USA16 September, 20262 min read
Mike Johnson Sends House Home Early, Delaying Thomas Massie’s Impeachment Vote on Pete Hegseth
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Johnson sends House home early for seven-week midterm campaigning, delaying Hegseth impeachment vote. Massie pushed resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, driving the clash.
Johnson ends session early
Speaker Mike Johnson sent House members home early on Wednesday for a seven-week campaigning recess ahead of the November midterm elections, delaying an impeachment vote on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“We’re calling off Congress? And we’re in the majority?”
Rep. Thomas Massie, a GOP lawmaker from Kentucky, seized the chamber for an hourlong speech criticizing Johnson and the Republican majority, saying, "We're calling off Congress? And we're in the majority?"
Massie said, "I’m trying to get justice for the Epstein survivors" and "I’m trying to stop a war" as his resolution to impeach Hegseth over the war in Iran and his effort to force the release of more files in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation were left behind, blocked from votes.
Johnson defended the decision by saying, "the House has done its job," and he dismissed Massie’s impeachment push as "a stunt."
Feud over calendar tactics
The early adjournment intensified a feud between Johnson and Massie over whether the speaker is using the calendar to dodge politically painful votes, with Axios describing Johnson’s decision as fueling an increasingly bitter fight. Massie told Axios, "Why are we taking days off our calendar?" and said, "He cut off the day tomorrow to avoid the vote," referring to the impeachment effort. Johnson disputed that characterization, calling Massie’s claim "ridiculous" and saying the push was "a publicity stunt."
CNN reported that Johnson said the move had nothing to do with Hegseth, while also attacking Massie for his surprise push and saying, "We should not be playing games with national security." In the White House Rose Garden briefing, Attorney General Todd Blanche defended Hegseth by arguing that he "follows the law," saying the DOJ and other institutions play a role in ensuring compliance.
What gets delayed next
With the House gone for more than six weeks ahead of the midterms, the sources say the impeachment clock against Hegseth is postponed until after the November elections, even as the House takes its last votes Wednesday evening on a Russia sanctions bill.
Johnson’s decision also pushed back other items on the House agenda, including action on artificial intelligence, which Spectrum News said would have to wait until at least after the midterms.
Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., said, "I don’t think it’s an option to abdicate our responsibility and to go home," while President Donald Trump labeled AI warnings a "HOAX" and a "SICK conspiracy" Monday.
Johnson, meanwhile, told reporters, "They can self-police, they can self-regulate," and said, "They don’t need the government to tell them to slow it down."
As the impeachment fight stalls, Massie continued to frame the issue as a constitutional and war-powers dispute, with CNN quoting his argument that Hegseth has "demonstrated that he will remain a threat to the Constitution if allowed to remain in office".