Democrats struggle to end Iran war after failed Hegseth impeachment

Democrats failed to impeach Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump's secretary of war, in a House vote on November 10th, with eleven Democrats missing the vote, exceeding the seven-vote margin of defeat. This setback highlights a larger challenge for the party as they seek to address voter anger over the ongoing war in Iran. The impeachment articles, introduced by outgoing Republican Thomas Massie, accused Hegseth of illegally starting the war, ignoring congressional withdrawal resolutions, and disregarding civilian harm. Only Massie voted against Hegseth, despite expectations of more Republican defections, and the war department posted an AI-generated image of him weeping. A future impeachment vote is expected to succeed in January when Democrats hold a majority, but a Senate trial would require at least 11 Republicans to break ranks. Democrats are exploring other avenues to end the war, including enforcing the War Powers Resolution or using budget leverage, though both face significant obstacles. A continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown on December 11th could be a pressure point, but the Pentagon faces severe funding shortfalls, and past efforts to tie war funding to troop withdrawals, like in 2007, were vetoed by President George W. Bush.