WASHINGTON, April 23 — Republican House leadership pulled the plug Wednesday on a scheduled Thursday vote that would have forced members to go on record on articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, sending lawmakers home until November and sidestepping a politically charged roll call ahead of the midterm elections. The decision extends a recess that House Republicans had already begun shaping, having called off work for the final two weeks of September to give members time to campaign. This move starts that break even earlier than expected.
By leaving town Thursday, Republicans also avoid a vote on articles of impeachment filed by Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican who has grown increasingly critical of the Trump administration. Massie accused the Pentagon chief of violating the 1973 War Powers Resolution by continuing the war in Iran without congressional approval.
Reading his articles on the House floor, Massie said Hegseth had acted in a manner “subversive of constitutional government.” He also accused Hegseth of undertaking extrajudicial killings of suspected drug traffickers in international waters and kidnapping a foreign leader, former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, in January. Massie further pointed to Pentagon efforts to “retaliate” against Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, who participated in a video with other military veterans in Congress urging service members not to comply with unlawful orders from the Trump administration.
It was not clear whether the impeachment articles would have enough votes to clear the House, even with all Democrats supporting Massie. Still, the lower chamber would have been forced to hold such a vote on Thursday — a move that could have been embarrassing for Republicans in advance of the midterm election, which will serve as a referendum on President Donald Trump and his administration.
Massie Saw It Coming
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Massie predicted House leadership would cancel votes to prevent lawmakers from casting ballots on his impeachment resolution. He pointed to what he said were past efforts to block a vote on his resolution forcing the release of the Epstein files. “I didn’t give anybody a heads up, because when they found out I was doing the Epstein discharge petition, they canceled two weeks of Congress,” Massie said.
“I think if they found out I was going to do this, they might have canceled even more days.” Trump took the oath of office on Jan. 20, 2025, for a second time from inside a fortified Capitol building.
Republicans Split on the Retreat
Among Massie’s Republican colleagues, opinions were split on whether it was good politics for the House to skip town and sacrifice roughly 60 days of the session that could have otherwise been used for passing bills and conducting committee business. South Carolina Representative Ralph Norman told Courthouse News on Wednesday evening that leaving Washington early was a bad move. He pointed out House Republicans still needed to keep up pressure on the Senate to pass the Trump administration’s marquee voter ID legislation, the Save America Act.
He also noted a fiscal deadline looming in December. “We’ve got our [continuing resolution] coming up pretty quick,” Norman said.
“We ought to have some general agreement on what we’re going to do. We passed three of the 12 appropriations bills. How are we going to fund the government?” Norman’s fellow South Carolina representative, Congresswoman Nancy Mace, took a different tack, telling reporters that both Republicans and Democrats benefited from an early recess in what promises to be a competitive election season.
Strategically, the calculus here is straightforward. Leadership traded a stretch of legislative days for the certainty of avoiding an ugly floor fight — and the broader stakes extend well beyond Hegseth.
The December funding deadline and the stalled Save America Act now sit unattended while members campaign. What to watch next is whether the Senate moves on the voter ID bill in the GOP’s absence, and whether Massie’s impeachment push survives the recess or becomes a rallying point when the House returns in November.
