Democrats face backlash after missing Hegseth impeachment vote

Critics question Democratic leadership after 11 lawmakers miss vote, citing traffic and conflicting events Secretary of War Pete Hegseth speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on 10 November 2026 (Roberto Schmidt/AFP) Published date: 11 November 2026 20:50 GMT | Last update: 18 sec ago Republicans in the US House of Representatives blocked an attempt to impeach Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Tuesday, sparking a flurry of criticism online, as 11 Democrats failed to attend the vote. The chamber voted 211 to 204 to refer the charges to the House Judiciary Committee, where they could remain indefinitely for the duration of this Congress’s term, essentially killing the resolution for now. The articles were spearheaded by Republican Thomas Massie and backed heavily by Democrats, accusing Hegseth of carrying out unlawful orders and waging unconstitutional wars in Iran and Venezuela. Notably, there were 18 representatives missing during the votes - seven Republicans and 11 Democrats. The Democrats missing included California's Nancy Pelosi; Michigan’s Haley Stevens; New York’s Laura Gillen; California’s Lou Correa; New Mexico’s Melanie Stansbury; and several others. Several party members and others heavily criticised the absentee Democrats online, who in response blamed traffic, Representative Mike Johnson closing the vote early, and having conflicting events. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters According to Axios reporter Andrew Solender, some of the 11 representatives reportedly missed the vote because they were attending an event hosted by the Elect Democratic Women Pac (EDW). Per several members: Some of the House Democrats who missed the Hegseth impeachment vote were on their way back from an Elect Democratic Women event at a venue about 1.5 miles down Pennsylvania Ave but got caught in a bumper-to-bumper traffic jam on Independence Ave. (the road on… https://t.co/CZ6dnDfJzx— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) November 11, 2026 The group's affiliated Super Pac, the EDW Action Fund, has served as a major pass-through for funding from the United Democracy Project, a super Pac established by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. ‘Show up and do your job’ Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed, a Democrat, was asked about the issue on CNN, and he simply replied, “You should show up and do your job.” North Carolina’s Democratic Representative-elect Richard Ojeda commented as well, saying, “Shame on them for not showing up. "They had an opportunity to finally get rid of this buffoonery that we have, and they have failed.” CNN: 11 Democrats missed Hegseth’s impeachment voteOJEDA: I say shame on them for not showing up. They had an opportunity to finally get rid of this buffoonery that we have and they failed. So you know what? I think the 120th Congress, we'll take that up. pic.twitter.com/19hYdMU9D1— Acyn (@Acyn) November 11, 2026 Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stressed that this is like any other job and its responsibilities, saying: “At the end of the day, we're here to do a job. And the same way I had to clock in when I worked at a restaurant, we got to clock in and do our work here.” Asked AOC during my live shot about the 11 Democratic absences that could have cost them a successful House vote to advance Pete Hegseth impeachment resolution.“The people send us here to do a job. I don't know if anyone had any real health issues or anything significant. So I… pic.twitter.com/zTaymGqhWV— Manu Raju (@mkraju) November 11, 2026 Many social media users criticised the 11 Democrats, particularly after a sweeping midterm election victory on 3 November, arguing that voters had shown up at the polls but the lawmakers failed to vote on the motion concerning Hegseth. We give House Democrats the biggest blue wave in 100+ years and they repay us by getting stuck in traffic and missing a vote to impeach a war criminal.— The Green Dragon Tavern (@greendragonhq) November 11, 2026 Others directed their criticism at House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, viewing the incident as another reflection of his leadership of House Democrats. Some also used the controversy to renew their opposition to his potential election as speaker of the House in the next congressional term. A petition opposing his speakership has already surpassed one million signatures. I'm so sorry but Hakeem @RepJeffries claiming to be able to deliver accountability over the past week and then LITERALLY FAILING TO HAVE HIS CAUCUS PRESENT TO IMPEACH HEGSETH is **INSANE**— Klaust (@politigaymer) November 11, 2026 The motion to impeach Hegseth has failed for now, but lawmakers will have another opportunity to revisit the issue once the new Congress is sworn in on 3 January. Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.