U.S. Capitol, west side, September 2013 file photo. Martin Falbisoner / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped; crop shared under the same license).
WASHINGTON – Eleven House Democrats did not vote Tuesday when the chamber sent the impeachment resolution against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to the Judiciary Committee. Several of the absent lawmakers said a traffic incident and a police escort prevented them from reaching the Capitol before the vote closed.
The House approved referral 211-204, according to the House Clerk’s official Roll Call 317. The procedural vote stalled Rep. Thomas Massie’s push for an immediate impeachment vote. It did not adopt the articles or remove Hegseth from office.
What lawmakers said
The Guardian reported these accounts from three of the absent Democrats:
- Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico: Her office said she was “blocked from entering the Capitol to vote due a traffic incident and a police escort of a bus during the vote.” Her office said the vote had just ended when she reached the chamber.
- Laura Gillen of New York: She said she was stuck behind the same police escort when the vote closed.
- Jonathan Jackson of Illinois: He also cited a traffic incident and a police-escorted bus.
Those are the lawmakers’ accounts, not an independently established explanation for every absence. Not all 11 Democrats gave that reason.
Who did not vote
The Clerk recorded these Democrats as not voting:
- California: Julia Brownley, Lou Correa and Nancy Pelosi
- New York: Laura Gillen
- Nevada: Steven Horsford
- Illinois: Jonathan Jackson
- Colorado: Brittany Pettersen
- New Mexico: Melanie Stansbury
- Michigan: Haley Stevens
- Washington: Marilyn Strickland
- Florida: Frederica Wilson
What the vote did
All 203 Democrats who voted opposed referral, joined by Massie, the only Republican voting no. The 211 votes for referral came from 210 Republicans and one independent. Seven Republicans also did not vote.
The decision referred the resolution to the Judiciary Committee, rather than adopting impeachment articles. A separate House decision on the articles would still have been required to impeach Hegseth.
JBizNews Desk | Washington
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