The House of Representatives will leave Washington on Wednesday (September 16), delaying a vote on impeaching Secretary of War Pete Hegseth until after the November midterm elections. The decision came after House Speaker Mike Johnson announced the cancellation of Thursday's votes, sending lawmakers home early for their campaigning recess, according to reporting from the Guardian.

The canceled session means the House will not immediately address Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie's privileged resolution to impeach Hegseth. Massie’s 34-page resolution accuses Hegseth of overstepping his authority during the ongoing U.S. war with Iran, violating the War Powers Resolution, weakening Department of Defense safeguards on civilian casualties, and ordering or enabling actions in Venezuela and Yemen that Massie calls unlawful. He also alleges retaliation against Senator Mark Kelly and points to a strike in Minab, Iran, that reportedly killed or injured more than 200 civilians. The full scope of the allegations is detailed in Massie's resolution, as reported by Inside Defense.

Speaker Johnson described Massie’s move as a “publicity stunt by someone who wants attention” and stated that the resolution would be “immediately tabled” once the House returns after the elections. Johnson said, “We’re in the middle of international conflicts right now, and we should not be playing games with national security,” according to ABC7 New York.

Johnson also emphasized that the early departure had nothing to do with shielding members from a difficult vote, instead saying lawmakers needed to return to their districts to campaign and meet with constituents. However, Democrats criticized the move, arguing that it prevents Congress from addressing urgent issues, including new regulations on artificial intelligence and the impeachment resolution.

Attorney General Todd Blanche and Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson defended Hegseth, with Blanche stating Hegseth “is doing a phenomenal job” and follows the law. Wilson called Hegseth “a transformative leader” and said the Department of War remains unified behind him.

Massie, who kept his impeachment effort secret out of concern that GOP leaders would end the session early, criticized the move on social media, saying leadership was deliberately avoiding a vote.

When lawmakers return after the November elections, the House is expected to quickly take up Massie's impeachment resolution, since privileged resolutions receive expedited consideration.

Simon Conway