Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., introduced a resolution on Tuesday to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Massie stated that Hegseth abused his powers by deploying U.S. military forces in the ongoing war against Iran without first obtaining congressional approval required under the War Powers Act. He described the deployments as “unlawful orders” and labeled them “high crimes and misdemeanors.” The resolution was introduced on the House floor and includes video remarks by Massie outlining the charges. No vote has been scheduled, and the measure targets the executive branch’s conduct of military operations in that conflict.
Rep. Massie’s impeachment resolution against Secretary Hegseth represents a dangerous attempt to subordinate the Commander in Chief’s wartime authority to congressional gatekeeping. The Constitution vests the President with the power to direct military operations once forces are committed, not Congress with a veto over every deployment. This maneuver stretches the impeachment power beyond its original meaning of high crimes against the republic and into policy disagreement over foreign affairs. The Framers separated war powers precisely to allow decisive executive action while reserving declarations of war and funding to the legislature, not to let one chamber paralyze operations through retroactive removal. Conservatives who value constitutional order should reject this precedent before it weakens the executive branch’s ability to defend the nation.