Voters have handed control of both the House and the Senate to new leadership, and with that comes the power to hold the Pentagon accountable. When the new Congress is sworn in, the House of Representatives should open impeachment proceedings against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Hegseth has been a leading force behind the war with Iran, now in its eighth month. Since the fighting started in February, energy prices have climbed and frustration has spread across the country. According to CNN, some administration officials and allies now blame the decision to attack Iran for the party’s losses on Election Day.

The war is only part of the record. Early in his tenure, Hegseth shared sensitive details about military strikes in a Signal group chat that accidentally included a journalist from The Atlantic. After a September 2025 strike on a boat suspected of carrying drugs in the Caribbean, two people who survived were killed by U.S. forces, prompting accusations of war crimes. Hegseth has denied reports that he told troops to kill everyone on board. He has also removed a string of senior military officers, including Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia in October.

The concern is not coming from one party alone. “Pete Hegseth has a reckoning,” Republican Sen. Thom Tillis told CBS News on election night.

The Constitution gives the House the power to impeach cabinet officials and the Senate the power to put them on trial. Service members, military families and taxpayers deserve a defense secretary they can trust. A public impeachment inquiry would put the facts on the record, under oath.

Sign the petition to tell the new Congress to make impeaching Pete Hegseth a top priority the moment it takes office in January.