Outgoing Republican Rep. Thomas Massie (Kentucky) reintroduced a resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday, escalating what could be his final political battle before leaving office.
The congressman, who says Hegseth repeatedly broke the law by waging war with Iran without congressional approval, first attempted to force an impeachment vote in September. That vote never happened, however. Rather than addressing the effort, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) sent the House home early, even though other priorities remained on deck ahead of the November elections.
Now that the House is back, Massie has moved quickly to reintroduce his resolution. Any vote is likely to reveal deep divisions in a GOP reeling from a disappointing showing in the midterms, particularly given that some Republicans — including the vice president — have publicly blamed the war in Iran for the party’s heavy losses.
Massie, who considers himself a libertarian Republican, is no stranger to controversy within the GOP. Throughout his career, he has repeatedly been at odds with his own colleagues and party leadership, including President Donald Trump.
Here are five key things to know about Massie.
1. He was elected to Congress in the tea party wave
Massie, an engineer with bachelor’s and master’s degrees from MIT, won his seat in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District in 2012, during the twilight of the GOP tea party era, before Trump’s Make America Great Again movement reshaped the Republican landscape. He ran a campaign emphasizing his pedigree as a political outsider.
He had moved to Kentucky with his family in 2003, living largely off the grid in a solar-powered home he designed himself. His first foray into politics was as the judge executive — the top administrative executive — of Lewis County, Kentucky.
2. He has regularly voted against the GOP
As a federal lawmaker, Massie aligned himself with Trump during the president’s first term. He refused to vote for either of the president’s first-term impeachments, and he quickly established himself as a constitutional purist, earning him the nickname “Mr. No” for routinely voting against federal spending. Massie often wears a three-inch-long lapel pin that updates the national debt in real time.
He voted against Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill last year, citing concerns over its cost, and has opposed U.S. foreign aid, including to Israel.
“He is actively working against his team almost daily now and seems to enjoy that role,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) told CNN last year, when Massie was publicly feuding with Trump.
3. Massie led a push to release the Epstein files
Along with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-California), Massie led the effort to force the Justice Department’s release of files related to its Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
Massie’s involvement drew Trump’s ire, with the president repeatedly attacking him on social media. Those attacks ultimately culminated in Trump’s endorsement of Massie’s rival, who defeated him in the 2026 GOP primary and will succeed him.
Despite Trump’s opposition, Massie and Khanna succeeded in their legislative effort. In November 2025, the House voted to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act, and the Justice Department released part of the files a month later. The department released more documents in waves, with the last batch dropping in January. While DOJ said that was all the files it had, Massie and others have claimed that the department is holding on to more, arguing that there are reportedly 6 million files total.
Last week, Massie said he hoped to force a vote on a follow-up measure, the Epstein Files Transparency Act II, when the House was back.
“Survivors will be able to get their own records, State Attorneys General can prosecute crimes, and we can take the DOJ to court for keeping critical files hidden,” Massie wrote on X.
4. Massie is an anti-interventionist
Massie has heavily opposed military action in Iran and Venezuela, repeatedly sponsoring and supporting bipartisan measures to limit military action. He has said that “the Constitution does not permit the executive branch to unilaterally commit an act of war against a sovereign nation that hasn’t attacked the United States.”
Massie has also filed legislation to withdraw the U.S. from NATO — a move that goes beyond what other anti-interventionists in Congress have called for.
5. He has said he’ll be back
In May, after losing his primary, Massie filed paperwork to the Federal Election Commission for the 2028 House race.
At the time, Massie said this would allow him to “raise funds to continue my political operations supporting my position as a current office holder and as a potential candidate for federal office.”
Still, he said he’s not sure yet what office he will seek if he runs.
Notably, there’s a 2027 gubernatorial race in Kentucky.
The post 5 things to know about Rep. Massie, who introduced articles to impeach Hegseth appeared first on Washington Post.
