Sen. Tillis Says He Will Vote to Remove Defense Secretary Hegseth
A Republican senator's declared opposition to a sitting Republican cabinet member creates an unusual cross-party alignment that could affect the outcome of any Senate impeachment trial.
Outgoing Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) told reporters on Capitol Hill on Tuesday that he is prepared to vote to remove Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth if the House sends impeachment articles to the Senate, according to The Hill.
"If it comes over, if there's a vote, I'm likely to vote against Hegseth and for the impeachment," Tillis said. He characterized the potential vote as a no-confidence measure, adding: "The best thing that we can do is move him along, get somebody in there that can help."
Tillis's remarks follow active movement in the House toward an impeachment resolution targeting Hegseth. As previously reported by The Congressional Times, Rep. Thomas Massie leads the House impeachment drive against Hegseth, making the prospect of articles reaching the Senate a live procedural question.
Tillis is a Republican senator serving a state that Donald Trump carried in the 2024 presidential election. His willingness to vote against a cabinet official from his own party is notable within the context of Senate impeachment proceedings, where conviction requires a two-thirds majority of senators present under Article I, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution.
The current Senate composition, following the 2026 midterm elections, determines how many Republican votes would be needed alongside any Democratic votes to reach that two-thirds threshold. The precise vote count required depends on the number of senators present and voting at the time of any trial, a figure that is not yet established because no trial has been scheduled.
Hegseth was confirmed as Secretary of Defense in January 2025. His Senate confirmation vote is part of the congressional record and stands as the baseline against which any removal vote would be measured. His confirmation passed on a narrow margin, with Vice President JD Vance casting a tie-breaking vote, as recorded in the Senate Journal.
Tillis described the situation at the Pentagon as one requiring new leadership to function effectively. He did not specify which particular conduct or policy decisions formed the basis of his position, as reported by The Hill. The specific grounds cited in any House impeachment resolution, once formally introduced and voted upon, would constitute the official legal basis for a Senate trial.
Tillis is listed as "outgoing," meaning he is serving the remainder of a term and will not return to the Senate in the next Congress. Under Senate rules, a senator may participate in an impeachment trial for as long as they hold their seat, regardless of whether they will serve in a future Congress. The date on which Tillis's term formally ends determines whether he would be seated for any trial that unfolds in the coming weeks.
The House has not yet completed a floor vote on impeachment articles as of the date of this publication. The timeline for any such vote is unknown. The House schedule and any Rules Committee action on the impeachment resolution would be the public records that establish that timeline.
Several facts remain unknown at this stage. It is not publicly established how many other Republican senators, if any, share Tillis's stated position. No senator has announced a formal whip count. The specific articles of impeachment, their precise language, and the evidentiary record that would accompany them to the Senate have not been finalized or made public as of November 10, 2026.
What would answer remaining questions: a formal House floor vote on impeachment articles, the official text of those articles as entered into the congressional record, and any subsequent statements from additional senators regarding their voting intentions.