A Republican congressman calls for the impeachment of Secretary of Defence Hegseth

Albert

Author: Natangelo

Source: PeaceLink

Albert

International bulletin for peace and disarmament

In the USA, there are two fronts against the war in Iran: the impeachment of Hegseth and the pacifist mobilisation “Defund the Iran War” to block any funding for a possible future attack against Tehran.

While a constitutional crisis opens in Washington, American civil society launches a national mobilisation to force Congress to cut funds for the war. Two different pressures — parliamentary and grassroots — converge on a common goal: to stop the military escalation.

Impeachment against the Secretary of Defence

An impeachment procedure has been initiated against the US Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth, for the war in Iran. Republican congressman from Kentucky Thomas Massie has presented eight articles of impeachment, accusing Hegseth of illegally undertaking a war without Congressional authorisation and abusing his powers as head of the Pentagon.

The move comes just days after the defeat suffered by President Donald Trump's party in the midterm elections. This is not just a symbolic act: the articles of impeachment put in writing the issue of constitutional legality, namely the power of Congress to authorise the use of military force.

The pacifist mobilisation: “Defund the Iran War”

In parallel, on Monday 9 November, the pacifist mobilisation began in the United States to cut funding for the war with Iran.

It was a day of digital mobilisation organised and led by American pacifist movements. During the meeting, activists shared phone lists and texts already prepared to call Congress members en masse, demanding that American taxpayers' money not be used to fuel the armed conflict in Iran.

Why now

The mobilisation arises in response to two dramatic deadlines.

The first is the vote on the State budget: by 11 December, the US Congress must approve the budget bill to avoid a government shutdown. Pacifists want to leverage this vote to include a clause that strictly prohibits the President from spending even a dollar on military operations against Iran.

The second is the alarm for an imminent attack. Internal sources within the US administration have revealed that military leaders are considering launching a large-scale attack against Iran. The urgency is critical.

Two pressures, one goal

On one side, Congress, with the articles of impeachment against Hegseth for the illegal war; on the other, civil society, which is calling Congress members en masse to cut off the funding taps for war. These are two different but complementary paths: the first asserts constitutional control over the use of force, the second exerts direct democratic pressure on elected representatives.

For those closely following the pacifist movements, the lesson is clear: war can only be opposed through organisation and mobilisation. And while impeachment is being discussed in Washington, American activists are already dialing the phone numbers of their congress members.