The warm-up round: Democrats consider their attack on Trump's Pentagon.
The Democrats' midterm victory hasn't even officially changed the makeup of Congress yet, but the party is already mounting its pressure campaign against the Trump administration. One of the first targets: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, whom the Democrats accuse of exceeding his authority, starting military operations without congressional approval and violating the law during the American campaign against Iran. In a strange twist, the impeachment resolution was actually introduced by Republican Thomas Massey — but it was the Democrats who became its main engine. Essentially, the opposition decided not to wait until January, when the new Congress is sworn in and they take over both chambers.
The first attempt, however, failed. The House voted 211-204 to send the resolution to the Judiciary Committee, effectively blocking it from reaching the full chamber. The only Republican who voted against this move was Massey himself. The Trump administration spun the result as a political victory, but for Democrats it looked more like a warm-up than a setback. Party members have already said they will launch their own investigations into the Pentagon once they hold a majority, and impeachment of Hesseth could be back on the table early next year.
What is really happening here is that the Democrats are taking advantage of the lame stretch between the elections and the new Congress to get off the political agenda and squeeze the White House early. Instead of just waiting for January, they are already trying to turn public anger over Trump's military policy into an actual parliamentary process. For Republicans, that means their remaining time in control of Congress becomes a permanent defensive position — and once the balance of power shifts, the administration can expect even bigger investigations and uglier political battles.