Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi missed the House vote sending impeachment articles against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to committee, leaving Washington for a San Francisco veterans award she called a longstanding tradition.
Pelosi was absent Tuesday when the House voted 211-204 to refer eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth to the House Judiciary Committee, a move that effectively halted the push. Her office said she had returned to San Francisco for Swords to Plowshares’ 30th Annual Veterans Day Celebration, where she received the Lifetime Advocate for Veterans Award in her final term in Congress.
Newsweek reported that the referral leaves the resolution with the Judiciary Committee, which is not required to send it back to the floor. Eight additional “no” votes would have been enough to defeat the motion. Eleven Democrats, including Pelosi, did not vote.
On October 9, Pelosi had publicly branded Hegseth “beyond unfit” to lead the military and declared, “He must go.” That call came weeks before the House faced a concrete procedural test on the articles introduced by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie.
Pelosi’s spokesman, Ian Krager, framed the absence as fidelity to a district tradition rather than a dodge.
"Speaker Emerita Pelosi returned to San Francisco to join and honor local veterans at Swords to Plowshares' 30th Annual Veterans Day Celebration tonight, an important and longstanding district tradition she regularly attends and will mark for the last time as a Member of Congress by receiving the Lifetime Advocate for Veterans Award,"
Krager also said Pelosi supported impeaching Hegseth and would have voted against referring the articles to committee. The House Clerk’s tally still recorded her as not voting.
Earlier the same Tuesday, Pelosi announced legislation with Democratic Rep. Kathy Castor meant to help aging veterans and veterans with disabilities remain in their homes. She used the moment to stress veteran homelessness.
"Veteran homelessness is a challenge to the conscience of our nation,"
She added that no one who served should be forced to sleep on the streets because earned support is out of reach. Hours later she was bound for the Julia Morgan Ballroom event, doors at 6 p.m., remarks around 7:15 p.m., instead of the Capitol floor.
Massie’s resolution accused Hegseth of violating the War Powers Resolution through military operations involving Iran, failing civilian-protection requirements, directing extrajudicial killings, retaliating against Sen. Mark Kelly, and conducting unlawful actions involving Venezuela and Yemen. Those allegations have not been adjudicated.
Hegseth rejected the effort outright. He called it “a farce” and “a stunt,” arguing the disputes were policy disagreements, not high crimes and misdemeanors. Every Democrat who cast a vote opposed the referral. Massie was the only Republican to vote against sending his own articles to committee. Independent Rep. Kevin Kiley joined 210 Republicans in support of referral.
Seven Republicans also missed the vote. Their reasons were not given. Among Democrats, the absences piled up with a mix of traffic, emergencies, and silence.
Reps. Laura Gillen of New York, Jonathan Jackson of Illinois, and Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico said a traffic incident and a police-escorted bus delayed them. Stansbury reached the chamber shortly after the vote closed and later recorded an intended “no” in the Congressional Record. Rep. Marilyn Strickland’s office said she was caught behind a motorcade and missed the vote by one minute. Rep. Steven Horsford’s office cited a personal emergency and said he backed impeachment and would have opposed referral. Rep. J. Luis Correa stayed in California for a medical procedure after a doctor advised against travel; he said he “vehemently” supported the impeachment effort.
As of Wednesday morning, no public explanations had surfaced for Democratic Reps. Julia Brownley, Haley Stevens, Brittany Pettersen, and Frederica Wilson. The pattern left Democrats short of the votes needed to block referral while several members who said they opposed the motion never made it into the chamber.
Swords to Plowshares described a decades-long relationship with Pelosi, including advisory-board service and help securing funding for veterans’ housing and support for the PACT Act, which expanded care for veterans exposed to toxic substances. The group gave her a special tribute tied to veterans’ rights and programs. That is the schedule she kept.
The House schedule she skipped was the only live floor test of the Massie articles. Referral does not bar a fresh impeachment drive in a future Congress. It does end this one for now. Pelosi’s office insists she would have voted to keep the articles alive on the floor. The roll call shows she was in San Francisco instead, collecting an award on the same day she rolled out another veterans bill and months after telling the country Hegseth must go.
Members who demand removals and then miss the vote that decides the next step leave the public with a clear record: strong words in October, an empty chair in November, and a ballroom tribute when the roll was called.
