If Democrats win back the House this fall, the base already has decided the first order of business: Impeach Donald Trump.
But as the party tries to emphasize an affordability agenda—especially in swing districts—that may determine control of the lower chamber, lawmakers have seemingly settled on a half measure: Impeach Cabinet members.
Democrats have trained their sights on three high-profile and polarizing members of Trump’s inner circle: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
On Dec. 9, Rep. Shri Thanedar filed an impeachment resolution against Hegseth in part for authorizing a series of strikes against alleged drug boats off the coast of Venezuela, including a Sept. 2 attack that killed two survivors after their vessel was destroyed. The next day, Rep. Haley Stevens filed an impeachment resolution against Kennedy, citing a degradation of America’s health care system under his watch, including changes in the vaccine schedule.
Last week, Rep. Robin Kelly filed one against Noem, alleging that the immigration crackdown she has overseen warrants her removal because it’s left a path of “destruction and devastation across the country.” That effort already has drawn 108 cosponsors as of Thursday afternoon, amid outrage over ICE operations in Minnesota that led to the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good.
“Right now we’re just trying to build support,” Kelly told my colleague Nancy Vu this week. “This was not spontaneous. We’ve been working on this since October, and we’re just trying to build our case, make sure our i’s were dotted and t’s were crossed.”
Both Kelly and Stevens told National Journal that their efforts to oust Cabinet officials do not conflict with Democrats’ affordability message. Stevens said Kennedy’s endorsement of Medicaid cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill affects people’s pocketbooks, while Kelly said ICE raids have hurt businesses that depend on immigrants as customers and employees.
“When you see the number of people that are not going to work because they're afraid, that hurts their bottom line,” she said. “The number of people not shopping, not going out to eat, that hurts the economy.”
A fourth Cabinet member has since become a target as well: Attorney General Pam Bondi.
No articles of impeachment have been filed against Bondi yet, though Rep. Marc Veasey has apparently drafted them, but such an effort could attract some Republican cosponsors upset that the Justice Department isn’t releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files fast enough. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna has been sharply critical of the rollout, and Rep. Thomas Massie posted a poll on his X account recently in which he asked his followers whether Bondi should be impeached. Nearly two-thirds said yes.
Massie teamed up with Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna to pass legislation in November forcing the Trump administration to cough up the entire trove of Epstein documents. Only about 1 percent of the documents have been released. DOJ officials say they’re going through carefully to make sure information that could harm victims or reveal their identities is not released.
It hasn’t appeased those on Capitol Hill who are demanding justice, including some on the Right.
“Pam Bondi is losing support among the Republican base,” Khanna said on MS NOW Wednesday evening. “Now, some of it may not be for reasons Democrats like. They wanted her to go after some of the Democrats. But the reality is they are upset at her on the Epstein files. They're upset at her in terms of not doing her job. … Can you imagine the Republican House impeaching Pam Bondi?”
The short answer is, definitely not.
Only two Cabinet members have ever been impeached: Secretary of War William Belknap in 1876 and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in 2024. House Speaker Mike Johnson would likely do his best to make sure neither Bondi nor any of the other three are added to the list.
Impeaching a Cabinet member has advantages over trying to oust a president. It’s easier to fixate on policies that are unpopular by going after the person in charge of the department carrying out that mission rather than going after a popularly elected president who still has a large constituency no matter how far their approval ratings sink.
It’s unlikely to matter, anyway.
Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries has tamped down talk of impeaching anyone, including Cabinet secretaries. Asked about Hegseth last month, he reiterated previous calls for the Pentagon chief to resign. He was more ambivalent about Noem earlier this month, calling her “a complete and total disgrace” and leaving the door open to more dramatic action if Democrats retake the House in November.
