Democratic Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (Calif.) on Tuesday sharply criticized 11 of her colleagues who missed a House vote on whether to advance impeachment articles against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a lapse that allowed Republicans to sideline the measure.
The chamber voted 211-204 to refer the resolution to committee, effectively killing it for now. No Democrat voted against the resolution, but the absence of 11 members proved decisive.
"There's no reason why we should have lost this vote because of attendance issues," Kamlager-Dove told MeidasTouch's Pablo Manríquez. "This is what the people have been talking about … so shame on folks who were not here 'cause these people lost."
She added, "They lost and they still found a way to show up to table this bill."
The California Democrat voiced strong support for Hegseth's removal, saying the Defense secretary "should have been impeached a long time ago." GOP Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.) introduced eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth on Monday.
"We knew this vote was coming, so people should have gotten their raggedy selves up these steps to vote," Kamlager-Dove said.
Several absent Democrats, including Reps. Melanie Stansbury (N.M.), Jonathan Jackson (Ill.), and Laura Gillen (N.Y.), said they were blocked from reaching the Capitol before the vote closed due to traffic. Stansbury's office said she was delayed by a traffic incident and a police escort of a bus, arriving just as the vote gaveled out. She filed a report of her intended "NO" vote in the Congressional Record.
Retiring Democrats also missed the vote, including Reps. Julia Brownley (Calif.), Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), Haley Stevens (Mich.), and Frederica Wilson (Fla.). Rep. Lou Correa (D-Calif.) said he "vehemently" supported impeachment but was absent for a medical procedure. Reps. Steven Horsford (Nev.), Marilyn Strickland (Wash.), and Brittany Pettersen (Colo.) were also missing.
Other Democrats expressed frustration. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) told CNN's Manu Raju, "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. And the same way I had to clock in when I worked at a restaurant, we gotta clock in and do our work here."
The missed vote highlights broader concerns about Democratic attendance and organization, as seen in recent state legislature gains and policy pushes. The incident could fuel internal party debates about discipline and priorities.
