Jeffries and Massie Target Hegseth Removal Vote for Nov. 9

The fight to remove Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from office is now on a fixed calendar.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told supporters in Pennsylvania earlier this month that ousting the secretary would be a priority for his party if it wins control of the chamber. "One of the first things we're going to do in the majority, we're going to run Pete Hegseth out of town," Jeffries said.

The Democratic push gains momentum from a Republican ally. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky filed articles of impeachment in September. Massie accused Hegseth of abusing his office by executing an order for hostilities against Iran without Congressional approval. He stated he intends to force a House vote on the matter on Nov. 9, the day the chamber returns to session after the midterm elections.

Other Democratic lawmakers have used stronger language to describe the secretary. Rep. Pramila Jayapal called Hegseth "incompetent and, frankly, corrupt" during a CNN interview. Rep. Jared Huffman labeled him an "unhinged fanatic who should be impeached and removed from office." These comments reflect a growing consensus within the party that the secretary’s tenure is under threat.

The impeachment strategy unfolds while Hegseth travels abroad. He held a covert meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Ovda air base on Monday. This meeting took place days before Israel's election. Hegseth confirmed the visit occurred but declined to detail the conversation. Reports indicate that Iran was the main topic of discussion.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz reportedly attended the sit-down. Senior Israeli officials, including IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, were not invited for confidentiality reasons. The timing of the meeting and the emerging impeachment timeline place the defense secretary at the center of both foreign policy and domestic political battles in the week following the November elections.