Jeffries Is a 'Hard Yes' on Impeaching Hegseth as Democrats Plan Oversight Blitz

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has thrown his full weight behind impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, declaring on Sunday that he is a “hard yes” on a resolution that could reach the House floor as soon as this week. The move opens a new front in the confrontation between the incoming Democratic Congress and the Trump administration, just five days after Democrats won control of both chambers in the midterm elections.

The United States Capitol building in Washington DC at dusk, with the dome lit up

In short: Speaking on ABC’s This Week on Sunday, November 8, 2026, Hakeem Jeffries said “I’m a hard yes on the Hegseth resolution,” accusing the defense secretary of abusing his power and engineering a “reckless and costly war of choice in Iran.” The resolution, authored by Republican Representative Thomas Massie, could be reintroduced as early as Monday, November 9, and House Democrats will discuss it when they reconvene on Tuesday, November 10.

“Pete Hegseth Has Got to Go”

Jeffries did not hedge in his interview with ABC co-anchor Jonathan Karl. “The so-called Secretary of Defense has abused his power, undermined our national security and engineered this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran, which has skyrocketed prices on the American people and made the country less safe,” Jeffries said. “Pete Hegseth has got to go.” He added that he believes “there will be incredibly strong support for that resolution” among House Democrats.

Jeffries is poised to become Speaker of the House when the new Congress convenes in January, which gives his backing real weight. He had already signaled his position on Thursday, posting on X: “Why is Pete Hegseth still around?” On ABC, he framed the push as part of a broader accountability agenda, telling Karl: “We are going to visit accountability on the wrongdoers.”

The Massie Resolution: Eight Articles, Privileged Status

The resolution itself comes from an unlikely source: Representative Thomas Massie, an outgoing Republican from Kentucky who has repeatedly broken with President Trump. Massie read eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth into the Congressional Record on September 15, including allegations that Hegseth violated the War Powers Resolution of 1973 by conducting military operations against Iran without congressional authorization.

Massie has said he intends to reintroduce the measure as a privileged resolution as early as Monday, November 9 — a procedural move that would force a vote within two legislative days. That timetable is what makes Jeffries’s Sunday endorsement so consequential: a privileged resolution cannot simply be buried in committee. Hegseth has dismissed the effort. In a video posted on X on Thursday, November 5, he called the articles a sham and vowed to fight the impeachment push.

It is important to be precise about what impeachment would and would not do. Impeachment requires only a simple majority in the House, but removal from office requires conviction by two-thirds of the senators present — 67 votes in the 100-seat Senate, where Democrats hold 54 seats. If the resolution advances, Hegseth would be only the second cabinet secretary in modern American history to face such a vote. The accusations against him remain allegations contained in a proposed impeachment measure, not findings of wrongdoing by Congress.

Aerial view of the Pentagon building in Arlington, Virginia, in daylight

Democrats Name Their Oversight Targets: Medicaid, Iran, Tariffs

Jeffries used the same interview to lay out the incoming majority’s agenda for its first 100 days, naming three top targets alongside the Hegseth push. “We’ve got to fight to lower groceries and gas and housing, and certainly we’ve got to fight to make healthcare affordable for every single American,” he said. “We want to do things like end this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran, which has made life way too expensive. We need to stop the Trump Tariffs. We need to reverse the Medicaid cuts that put the health insurance of millions of Americans at risk and threatens to close hospitals all over the place.”

He also named reversing cuts to the SNAP food assistance program and extending Affordable Care Act tax credits as priorities, and said Democrats would move “aggressively during the first 100 days of the new Congress and beyond.” The investigative effort will run principally through two committees: Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland is expected to lead the Judiciary Committee, and Representative Robert Garcia of California is expected to lead the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Jeffries said he strongly supports banning members of Congress from trading stocks as one of the first items once Democrats are back in control.

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Attorney General Blanche Sidesteps Questions on Probing Democrats

The oversight clash is already spilling into open conflict with the Justice Department. President Trump on Saturday ordered the department to look into Democratic lawmakers over what he called threats against administration officials, companies and donors. Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the order on the Sunday shows but sidestepped direct questions about whether Democrats are actually under investigation and what crime, if any, would be investigated.

On Fox News Sunday, Blanche said: “They’re threatening current members of the administration. They’re threatening American companies who’ve invested in jobs… At some point, we have to say enough is enough.” On CNN’s State of the Union, asked whether he would imprison Democrats, he said it “depends on what the crime is and what they’ve done.” He named incoming House Oversight chair Robert Garcia, who wrote “Lawyer up” on X last week, and said the Justice Department would defend Stephen Miller if the committee investigates him. Garcia accused Blanche of using the prospect of investigations to intimidate lawmakers and discourage scrutiny of the administration, and said Democrats describe their planned work — including investigations of corporate corruption, DHS and ICE abuses and the Epstein files — as constitutionally protected oversight. With Democrats preparing investigations and possible impeachment efforts, the first public clash is already about where oversight ends and criminal exposure begins. For the latest developments in Washington, the coming week will be decisive: Massie’s resolution on Monday, the Democratic caucus meeting on Tuesday, and a possible forced House vote within days.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Hakeem Jeffries say about impeaching Pete Hegseth?

On ABC’s This Week on Sunday, November 8, 2026, Jeffries said: “I’m a hard yes on the Hegseth resolution.” He accused Hegseth of abusing his power, undermining national security and engineering a “reckless and costly war of choice in Iran,” adding: “Pete Hegseth has got to go.”

Who wrote the impeachment resolution against Hegseth?

Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, authored the resolution. He read eight articles of impeachment into the Congressional Record on September 15, 2026, including allegations that Hegseth violated the War Powers Resolution of 1973 by conducting military operations against Iran without congressional authorization.

When could the House vote on impeaching Hegseth?

Massie plans to reintroduce the resolution as a privileged measure as early as Monday, November 9, which would force a vote within two legislative days. House Democrats will discuss the resolution when they reconvene on Tuesday, November 10. A vote this week would take place while Republicans still control the House; Democrats take control in January.

Would impeachment remove Hegseth from office?

Not by itself. The House can impeach with a simple majority, but removal requires conviction by two-thirds of the Senate — 67 votes — where Democrats hold 54 seats. Impeachment would be a major political blow, but removal would require significant Republican support in the Senate.

What else are Democrats planning to investigate?

Jeffries named reversing Medicaid cuts, ending the Iran war, stopping Trump’s tariffs, reversing SNAP cuts and extending Affordable Care Act tax credits as priorities. Incoming Oversight chair Robert Garcia has vowed to investigate corporate corruption, DHS and ICE abuses and the Epstein files.

What did Attorney General Blanche say about investigating Democrats?

Blanche defended President Trump’s Saturday order for the Justice Department to look into Democrats, saying on Fox News Sunday that threats against administration officials and companies had to stop. On CNN, asked whether he would imprison Democrats, he said it “depends on what the crime is and what they’ve done,” without specifying what crime would be investigated.

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