Missed Hegseth vote disappointed Americans, Democratic leader says

US Representative Katherine Clark, the House Democratic whip, told colleagues on Wednesday that Democrats who missed a vote on the impeachment of Defense Secretary ‌Pete Hegseth disappointed the American people, according to one person in the room and another briefed on the episode.

Clark, a Massachusetts Democrat, is responsible for knowing where members stand ahead of major votes and ensuring they are present for them. She is vying to become House majority leader when Democrats take control of the chamber next year. With 11 ‌Democratic absences, House Republicans on Tuesday blocked an effort to impeach Hegseth in the final weeks of the Republican-led Congress. Democrats will control both the House of ‌Representatives and Senate when members are sworn in early next year.

Democrats could try to impeach Hegseth again next year, but even a Democratic-led Senate is likely to acquit him, given that it would require a two-thirds vote to remove him from office. The vote's outcome drew criticism of a party that had been riding high since last week's wave election swept through dozens of congressional districts that President ⁠Donald Trump ​won in 2024. Democrats also triumphed in a ⁠number of Trump-won Senate battleground states, including Ohio, Iowa, Texas, Kansas and possibly Mississippi and Alaska, where Democrats hold narrow leads but races are too close to call.

Every House Democrat present opposed the motion ⁠to refer the impeachment resolution to the House Judiciary Committee, which passed in a 211-204 vote, killing the impeachment effort. Only one Republican — outgoing Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who sponsored the ​impeachment effort — voted with Democrats.The motion passed by seven votes, fewer than the number of Democrats who were absent. Seven Republicans also missed the vote.

WHERE WERE ⁠THE MISSING MEMBERS? Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi was in San Francisco, where she was honored at a Veterans Day celebration in her district. Another California Democrat, Lou Correa, underwent a medical procedure on Tuesday and was ⁠advised ​by his doctor to avoid travel. Spokespeople for others, such as outgoing Representatives Haley Stevens of Michigan and Frederica Wilson of Florida, did not respond to requests for comment.

Representative Steven Horsford of Nevada cited a "personal emergency" that delayed his arrival. "I missed an important vote," he said in a floor speech on Wednesday. "I take full responsibility. ⁠The accountability I demand of others applies to me, too."

But most Democrats who missed Tuesday's vote blamed rush-hour traffic in Washington. Several said they were stuck behind a ⁠police escort for a bus following a ⁠traffic incident. Each member said they would have opposed the motion. The vote was also closed more quickly than usual. Representative Brittany Pettersen of Colorado said House Speaker Mike Johnson "worked overtime to shield" Hegseth "from accountability."

"Next year House Democrats will impeach Hegseth," she ‌wrote online, "and neither Johnson nor Trump ‌will be able to stop us."