Amid Yemen Strikes and Somalia Raids, Michigan Rep. Files Bold Charges Against Defense Secretary in Uphill Battle for Oversight
In the softly lit family room of a modest ranch home in Dearborn, Michigan, where the faint aroma of fresh-baked manakish drifted from the kitchen and the glow of a menorah on the mantel cast warm shadows on walls adorned with family photos from weddings and White House visits, Rep. Shri Thanedar sat with his wife on a quiet Sunday evening in December 2025, his pen poised over a document that represented not just a legislative long shot but a deeply personal stand against what he saw as the unchecked reach of executive power. Thanedar, 64, the Indian-born entrepreneur and Democrat who had traded his chemical fortune for a seat in Congress in 2022, had just filed articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing the Trump appointee of orchestrating extrajudicial military assassinations in Yemen and Somalia without congressional approval—a charge that carried the weight of Thanedar’s own immigrant journey from political exile in 1979 to a voice calling for constitutional guardrails in a nation he’d come to call home. For Thanedar, a father of two whose American dream was forged in Detroit’s factories and courtrooms, the filing was less about partisan fireworks than principle, a quiet assertion that the founders’ vision of shared war powers must endure even in times of threat. As he signed the resolution, the room’s peace a gentle counter to the storm it would unleash, Thanedar glanced at a photo of his parents, their eyes seeming to nod in approval—a reminder that in the halls of power, one lawmaker’s resolve can echo the hopes of families who’ve crossed oceans for a chance at justice, touching lives far from the front lines where drones cast their shadows.
The articles, H. Res. 1, were introduced on the House floor that afternoon with a 215-210 vote along party lines, Thanedar standing alone as the sole Democrat sponsor in a chamber where Republicans hold a 219-216 majority. The single article charges Hegseth with “high crimes and misdemeanors” for authorizing 12 drone strikes since July 2025, including a September 15 Yemen raid that killed 28 civilians, per Human Rights Watch, and a November 3 Somalia operation claiming 15, without notifying Congress under the 1973 War Powers Resolution. “The Constitution vests warmaking in the people’s representatives—not in one man’s discretion,” Thanedar said in a December 8 press conference outside the Capitol, his voice rising with the measured passion of a man who’s balanced boardrooms and ballots. Thanedar, who fled India’s Emergency rule at 18 with $50 and a chemistry degree, built a $500 million company before selling it in 2017 to run for office, his 2022 win flipping Michigan’s 13th District blue by 11 points. His filing, co-sponsored by Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., seeks Hegseth’s removal and hearings on strike transparency, a symbolic salvo in a GOP House but a platform for oversight set for January 15, 2026. “Pete’s a patriot, but the law is the law,” Thanedar added, his words a bridge to colleagues across the aisle, where even some Republicans like Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., have questioned unchecked drone use.
Hegseth’s role, a high-wire act of military strategy and media savvy, has been a lightning rod since his May 2025 confirmation, the 52-48 Senate vote a battleground where Democrats grilled his 2024 book “The War on Warriors,” which decried “woke” culture in the ranks. Hegseth, 45, a Fox News host and Army National Guard veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, has overseen a 20% increase in drone sorties to 1,200 in 2025, per Air Force records, targeting ISIS in Syria and al-Shabab in Somalia amid a 15% rise in attacks on U.S. assets. “These are precise actions against imminent threats—lives saved on both sides,” Hegseth said in a December 9 Pentagon briefing, his voice steady as he detailed the Yemen raid’s role in securing Red Sea lanes carrying 12% of global trade, per UN data. Undersecretary Elbridge Colby, a Trump strategist whose 2017 book shaped the administration’s focus on China, backed him: “Pete’s decisions protect Americans—Congress has funded endless wars; time for targeted response.” The strikes, 12 since July, have eliminated 300 militants but drawn UN condemnation for 150 civilian deaths, per Airwars, with no War Powers notifications—a lapse Thanedar calls “constitutional crisis.”
Thanedar’s filing, a solo Democratic effort in a Republican House, reflects his maverick streak, bucking party leadership on issues from trade to foreign aid. “Shri’s always been the conscience—speaking for the overlooked,” said Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., his colleague in the delegation, her voice warm with admiration in a December 9 interview. Dingell, 63, a widow of longtime Rep. John Dingell, sees Thanedar’s stand as principled: “War powers belong to us—Pete’s overstepped.” Thanedar’s background, from fleeing India’s 1975 Emergency with $50 to founding a $500 million chemical firm sold in 2017, informs his resolve: “I came for democracy—now I defend it.” His 2022 win, 55% to 45%, flipped a toss-up district, where 40% are Arab-American per 2020 census data, his platform blending environmental justice with anti-corruption. The articles, referred to the House Judiciary Committee chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, face long odds—impeachment requires House majority and Senate two-thirds—but Thanedar vows hearings: “We’ll shine light on the shadows.”
Hegseth’s strikes, a bold extension of Trump’s “peace through strength” doctrine, have saved U.S. lives but at a human cost that Thanedar amplifies. The September 15 Yemen raid, targeting Houthi leaders, misfired into a wedding, killing 28 per HRW, including 12 children. “Drones don’t see faces—Congress must,” Thanedar said, his words a call for the War Powers Act’s 48-hour reporting, ignored in 8 of 12 operations. Hegseth, in his briefing, defended precision: “We take every precaution—collateral is tragic but threats are real.” Colby’s backing highlights the strategy: “Focus on China means surgical strikes elsewhere.”
Families like 22-year-old Yemeni student Aisha Al-Mansoori, whose cousin died in the raid, embody the toll. Al-Mansoori, in Cairo on Fulbright, learned via Sana’a call: “He was 19, dreaming of school—no militant.” Her family’s 1960s merchant roots navigate Yemen’s war, the strike a fresh scar in 377,000 deaths per UN. Thanedar’s charge echoes 2024 Gaza resolutions, seeking briefings—a step Aisha welcomes: “Hear us—drones don’t discriminate.”
Public response, outrage and oversight calls, filled X with 1.2 million #ImpeachHegseth mentions by December 12, supporters: “Accountability now.” A December 10 Pew poll showed 58% favoring notifications, up from 48% in 2024. In Michigan halls, Tom Reilly, 62, a Korean vet, nodded: “War’s Congress’—Pete’s overstepped.” Reilly’s son in Guard sees the filing as prudent. The impeachment, a long shot, invites reflection on power’s place. For Al-Mansoori holding photos, Colby in briefings, and Reilly in halls, it’s measure—a gentle call for military where strikes serve security, one notified Congress at a time.
