Four House Democrats are attributing their absence from a critical vote on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to traffic snarls in Washington, D.C., according to statements and social media posts. The vote, which took place Tuesday, failed 211-204, with 11 Democrats missing the proceedings. Republicans united to defeat the measure, with only Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) crossing party lines to side with Democrats.
Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) said in a statement posted on X that she arrived just after the voting period closed. “Like other Members of Congress, Rep. Stansbury was blocked from entering the Capitol to vote due a traffic incident and a police escort of a bus during the vote,” her office said. Rep. Laura Gillen (D-N.Y.) reposted Stansbury’s message, adding that she was caught behind the same police escort.
Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.) also cited a traffic incident, writing on X that he was delayed by “a traffic incident and a police-escorted bus” while en route to the floor. He said he has since entered a “no” vote into the record to reflect his opposition to referring the impeachment to the Judiciary Committee, a procedural move that effectively killed the effort. Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.) did not issue a public statement, but her chief of staff told a Politico reporter that she “was stuck behind a motorcade and missed the vote” by one minute, and would have voted no.
The absences drew sharp criticism from some Democrats who did make the vote. “There’s no reason why we should have lost this vote because of attendance issues,” Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.) told MeidasTouch. “This is what the people have been talking about … so shame on folks who were not here because these people lost.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) echoed that sentiment on CNN, saying, “I don’t know if anyone had any real health issues or anything significant to that respect, so I want to leave room for that, but that being said, at the end of the day we’re here to do a job.”
Other Democrats who missed the vote offered different explanations. Reps. Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.) and Julia Brownley (D-Calif.) said they were unable to vote but did not provide specifics. Rep. Lou Correa (D-Calif.) cited a medical issue, while Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.) referenced a personal emergency. Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said she was in San Francisco for a Veterans Day event. Reps. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) and Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) did not release statements and did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The failed impeachment push marks a significant moment for Democrats, who have been vocal in their criticism of Hegseth’s tenure. Ocasio-Cortez had endorsed Massie’s effort, and other Democrats have signaled that the fight is not over. One Democrat warned that Hegseth’s tenure is nearing an end, and some predict his ouster is inevitable despite the GOP’s move to shelve the impeachment.
With Democrats set to take a sizable majority in Congress starting in the new year, they could revive the impeachment effort. The missed vote, however, has exposed internal tensions over attendance and accountability, with some members openly frustrated that traffic—of all things—played a role in derailing a high-stakes vote.
