Tuesday evening’s Home vote on a procedural movement to kill the impeachment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth may have gone a distinct means had it not been for 11 Democrats lacking the vote — with a number of saying a site visitors incident close to the Capitol saved them from casting their votes.
The GOP referred Republican Rep. Thomas Massie’s impeachment decision in opposition to Hegseth to the Judiciary Committee the place it’ll wither and die on the finish of the 119th Congress on Jan. 3, with a vote of 211-204.
Whereas seven Republicans skipped the vote, Democrats may have prevailed had all of them forged a vote within the 29 minutes that the vote, scheduled for quarter-hour, was held open. Had all 11 Democrats voted with the remainder of their punctual colleagues within the chamber the place Republicans get pleasure from a two-vote majority, the movement may have been defeated 215-211 — and due to this fact the impeachment decision would have superior.
Democratic Reps. Julia Brownley, Lou Correa, Laura Gillen, Steven Horsford, Jonathan Jackson, Nancy Pelosi, Brittany Pettersen, Melanie Stansbury, Haley Stevens, Marilyn Strickland and Frederica Wilson all failed to point out up in time to forged their no votes on referring the impeachment decision to committee. Solely Correa introduced his absence upfront, citing a medical process that him from touring to Washington to vote on Tuesday.
Secretary of Protection Pete Hegseth attends a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington Nationwide Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, November 11, 2026.
Mandel Ngan/AFP through Getty Photos
“Speaker Emerita Pelosi returned to San Francisco yesterday to affix and honor native veterans at Swords to Plowshares’ thirtieth Annual Veterans Day Celebration, an vital and longstanding district custom she commonly attends and marked for the final time as a Member of Congress,” Pelosi spokesman Ian Krager instructed ABC Information. “She helps impeaching Secretary Hegseth and would have voted ‘No’ on the movement to refer.”
Different Democrats largely blamed their absence on Washington site visitors — regardless of understanding for not less than 18 hours that the Home had scheduled a 5:30 p.m. vote collection on Tuesday evening.
ABC Information has reached out to U.S. Capitol Police a few site visitors incident that a number of Democratic lawmakers claimed held them up, however has not but heard again.
“Like different Members of Congress, Rep. Stansbury was blocked from coming into the Capitol to vote due a site visitors incident and a police escort of a bus through the vote,” her workplace defined in a social media submit. “When she reached the chamber the vote had simply gaveled out. She instantly filed a report of her vote of ‘NO’ to the movement meant to kill the impeachment articles and refer them to the Judiciary Committee, as documented within the Congressional Document.”
Congressional file additions do not influence the end result or tally of the vote.
Gillen stated that she was additionally caught within the site visitors delay.
“Like Rep. Stansbury, I used to be caught behind the identical police escort blocking the Capitol when Republicans closed the vote,” Gillen wrote in a social media submit. “I might have voted no and imagine strongly that Pete Hegseth needs to be impeached.”
Jackson stated in a social media submit that the site visitors incident “induced a delay that resulted within the vote closing earlier than I, together with different Members, may attain the chamber,” including that he has since entered his intent to case a “no” vote into the congressional file.
Pettersen wrote in a social media submit that she was “denied the flexibility to vote,” however did not elaborate.
“I used to be driving the Congresswoman and was compelled to attend for a motorcade to move by Capitol Police, inflicting the Congresswoman to overlook the vote by 1 minute,” Andrew Noh, Strickland’s chief of employees, instructed ABC. “She would have voted in opposition to the movement to refer.”
After closing the vote on the movement to refer, the Home proceeded subsequent to a vote. By then, six extra Democrats — Brownley, Gillen, Jackson, Pettersen, Stansbury and Strickland — arrived within the chamber, breaking by the site visitors jam.
Had they been there for the vote on the movement to refer, their further six votes nonetheless would have nonetheless fallen in need of defeating it — placing the possible tally at 211-210. Horsford, Stevens, and Wilson had been nonetheless inexplicably lacking.
Horsford later arrived within the chamber for the next vote.
Reps. Brownley, Horsford, Stevens and Wilson haven’t but responded to ABC Information with an evidence of their missed vote.
Wilson didn’t vote on Monday or Tuesday and has faced scrutiny for lacking prolonged durations of legislative enterprise on account of well being challenges. Wilson was on the Capitol for votes on Wednesday.
Outgoing Rep. Stevens, who misplaced her main for U.S. Senate, has misplaced most of her employees and the assist of many Democratic colleagues after endorsing Michigan Republican Mike Rogers for Senate over Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed. She forged two votes on Monday night earlier than skipping all three votes on Tuesday. Stevens additionally returned for votes on Wednesday.
Democrats could pursue impeachment of Hegseth once more — as soon as they take management of the chamber in January.
