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House calendar as weapon: how session cancellations are reshaping the Massie-Johnson standoff

9/17/2026

A privileged resolution carries a hard deadline: two legislative days from filing to a floor vote, or it lapses.

Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) filed eight articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday using that clock, and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) effectively stopped it by canceling Thursday's session, pushing any floor action past the midterms.

The cancellation is the latest episode in a widening feud over whether Johnson is using session scheduling to dodge politically painful votes.

Massie was direct in his attribution: Johnson canceled Thursday to avoid the vote, he told Axios, noting the speaker could still have called the vote Wednesday.

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