Pete Hegseth survived a first push to start an impeachment proceeding in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2026.
Republican Representative Thomas Massie drafted eight impeachment articles accusing the defense secretary of violating the constitution, nos.nl reported. NRC reported that the articles target Hegseth over his role in a stalled war against Iran and extrajudicial executions of more than 244 people on 72 alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
Hegseth dismissed the impeachment proposals during a Tuesday morning press conference at the Pentagon, according to NRC. He said that the push attacked all service members and suggested their military service was a crime.
President Trump supported Hegseth during the attempt to remove him, praising Hegseth on Veterans Day at the military cemetery in Arlington in the state of Virginia, saying, “He gives about you and protects you.” That stands he for," Trump said during his speech, per nos.nl.”
Roughly two hundred veterans from across the country gathered outside the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Veterans Day to call for Hegseth’s removal. They carried flags and signs labeling Hegseth a war criminal and demanding the troops return home.
"I am enormously disappointed that he is not impeached for the time being," Alice Mascitti told nos.nl. Mascitti served 26 years in the U.S. Army medical corps.
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"As a veteran, I took an oath to the constitution," Mascitti told nos.nl. "I am shocked by the way the administration ignores our constitution."
Mascetti rejected Hegseth’s claim that the impeachment efforts attack the military. She argued that Hegseth started the war with Iran for economic and political gain.
Trump used his Veterans Day address to announce plans for a monumental triumphal arch just outside the Arlington military cemetery. He stated the arch would honor veterans and the armed forces after a 200-year wait.
Protesters at the Capitol criticized the proposed monument. "I hate the triumphal arch," Mascitti told nos.nl. "The arch is disrespectful toward our fallen comrades."
Another veteran at the protest carried a sign reading ‘Stop the arch’ and displayed a photo of his deceased nephew buried in Arlington. He opposed the project because it blocks the view of the Lincoln Memorial.
Nine members of the Kennedy family joined a lawsuit to block the construction, arguing the arch would cast a shadow over the grave of former President John F. Kennedy, nos.nl reported. A judge issued a temporary stop order halting the project for at least a week and a half.
Thomas Massie drafted eight impeachment articles accusing the defense secretary of constitutional violations regarding military actions against Iran and drone strikes on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific.
Nine members of the Kennedy family joined a lawsuit to block the monument because it would cast a shadow over the grave of former President John F. Kennedy.
The veterans are looking toward the congressional term starting in January, when new members and a Democratic majority take office in both the House and the Senate.