How to Force a House Vote: Privileged Resolutions, Discharge
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In the House, the majority leadership decides what comes to the floor. There are two main ways around that: a privileged resolution, which a single member can use for a few kinds of measures, impeachment among them, and a discharge petition, which needs a majority of the House.
Privileged resolutions
- Some resolutions are privileged: they can jump ahead of regular business. Impeachment resolutions and "questions of the privileges of the House" are the main examples (House Rule IX).
- A member who offers one gives notice on the floor. The Speaker must then schedule it within two legislative days.
- The vote that follows is often not on the resolution itself. Leaders who oppose it usually move to table it (set it aside without debate) or to refer it to a committee. Either motion needs only a simple majority.
- A "legislative day" ends when the House adjourns, so days without a session don't count. If the House leaves town, the clock stops.
Discharge petitions
- A discharge petition pulls a bill out of a committee that won't act on it. It needs 218 signatures, a majority of the whole House, no matter how many seats are vacant.
- The bill must have been in committee for at least 30 legislative days first (7 for a special rule stuck in the Rules Committee).
- Once it has 218 signatures, it waits seven legislative days, and then a signer can call it up on the second or fourth Monday of the month. Leaders sometimes bring the bill up on their own terms first.
- Successful petitions are rare, but the threat alone can push leaders to act (Congressional Research Service report 97-552).
The Hegseth case
- On September 15, 2026, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) read eight articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the House floor and offered them as a privileged resolution, over the Iran war and other charges. That started the two-day clock.
- Speaker Mike Johnson called it a "publicity stunt," canceled the next day's session and sent members home on September 16 to campaign, so the vote never happened. He said the resolution would be tabled "when we come back" (Stars and Stripes).
- The House returns for the lame-duck session on November 9, 2026. On November 4 Massie wrote that the only way he won't bring the articles back is if Hegseth resigns. Democrats won both chambers on November 3 and take over on January 3, 2027.
- On November 9, 2026, the day the House returned, Massie gave notice of the articles again, restarting the two-legislative-day clock. Johnson has said they will be tabled; a vote was expected by about November 11 (CBS News; Deseret News).
- Even if the House impeaches, removal takes a Senate trial and two-thirds of senators present. See how impeachment works and every resolution on the impeachment tracker.
What the polls say: in the Economist/YouGov poll of November 4–6, 2026 (3,166 registered voters), 42% said Congress should impeach Hegseth, 35% said no and 23% weren't sure. On President Trump, 41% said yes and 46% no. See more polls on the issues.
Sources: Rules of the House of Representatives, Rule IX and Rule XV, clause 2 (rules.house.gov); Congressional Research Service, "The Discharge Rule in the House: Principal Features and Uses" (97-552); Bloomberg Government (September 15, 2026); Stars and Stripes, "House delays Hegseth impeachment vote until November" (September 16, 2026) and "Hegseth faces renewed impeachment push after Democratic midterm wins" (November 5, 2026); AP via OPB (September 16, 2026); The Economist/YouGov toplines (November 4–6, 2026); CBS News and Deseret News (November 9, 2026).
Questions and answers
What is a privileged resolution in the House?
A resolution that jumps ahead of regular business. Once a member gives notice, the Speaker must schedule it within two legislative days. Impeachment resolutions are privileged.
What does it mean to table a resolution?
A motion to table sets a resolution aside without debating it. It needs a simple majority, and it's the usual way leaders dispose of a privileged resolution they oppose.
How many signatures does a discharge petition need?
218, a majority of the whole House. The bill must have been in committee for at least 30 legislative days first, and the petition then waits seven legislative days before it can be called up.
More explainers
- What Is the Filibuster? How the Senate's 60-Vote Rule Works
- How a Bill Becomes Law: The Steps in Congress
- How Impeachment Works: The House Charges, the Senate Tries
- How Is the Speaker of the House Elected?
- What Senate Control Means for Nominations and Laws
- Divided Government, Explained
- What Happens If the Government Shuts Down?
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