11 Democrats Skipped the Hegseth Impeachment Vote, and Their Own Side Is Furious

Eleven House Democrats, including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, missed Tuesday's vote on the effort to impeach War Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Washington Examiner reported ^[1]. The Republican-controlled House voted 211-204 to refer Rep. Thomas Massie's articles of impeachment to the Judiciary Committee, effectively killing the effort ^[1].

Newsweek reported that the missed votes have sparked backlash from the party's own supporters, some of whom told the absent lawmakers to do their jobs ^[2].

Who missed it

Newsweek published the full list, which includes Pelosi of California and Reps. Haley Stevens of Michigan and Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico ^[3]. Legal Insurrection reported that 11 Democrats were recorded as not voting, and that seven Republicans also missed the vote ^[6].

The math is why Democrats are angry with their own. The motion to send the articles to committee passed by seven votes. On paper, 11 missing Democrats outnumbered that margin, although seven absent Republicans would have had a say too. Activists who had pushed hard for the impeachment vote are asking why their representatives were not in their seats when it counted.

The explanations

Pelosi's office said she had returned to San Francisco to join and honor local veterans, Newsweek reported ^[5]. Three Democrats, Stansbury, Rep. Laura Gillen of New York and Rep. Jonathan Jackson of Illinois, said a police escort blocking the Capitol kept them from reaching the floor in time, and all three said they had intended to vote for impeachment, the Hindustan Times reported ^[4].

Why it matters

The impeachment push was always a long shot in a Republican House. Massie, a Kentucky Republican who is leaving Congress in January, was the only member of his party to oppose sending the articles to committee. President Trump stood firmly behind Hegseth and called the effort a political stunt.

For Democrats, the episode is an awkward start to their new majority. In January they take control of the House, and with it the power to call hearings and investigate the administration. Their own voters will expect them to show up. Missing a high-profile vote they spent weeks promoting sends the opposite message.

For conservatives

Republicans held the line and did what they said they would do. The vote showed discipline in a party that has been shaken by its midterm losses. It also showed that when Democrats talk about accountability, their own attendance record will be part of the conversation.

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What to watch

Watch whether Democrats revive the Hegseth effort after they take control in January, and whether the absent members face pressure back home. The Iran war, and how it has been run, will remain at the center of the fight between Congress and the Pentagon.