House Speaker Mike Johnson announced Wednesday that lawmakers will leave Washington a day early for a seven-week recess, a move that delays a vote on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth until after the November midterm elections.
Members had been scheduled to stay through Thursday. Instead, CNN reported, their final votes come Wednesday evening on a Russia sanctions bill, a White House priority that cleared the Senate 86-11 and would penalize countries buying Russian oil, gas and other exports.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., filed his impeachment resolution Tuesday as privileged, a designation that obliges the chamber to act within two legislative days. He gave party leaders no warning. He then held the floor for 67 minutes reading aloud all 34 pages and eight articles, ABC News reported.
Johnson denied that the schedule change had anything to do with Hegseth.
"It is a publicity stunt by someone who wants attention," he told reporters, adding that the measure would be tabled when the House returns.
The vote would have been awkward for several Republicans in competitive races. NBC News reported that GOP leaders were eager to spare vulnerable members a recorded position on Hegseth's handling of the six-month war with Iran, which polls poorly. Reps. Tom Barrett of Michigan, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Warren Davidson of Ohio have all broken with their party before on the conflict.
Massie's articles accuse Hegseth of violating the 1973 War Powers Resolution by starting and continuing hostilities without congressional authorization, and by keeping forces deployed after the House directed their removal. Other articles cover the campaign in Yemen, civilian casualties and the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro earlier this year.
Massie lost his primary in May after Trump endorsed his opponent. He leaves Congress in January.
Approval of a single article by simple majority would make Hegseth the third Cabinet secretary impeached in American history, after Secretary of War William Belknap in 1876 and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in 2024. Neither was convicted. Removal requires two-thirds of the Senate.