Eleven Democrats missed a crucial procedural vote on Tuesday regarding the impeachment of Pete Hegseth, with several lawmakers pointing to a Washington DC traffic jam as the reason they failed to reach the US Capitol in time.
Traffic and Motorcades Cause Missed Votes
House Republicans successfully referred the articles of impeachment to the judiciary committee by a vote of 211-204, which effectively stopped the effort to oust Hegseth. Because multiple outgoing Republicans were absent from Washington, the impeachment resolution would have advanced to the House floor for a complete debate and vote if those missing Democrats had been present to block the move.
Multiple representatives took to social media to explain that they were trapped behind a motorcade, which caused them to miss the voting window. A spokesperson for New Mexico congresswoman Melanie Stansbury stated that she was blocked from entering the Capitol to vote due to a traffic incident and a police escort of a bus during the vote, arriving at the chamber just as the vote gaveled out.
New York representative Laura Gillen offered a similar explanation, pointing to the same police escort blocking the Capitol when Republicans closed the vote. Illinois congressman Johnathan Jackson shared the exact same reasoning in a post on X. According to Axios, some of the absent House Democrats were returning from a political action committee event supporting the election of pro-choice Democratic women.
Party Leadership Responds to Criticisms
House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries is now facing backlash for allegedly failing to ensure party members were present for the vital vote. When reporters questioned him about the absences, Jeffries stated he had not spoken with anyone on the floor team regarding what may or may not have happened concerning the Hegseth resolution.
Jeffries asserted that the measure would likely return, stating that this is not the end of the matter and represents only the beginning.
