Nancy Pelosi

By STEPHEN M. LEPORE, US SENIOR REPORTER

Published: 01:25 EST, 11 November 2026 | Updated: 01:26 EST, 11 November 2026

Nancy Pelosi missed a potentially crucial vote on Pete Hegseth's impeachment to receive a lifetime achievement award as Democrats bid to depose the Pentagon chief failed.

Republican Thomas Massie, who filed articles of impeachment against Hegseth, was the lone Republican to signal in favor in a 211-204 vote.

However, The New York Times reported Republicans were worried absences of their own would mean Hegseth's impeachment would move forward.

But 11 Democrats, including Pelosi, missed out on casting a ballot.

While many of the missing lawmakers were in DC and blamed traffic for not being able to vote, Pelosi flew back to California Tuesday, SFGate reported.

Pelosi spokesperson Ian Krager said that Pelosi supports the effort and would've moved the impeachment forward but was being honored by a local veterans' group.

'Speaker Emerita Pelosi returned to San Francisco to join and honor local veterans at Swords to Plowshares' 30th Annual Veterans Day Celebration tonight, an important and longstanding district tradition she regularly attends and will mark for the last time as a Member of Congress by receiving the Lifetime Advocate for Veterans Award,' Krager said.

Swords to Plowshares is a Bay Area nonprofit that provides services to veterans in the region.

Many Democrats were furious at the missing members after the effort came up short on Tuesday night.

Nancy Pelosi skipped out on being a potentially crucial vote on Pete Hegseth's impeachment to receive a lifetime achievement award as Democrats bid to depose the Pentagon chief failed

Republican Thomas Massie, who filed articles of impeachment against Hegseth, was the lone Republican to signal in favor in a 211-204 vote

'We knew that this vote was coming, so people should have gotten their raggedy selves up these steps to vote,' said California Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove.

'I don't know why people weren't here. Someone may have a health issue. I don't know. But obviously, having a vote like that on attendance is hard. That hurts,' said Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

'You should show up and do your job,' added Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan in an interview with CNN.

Other Democrats said traffic entering the Capitol due to a police escort for a bus during the vote stopped them from casting their ballot.

Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico, Jonathan Jackson of Illinois, Brittany Pettersen of Colorado, Laura Gillen of New York and Julia Brownley of California all blamed the traffic, with Brownley claiming Johnson closed the vote before they could arrive.

Another California Congressman, Lou Correa, said he was missing votes due to undergoing a medical procedure and said he was staying home 'on my doctor's advice.'

Congressmembers Haley Stevens, Steven Horsford, Marilyn Strickland and Frederica Wilson have given no public explanation for their absences.

Stevens is a lame duck after a failed run for Senate, Wilson is retiring at the end of this Congress.

Massie reacts following a procedural vote held by the US House of Representatives on whether to send the potential impeachment of US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to committee

'I don't know why people weren't here. Someone may have a health issue. I don't know. But obviously, having a vote like that on attendance is hard. That hurts,' said Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

PabloReports: Any reaction to the attendance issues that Democrats had tonight on this impeachment vote?AOC: I don’t know why people weren’t here. Someone may have a health issue. I don’t know. But obviously, having a vote like that on attendance is hard. That hurts. pic.twitter.com/Y5M7auxlMS

Massie's eight articles of impeachment accuse Hegseth of waging war in Iran without congressional authorization, ignoring laws intended to minimize civilian casualties and illegally directing the seizure of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.

Donald Trump celebrated the vote on his Truth Social feed Monday night, calling it an 'exoneration' of Hegseth.

'The Democrats’ attempt to impeach Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has miserably FAILED! Every single Republican, except Thomas Massie, a major LOSER, voted in favor of Pete,' he wrote.

'Again, Victories in Venezuela and Iran, the Best Recruitment Numbers in the History of the Military (Long waiting lists to get in!), and Spirit like rarely seen before, led to the EXONERATION of a Great American Patriot. The Democrats continue to weaponize and abuse the United States of America. They must be stopped!'

The Daily Mail has reached out to Congressman Massie for comment.

The resolution now goes to the Republican-controlled Judiciary Committee, which can take it up or leave it untouched, allowing the impeachment push to stall without a vote on the charges.

But the reprieve could be short-lived as Democrats are set to take control of Congress on January 3 and could launch a fresh impeachment effort.

Massie's resolution will expire when the new Congress convenes, meaning another lawmaker would have to reintroduce the charges.

'We knew that this vote was coming, so people should have gotten their raggedy selves up these steps to vote,' said California Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove

'You should show up and do your job,' added Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan in an interview

Incoming House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has already backed impeaching Hegseth.

Ahead of the vote, Louisiana Republican Clay Higgins told the Daily Mail that the push was '1,000 percent politically motivated,' and added that Massie was not 'constitutionally motivated.'

'It's not an impeachable offense to perform perfect military operations precisely according to the orders of the Commander in Chief,' Higgins said.

Tennessee Republican Tim Burchett told the Daily Mail that 'no crimes were committed' by Hegseth. He also noted that when lawmakers were briefed on the strikes on Venezuelan drug boats, 'nobody complained.'

Hegseth told the press in a rare briefing held at the Pentagon Tuesday morning that he was not afraid of the move to impeach him underway on Capitol Hill.

'What one disgruntled and defeated congressman is attempting is not oversight, and it's not accountability,' Hegseth stated at the beginning of his remarks, adding, 'It's a political spectacle.'

'That's what it is: policy disagreements, not high crimes, not misdemeanors, not treason, not bribery, not the kinds of offenses the founders intended when they wrote the impeachment clause.'

On Monday afternoon, Massie took to the floor of the House of Representatives to read out a 34-page impeachment resolution against Hegseth.

US Representative Melanie Stansbury said traffic entering the Capitol due to a police escort for a bus during the vote stopped them from casting their ballot

The anti-Trump Kentucky Republican also called out Hegseth for severely limiting press access at the Pentagon.

No Democrat has publicly said they are against backing a resolution introduced by Massie to impeach Hegseth.

With 214 Democrats seated in the House, the party needed only three more Republicans to join them in the impeachment vote. Massie is one, so at least two more Republicans need to turn.

Hegseth has also called Massie 'a disgruntled, defeated congressman' and accused him of dropping 'sham articles of impeachment.'

There were signs that Hegseth's red wall of defense could have cracked beyond Massie.

Kentucky Republican James Comer, a staunch Trump ally who currently serves as chairman of the House Oversight Committee, believes that the votes to impeach Hegseth may be present in the House this week, but did not commit to a vote himself.

'We really didn't know how to message what the exit strategy was, because I don't think anybody in Congress knows what the exit strategy is,' Comer told Newsmax before noting the following on an impeachment vote.

Arkansas Republican French Hill, who ha