USAupdated 2h ago2 min read
Archive photo · 27 March 2020House Votes 211-204 To Refer Hegseth Impeachment After 11 Democrats Miss Vote
“Other Democrats largely blamed their absence on Washington traffic”
“But the missed votes — and subsequent explanations — have prompted a firestorm”
Photo: Office of Mike Rogers, United States Congress / US federal government, Public domain · Cropped for layout
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Impeachment failed 211-204 after 11 Democrats did not vote. Eleven Democrats' no-shows blamed on traffic, altering impeachment outcome.
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Impeachment blocked by absences
The United States House of Representatives voted 211-204 on Tuesday to refer impeachment articles against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to the House Judiciary Committee, after 11 Democrats missed the procedural vote that would have advanced the effort.
The vote followed a motion introduced by Republican Thomas Massie, and Al Jazeera said the procedural move “effectively killed the impeachment drive for the duration of the current Congress’s term, which ends in eight weeks.”
The GOP referred Massie’s impeachment resolution to the Judiciary Committee where it will “wither and die at the end of the 119th Congress on Jan. 3.”
The 11 absent Democrats included Julia Brownley, Lou Correa, Nancy Pelosi, Laura Gillen, Steven Horsford, Jonathan Jackson, Brittany Pettersen, Melanie Stansbury, Haley Stevens, Marilyn Strickland, and Frederica Wilson.
The House decided by 211 votes to 204 to refer the measure to the Judiciary Committee, preventing the full chamber from weighing in on the charges against Hegseth.
Traffic blamed, outrage voiced
Jonathan Jackson said on social media that “a traffic incident and a police-escorted bus caused a delay that led to the vote ending before I, along with other members, could reach the Capitol.” Melanie Stansbury’s spokesperson said the same traffic incident prevented her from accessing the Capitol and that “when she reached the floor, the vote had already ended,” according to ABC News. Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed told CNN that “You should show up and do your job,” as Democrats lambasted the missing lawmakers.
Richard Ojeda told CNN that the Democratic representatives “failed” by not voting, adding “Shame on them for not showing up,” and he said the opportunity was “important … they had an opportunity to finally get rid of this buffoonery we had.” Trump cheered the result in a social media post saying the Democrats’ impeachment effort had “miserably FAILED!”
What happens next in Congress
Democrats would press on with the process after the House voted 211-204 to refer the measure to the Judiciary Committee, which effectively prevented a full House vote on the charges. The procedural vote was not on whether to impeach Hegseth, but on whether to refer the articles to the Judiciary Committee for further investigation or amendment. Donald Trump praised Hegseth at Arlington national cemetery to mark Veterans Day, saying he had done a “fantastic job” as the Pentagon head.
Hakeem Jeffries maintained that the vote did not mark the end of the process against Hegseth but rather “the beginning,” and the new House elected on November 3 would have a broad Democratic majority of more than 250 members. Democrats will take control of the House and Senate on January 3, setting up the next phase of the impeachment effort.