A senior House Republican declined Sunday to rule out supporting the impeachment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a notable crack in GOP unity that lands as Democratic leadership signals it is ready to force the issue.

Rep. French Hill, the Arkansas Republican who chairs the House Financial Services Committee, told moderator Margaret Brennan on CBS's "Face the Nation" that he wants "to hear the debate" before deciding whether Hegseth's conduct amounts to an impeachable offense or merits some lesser discipline. Hill was careful to separate the question of job performance from the constitutional threshold for removal, saying poor performance alone does not automatically rise to an impeachable act.

"If Secretary Hegseth isn't running the Pentagon properly, the president ought to make a change there," Hill said, arguing that it is ultimately Trump's call whether Hegseth keeps his job — even as he left open whether Congress should act first.

Massie's eight articles, and a Democratic leader's 'hard yes'

Hill's comments arrive alongside a renewed push from both parties. Rep. Thomas Massie, a libertarian-leaning Kentucky Republican, has introduced eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth, including one accusing the administration of waging an unauthorized war against Iran in violation of the War Powers Resolution. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries went further over the weekend, telling reporters he is a "hard yes" on a resolution to impeach the defense secretary, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Rep. James Comer, chair of the House Oversight Committee, separately called it "very possible" that enough lawmakers would ultimately back removal.

"I WANT TO HEAR THE DEBATE" ON IMPEACHMENT VERSUS SOME OTHER DISCIPLINARY ACTION

The piling-on follows a brutal midterm stretch for Republicans, during which several Democrats and even Vice President JD Vance pointed to the administration's handling of the Iran war as a drag on GOP candidates nationwide. Hegseth has faced months of scrutiny over his management of the Pentagon, though the White House has stood behind him publicly.

Even with cracks appearing in the GOP's defense of Hegseth, the mechanics of removing him remain steep. A House impeachment vote would need only a simple majority, but conviction requires a two-thirds vote in the Senate — a bar no Cabinet secretary has cleared in modern American history. Most Capitol Hill vote-counters on both sides still view Hegseth's removal as unlikely absent a dramatic shift in Republican sentiment.

Hill's office did not immediately respond to requests for further comment on where he ultimately stands. The House is expected to continue weighing the Massie articles in the coming weeks as both parties gauge whether the political math has genuinely shifted.