WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, Representative John Garamendi (D-CA-08), a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, opposed the Republican effort to kill Representative Thomas Massie’s (R-KY-04) resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. In response to this vote, Rep. Garamendi issued the following statement: 

“The day Hegseth was announced as Trump’s Secretary of Defense, I said he was an unqualified, deeply flawed character who was not prepared to run the most complex organization in the federal government. 

“Unfortunately, our worst fears have come true. As Secretary of Defense, Hegseth has launched an unconstitutional war, repeatedly engaging in hostilities in Iran for more than 90 days without congressional authorization and also gave the order to illegally strike alleged drug boats in the Caribbean. 

“He has ignored laws intended to minimize civilian casualties, has abused his power by retaliating against the president’s critics, and has repeatedly and unjustly purged the military’s leadership, which will take years to remedy. 

“Today’s vote is a step toward ending the illegal quagmire in the Middle East, the degradation of women and servicemembers of color, and his incompetence at the Department of Defense.”

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