Republican Rep. Don Bacon now says he will vote against impeaching Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, The Hill reports. He had previously been reported as ready to back Thomas Massie's resolution. Fellow Republican Nancy Mace has also said she will vote no.
Bacon, who is not seeking re-election, told reporters on Tuesday: "I don't really align with the impeachment itself". The Hill says he cited his own separate complaints about Hegseth and said he wants the US "to win in Iran". Mace, who is retiring and has been critical of the Iran war, wrote on X: "I will not be voting to impeach".
Speaker Mike Johnson says the procedural vote to sideline the resolution will not fail. "We have the votes", he said, according to Yahoo's live updates. House Democratic Caucus chair Pete Aguilar said Democratic leaders are not whipping votes to impeach. Donald Trump posted that "Pete Hegseth should be praised, not Impeached", Deseret News reports.
The vote is due at 5.30pm ET, which is 10.30pm UK time. Massie says that if the motion to refer the resolution to committee fails, he will seek a separate vote on each of the eight articles. The Hill notes that Democrats could impeach Hegseth after their majority is sworn in on 3 January. Conviction needs two-thirds of senators.