Johnson and Massie Dispute Over House Schedule and Impeachment Vote

<p>Mike Johnson's decision to send the House home early has intensified a dispute with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) regarding the speaker's use of the calendar to avoid politically sensitive votes. The House will now be in recess for over six weeks ahead of the midterms, which delays Massie's attempt to force a vote on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth related to his handling of the Iran war.</p><p><strong>Why it matters:</strong> Massie's impeachment resolution faces challenges in the GOP-controlled House, but it would have required members to publicly address Hegseth's actions shortly before the elections.</p><hr /><ul><li>Massie criticized the House's schedule, referencing previous recesses, stating, "We had the Epstein recess last year. We got the Epstein recess this year, and then we got the Hegseth day off," after delivering a lengthy speech on the House floor.</li><li>Massie introduced eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth on Tuesday, which are classified as a privileged resolution, requiring action within two legislative days.</li></ul><p><strong>Driving the news:</strong> Johnson's cancellation of Thursday's session postpones the vote until after the election. Massie claimed, "He cut off the day tomorrow to avoid the vote. The speaker could still have the vote today if he wanted. That's how we know he did this." Johnson responded by calling Massie's assertion "ridiculous" and described the impeachment effort as a "publicity stunt," predicting that the House would table the resolution when they reconvene.</p><ul><li>This is not the first instance of Massie accusing Johnson of keeping the House out of session to sidestep votes he is advocating for.</li><li>Last year, Johnson kept the House out of session for nearly two months during a government shutdown, with Massie alleging that Johnson was attempting to stall his discharge petition aimed at releasing government files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.</li><li>Johnson also recently canceled the last two weeks of the September session, coinciding with Massie's claims of nearing the necessary GOP support for another discharge petition regarding Epstein files.</li><li>Massie stated he has secured the fourth Republican signature needed for his second Epstein discharge petition but did not disclose the member's identity.</li></ul><p><strong>The intrigue:</strong> Massie brought the issue to the House floor, where he used a point of personal privilege to express his dissatisfaction with Johnson's leadership.</p><ul><li>Massie remarked, "We're in the majority. We didn't lose the election. Why are we taking days off our calendar? We should be adding days to our calendar while we've got these last few remaining days." Other lawmakers, including Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), echoed this sentiment, criticizing Johnson's decision to cancel votes.</li><li>It is common for lawmakers to recess for the entire month of October in an election year.</li></ul><p><strong>Between the lines:</strong> Despite his frustrations, Massie stated he does not intend to attempt to remove Johnson from his position.</p><ul><li>Massie said, "Speaker Johnson has vacated Congress. Like, I don't need to vacate Speaker Johnson," while suggesting he has other strategies he plans to employ. He added, "The day that Donald Trump doesn't want him to be speaker, he will no longer be the speaker." </li></ul>