Jeffries Says He's a 'Hard Yes' on Impeaching Hegseth as Massie Readies Vote
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Sunday threw his support behind impeaching Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, giving an outgoing Republican's push a powerful new ally as lawmakers return to Washington after the midterms.
Appearing on ABC's This Week, Jeffries said he was a "hard yes" on the resolution that Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie plans to reintroduce. "Pete Hegseth has got to go," he said.
Jeffries accused Hegseth of abusing his power, undermining national security and engineering a costly war with Iran. The New York Democrat also blamed the conflict for rising prices and said Hegseth had made the country less safe.
When ABC co-anchor Jonathan Karl asked whether every House Democrat would back the resolution, Jeffries said the caucus would discuss it Tuesday morning at its first meeting since the elections. "But I believe there will be incredibly strong support for that resolution," he said.
Massie Pushes for a Fast Vote
Massie told ABC he planned to reintroduce the resolution as early as Monday and offer it as a privileged matter. According to ABC, raising a question of privilege would force leaders to schedule a vote within two legislative days.
The resolution includes eight articles, among them allegations that Hegseth violated the War Powers Resolution of 1973. Massie, who has often clashed with President Donald Trump, is nearing the end of his time in the House.
Trump stood by Hegseth on Thursday, telling reporters the secretary had "done a fantastic job." "I have every intention to keep him," Trump told Karl that day.
Hegseth responded to the impeachment effort the same day in a video posted on social media. He called the articles a sham, compared the push to the two impeachments Democrats brought against Trump, described it as an attempt at personal destruction and predicted it would fail.
Jeffries Slams Miller Pick
Jeffries, who is expected to become speaker in January, said he had not spoken with Trump since the elections. He called the midterms a "tremendous repudiation of MAGA extremism" and said Democrats would focus on lowering living costs.
Trump said after the election that he believed he could work with Democrats. Jeffries cast doubt on that after Trump named Stephen Miller to succeed Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff. "It's an awful choice," Jeffries said.
READ MORE: Trump Says Pete Hegseth Is 'Doing a Very Good Job' Amid Reports He Could Be Replaced
He accused Miller of driving Trump's deportation policies, cited the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good, and called the promotion irresponsible. He also said he did not expect to talk with Miller the way he sometimes did with Wiles.
Democrats Plan an Aggressive Start
Jeffries said Democrats plan to move aggressively in the first 100 days of the new Congress, naming housing, groceries, gas and healthcare as areas where they will try to lower costs.
He also called for ending the Iran war, stopping Trump's tariffs and reversing cuts to Medicaid and federal food aid, and said Democrats would seek to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits.
Investigations are also expected to be a major focus. Robert Garcia, the likely next chairman of the House Oversight Committee, issued a two-word statement after Democrats were projected to win the House: "Lawyer up."
ABC's national voter polling found that 55% of House voters called government corruption crucial to their decision, while another 36% said it was a major factor. Jeffries said Democrats would pursue accountability across Congress, the Supreme Court and the administration.