Eleven Democrats miss key vote, sending Hegseth articles to committee

Absent Democrats cited traffic, a medical procedure or an early vote close

Eleven Democratic lawmakers missed the key procedural House vote Tuesday evening, and House Republicans used the absences to win a 211-204 vote referring eight articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to the Judiciary Committee. The effort to impeach Hegseth failed by seven votes.

The eight articles were introduced by Republican Thomas Massie and included allegations that Hegseth violated congressional authority by waging war in Iran. The attempt followed the 2026 midterms. The Guardian reported that voters overwhelmingly backed Democratic candidates in a result largely rebuking Trump administration policies, including the war in Iran.

Abdul El-Sayed, the senator-elect of Michigan, said on CNN to the Democratic lawmakers: “You should show up and do your job.” Richard Ojeda, the representative-elect from North Carolina, told CNN that the Democratic senators “failed” by not voting. He said: “Shame on them for not showing up.” Ojeda added: “I mean, this is important… they had an opportunity to finally get rid of this buffoonery we had.”

California representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove told MeidasTouch there was “no reason why we should have lost this vote because of attendance issues.” She continued: “This is what the people have been talking about … so shame on folks who were not here because these people lost.”

New Mexico representative Melanie Stansbury wrote on X that she was “blocked from entering the Capitol to vote due to a traffic incident and a police escort of a bus during the vote.” She said the vote had just gaveled out by the time she reached the chamber. She then filed a report of her vote of ‘NO’ on the motion meant to kill the impeachment articles and refer them to the Judiciary Committee, as documented in the Congressional Record. Stansbury added that Hegseth “must be impeached now.”

New York representative Laura Gillen wrote on X that she was stuck in traffic but “strongly” believes Hegseth should be impeached. Illinois representative Jonathan Jackson wrote on X that he was also stuck behind a traffic jam. California representative Brittany Pettersen wrote that she was “denied” the ability to vote; her office later told 9News that she was stuck in traffic.

California representative Julia Brownley wrote on Facebook that Speaker Mike Johnson “closed the vote” before she could reach the House floor. She wrote: “As I and many of my colleagues were rushing to the floor to support Hegseth’s impeachment, Mike Johnson closed the vote before we could.”

Washington representative Marilyn Strickland missed the vote by one minute because she was stuck behind a motocade, her office told Politico; it said she would have voted to impeach Hegseth. California representative Lou Correa wrote on Instagram that he was undergoing a medical procedure and would remain in his district until medically cleared.

Nancy Pelosi of California missed the vote because she was in San Francisco to meet local veterans and accept a Lifetime Advocate for Veterans Award, her spokesperson told SFGate. Nevada representative Steven Horsford, Michigan representative Haley Stevens and Florida representative Frederica Wilson did not provide public reasons for their absences.

Some absent lawmakers blamed conflicting events, while several who did vote said they also had competing obligations but still made their way to the Capitol. New York representative Pat Ryan wrote on X that he was recovering from back surgery but left the hospital early to cast his vote.