The move comes as members of both parties express frustration with Hegseth's handling of the war with Iran and Republicans grapple with their midterm election defeats. Massie, who is leaving Congress after losing his primary earlier this year, first introduced impeachment articles in September, but House GOP leaders recessed the chamber early, delaying a vote until November.

The 34-page resolution accuses Hegseth of high crimes and misdemeanors, with three articles alleging he abused the powers of the Department of Defense by waging war against Iran without congressional authorization. Massie also alleges that Hegseth ignored laws designed to minimize civilian casualties, citing a strike on an Iranian school earlier this year. Other articles point to Pentagon boat strikes in the Caribbean, the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and Pentagon scrutiny of Sen. Mark Kelly after he and other lawmakers released a video urging service members to "refuse illegal orders."

Massie argued that Hegseth "has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to the Constitution if allowed to remain in office, and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with his duties and the rule of law." He added that Hegseth "warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States."

Hegseth dismissed the effort in a video posted on X last week, calling Massie "a disgruntled, defeated congressman" and describing the articles as "sham." He said the push was "all about the politics of personal destruction" and predicted it would fail, just as he said previous efforts against President Trump had. On Monday, Hegseth told reporters, "we're not worried about that," and said he planned to hold a news conference on the impeachment effort Tuesday morning.

Whether other Republicans will support the resolution remains uncertain, but some GOP members appeared more open to criticizing the defense secretary after the midterm losses. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., who chairs the House Oversight Committee, said on NewsNation that "there's a lot of questions about Hegseth" and that "no one's happy about Iran." He added that Republican voters are more upset about the war than Democratic voters.

Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., said on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Sunday that he wants to hear debate "to see if it merits impeachment versus some other disciplinary action or action by the president if he's not getting the job done." He cautioned that "if you don't think he's done a good job conducting his job, that doesn't mean per se that he's committed an impeachable offense."

Retiring Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., said he is "wrestling" with whether to support the resolution. "I don't think he's been a good secretary, but do you impeach a guy for that? It has to be a high crime or misdemeanor," Bacon told reporters at the Capitol.

Democrats are widely expected to back the effort. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday that he is a "hard yes" on impeachment. But with a narrow GOP majority, Republican votes will be needed for passage.

Massie said in a post on X Monday that some colleagues have argued Hegseth "has been effective and they agree with the war, so they'll vote not to impeach." He countered that "that's not the question. The question is whether he committed impeachable acts. And the answer is yes, eight times."

If impeached, Hegseth would be the third Cabinet secretary in history to face such a move. Secretary of War William Belknap was impeached in 1876 over corruption allegations and later acquitted by the Senate. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was impeached by the GOP-controlled House in 2024 over the Biden administration's handling of the southern border; the Senate dismissed the charges.