WASHINGTON (Sept. 17, 2026) — Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who cast a decisive vote to confirm Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, said Thursday that Hegseth “needs to go” — whether through House impeachment articles or “the most expedient route” of President Donald Trump replacing him, Mediaite reported, matching a Thursday evening item on The Hill.

Asked whether House Republicans should vote for articles introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Tillis said: “I’ll let the House do what the House is gonna do… We’ve got a management problem here. He needs to go, whether it’s impeachment or the most expedient route — just the president to replace him — would be great.”

Massie articles, early recess, Driscoll exit

Massie introduced eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth on Tuesday over the handling of U.S. military operations including Iran, Venezuela, and Yemen, according to contemporaneous reporting. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) then sent the chamber into early recess Wednesday rather than teeing up an immediate floor vote; Massie accused leadership of ducking after finding “other Republicans” who might join him.

Tillis had already urged Trump on Sept. 2 to find a new Pentagon chief after Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned amid reported clashes with Hegseth over senior-leader turnover and Army modernization. In that post, Tillis blasted “inept management,” saying Hegseth is “intimidated by competence and retreats to ginning up culture wars” instead of national defense.

Impeachment of a Cabinet secretary still requires a House majority and a two-thirds Senate conviction — a steep climb in a Republican-led Capitol. Tillis framed the problem as management, not personal animus, and left the timing to the House while keeping the simpler off-ramp on Trump’s desk.

Sources: Mediaite (Kathryn Wilkens, Sept. 17, 2026); The Hill (Sept. 17–18, 2026 RSS/reporting); prior Tillis Sept. 2 statement as quoted in contemporaneous coverage.