WASHINGTON — The Republican-controlled US House of Representatives on Tuesday effectively killed a push to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a surprising show of unity from a party battered after last week’s midterm drubbing. In a Truth Social post, President Donald Trump celebrated the failed efforts and called GOP Rep. Thomas Massie, who led the impeachment drive, a “major loser.”Democrats — who voted unanimously against shelving the impeachment charges — will have a large House majority next year after winning at least 255 seats in last week's midterm elections. They have already vowed to try to remove Hegseth from office when they take control of Congress."In the majority, one of the first things we're gonna do is run Pete Hegseth out of town," Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the minority leader who is poised to become House speaker, said at a rally last month. Eleven Democrats missed Tuesday's vote, which succeeded in blocking the charges by a 211 to 204 margin. Rep. Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, reintroduced articles of impeachment against Hegseth on Monday, alleging that the embattled Pentagon chief had committed "high crimes and misdemeanors" and abused the power of his office by violating the War Powers Resolution, conducting military operations without congressional authorization and ordering unlawful military actions in several countries. On Tuesday, Massie was the only Republican who broke with his party and voted to keep the articles of impeachment alive. Before Tuesday's vote, Hegseth struck a defiant tone in a Pentagon news briefing. He described the impeachment efforts as "a farce" and insisted that "none of these are high crimes or misdemeanors — they are partisan policy disagreements from people who want to politicize our military."He added, "That's what it is. Policy disagreements. Not high crimes. Not misdemeanors. Not treason. Not bribery. Not the kinds of offenses the founders intended when they wrote the impeachment clause."While Hegseth did not mention Massie by name, he criticized the actions of a "disgruntled congressman" and said the "proper remedy" for a policy disagreement was legislation."It's a political spectacle," Hegseth said. "A personal manifesto driven by ego and resentment. Time for one man's final days in Congress to try to do damage to this president."He added, "This is not patriotism. This is sabotage."Hegseth also said the resolution suggested the US would punish its own military for carrying out its job."Let's be clear about what this resolution actually does," he said. "It tells our enemies — Iran, the cartels, every adversary watching — that the United States will actually punish its own warriors and its own civilian leadership."President Trump celebrated Tuesday night's House vote on Truth Social, where he said that Democrats' attempt to impeach Hegseth "miserably FAILED!"Earlier in the day, Trump posted on Truth Social that Hegseth had earned an "'A' PLUS, PLUS, PLUS" for his defense against Massie, and described the defense secretary as "perhaps the most popular and successful military official in the Country," adding, "Pete Hegseth should be praised, not Impeached."The expected impeachment filing came as Congress returned to Washington, D.C., to begin a lame-duck session following the historic rout that the GOP suffered in last week's midterm elections. Hegseth has been facing intense political backlash over the United States' costly and unpopular war with Iran, which some top Republicans — including Trump — blame in part for the drubbing that cost them control of Congress."Despite the absence of a declaration of war, specific statutory authorization, or a national emergency created by an attack upon the United States," Massie said in a speech on the House floor, "Secretary Hegseth knowingly executed and implemented unlawful orders to initiate war against a foreign nation."Massie said Hegseth "has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to the Constitution if allowed to remain in office, and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with his duties and the rule of law."His actions thus "warrant impeachment and trial, removal from office and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States," the Kentucky Republican said. Earlier, Trump told CNN at a White House press conference he would "stand by him," saying that he believes Massie "has a lot of hatred in his heart."Massie — who in May lost his bid for reelection to Ed Gallrein, a Trump-backed challenger, in the GOP primary — first introduced articles of impeachment against Hegseth in September. But House Speaker Mike Johnson later canceled the final scheduled voting day before the midterm recess, delaying a vote. It's unclear whether Massie's impeachment effort would have succeeded on the House floor under Republican control. Massie had previously told ABC News he was "confident" there would have been "enough GOP defectors for it to pass."Trump has repeatedly insisted that he is not considering replacing his Pentagon chief, at least not yet."No, I think he's doing a very good job," Trump told reporters last week. The president also said he was unaware of a report that Hegseth has been quietly angling to fill the US Senate seat that will be vacated by Tennessee GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who was elected as the state's next governor."I think he's doing a very good job, and I actually think he'd be very popular if he did that. But I haven't heard that at all," Trump said when asked if he would want the defense secretary to fill Blackburn's seat. CBS News, however, reported last week that Trump "has been asking advisers" whether he should stay or go. Hegseth, a former Fox News host who has served as defense secretary since January 2025, has been Trump's most visible cheerleader for the Iran war, which the US and Israel initiated in February and which has led to surging oil prices. He has also been among the advisers urging Trump to restart the war. He and Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of US Central Command, have supported a return to major combat operations against Iran during recent briefings on military options, the Wall Street Journal reported on Nov. 6, while Vice President JD Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff have pushed for diplomacy to end the conflict. Trump acknowledged on Nov. 4 that the Iran war had partly contributed to the midterm election rout that handed Democrats control of Congress. Vance was unequivocal. "The real reason we lost is obvious to almost everyone," Vance wrote in a lengthy post on X. "The reason we lost is the war." The vice president did not call out Hegseth by name. But other Republicans did. Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, told CBS News that Hegseth faces "a reckoning.""He is one of the reasons why we don't have the funding or guarantee for defense that we need," Tillis said on election night. "I think after the election, we need to determine whether or not he's the best person to bring those needs to Congress."Tillis, who voted to confirm Hegseth last year, recently called on Trump to fire him. Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said on Nov. 6 that "there's a lot of questions about Hegseth.""We have no idea what the strategy is moving forward in Iran," Comer told NewsNation. "No one's happy about Iran."When Democrats take control of both the House and Senate next year, they will have the ability to call for hearings and launch investigations into virtually any aspect of the Trump administration — and Hegseth's handling of the military is high on their list. Hegseth, for his part, has remained defiant. In a 5-and-a-half-minute video posted to X on Nov. 5, Hegseth defended the Iran war, touted changes he's implemented as Pentagon chief and praised Trump's leadership while dismissing Massie's impeachment pursuit."A disgruntled, defeated congressman along with all his Democrat allies has dropped sham impeachment articles against yours truly," Hegseth said. "It didn't work with President Trump and it won't work with me."