Republican lawmakers in the US House of Representatives have blocked an attempt to impeach Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, preventing a final vote on eight articles of impeachment. The move came on Tuesday after Republicans rallied behind the embattled Pentagon chief.

Instead of voting on impeachment, the House voted 211-204 to send the articles to the Republican-led Judiciary Committee. The decision effectively ends the impeachment effort in the current Congress. Any fresh attempt will have to wait until January, when a Democratic-led House takes office.

Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, a critic of the Trump administration, reintroduced the impeachment articles on Monday. Before Tuesday's vote, several observers, including prominent Republican Senator Ted Cruz, expected other Republicans unhappy with the handling of the Iran war to support the move. However, Massie was the only Republican who voted against blocking the impeachment effort.

President Donald Trump welcomed the outcome, describing it as an endorsement of his administration's policies on Iran and Venezuela.

“The Democrats’ attempt to impeach Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has miserably FAILED! Every single Republican, except Thomas Massie, a major LOSER, voted in favour of Pete. Again, Victories in Venezuela and Iran, the Best Recruitment Numbers in the History of the Military (Long waiting lists to get in!), and Spirit like rarely seen before led to the EXONERATION of a Great American Patriot. The Democrats continue to weaponise and abuse the United States of America. They must be stopped! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN,” he said in a post on Truth Social.

Massie's impeachment articles included three charges accusing Hegseth of illegally waging war against Iran in violation of the long-standing War Powers Resolution. They also accused him of ordering extrajudicial killings in strikes against suspected drug traffickers and suppressing free speech by targeting critics, including Democratic Senator and military veteran Mark Kelly.

Hegseth argued that the impeachment effort sent a damaging message to America's adversaries.

“Let’s be clear about what this resolution actually does. It tells our enemies — Iran, the cartels, the Houthis, every adversary watching — that the United States will actually punish its own warfighters and its own civilian leadership for successfully executing lawful military operations,” he said on Tuesday.

Hegseth could face renewed scrutiny when a Democratic-led House takes office in January. Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, who is expected to become the next House Speaker, said last week that he was a “hard yes” on supporting Hegseth's impeachment.