucky lawmaker shared a long list of accusations against Hegseth, including overstepping his authority over military strikes on ships the U.S. believed were involved in drug trafficking, the Pentagon's investigation into Mark Kelly and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

"He is abusing the power of his office to ignore congressional war powers resolutions, to kidnap foreign leaders, and to intimidate critics of the Trump administration by retaliating against them for exercising free speech," the statement continued. "If we are to remain true to our oath to 'support and defend the Constitution of the United States,' Congress must not turn a blind eye to Secretary Hegseth's unconstitutional and illegal actions."

Eight specific charges were brought against the secretary of defense, who was appointed by Donald Trump in January 2025.

Though Massie has the right to force a full House vote – which is expected to take place within the next two legislative days – Republican senators are unlikely to convict Hegseth and remove him from office.

The news comes just days after a bombshell report revealed that Trump's war with Iran has cost an estimated $33.4 billion between February 28 and June 30, per The Daily Beast.

The deeply unpopular war has nearly entered its seventh month with no end in sight. The report also warned that the conflict was causing the U.S. to "rapidly deplete its munitions," resulting in "strategic inventory shortfalls and revealed industrial base bottlenecks for munitions resupply."

Hegseth has frequently dismissed accusations that the war with Iran was depleting U.S. stockpiles of missiles and other munitions.