House lawmakers will leave Washington on Wednesday night for the last time before the November midterm elections, after GOP leaders said they were canceling votes set for Thursday. The change in schedule means that the House won’t vote on Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky’s resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth until after Election Day.GOP leaders insisted their decision had nothing to do with Massie’s impeachment efforts. But they were eager to avoid a difficult vote for many of their vulnerable Republican members who have been uneasy with Hegseth’s leadership during the unpopular six-month war with Iran.Talking to reporters Wednesday, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., slammed the Massie impeachment effort as “ridiculous” and defended Hegseth.“It’s a publicity stunt by someone who wants attention. It will immediately be tabled, of course. … We’ll probably do it when we come back, but it’s a stunt,” Johnson said (tabling would effectively kill the measure). “Secretary Hegseth has done an extraordinary job, the Department of War. We’re in the middle of international conflicts right now, and we should not be playing games with national security.”The House will have to deal with a measure to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after the elections.Mehmet Eser / Anadolu via Getty ImagesIn a surprise move Tuesday, Massie filed a resolution to impeach Hegseth as “privileged,” meaning the House would need to act on it within two legislative days. That set up a vote no later than Thursday, but then GOP leaders scrapped votes that day, pushing the impeachment vote until after the election.The House is slated to return to Washington on Nov. 9. Meanwhile, the Senate will remain in session for the next three weeks.Johnson, who is fighting to preserve his razor-thin GOP majority, said he wanted his members to return home and get back on the campaign trail. “It’s time for our members to go home to their districts and make their case to the American people. To go and explain all the great things we’ve done. You’ve seen the record. You’ve seen what we’ve delivered … the largest middle- and working-class tax cut in U.S. history. We have the violent crime rate at a 126-year low,” Johnson said. It’s “an extraordinary record of achievement,” he added, “and so I’m excited for my Republican colleagues to go home and talk to the American people, work in their districts, and explain to them not only serving their constituents but explaining to them all the great things we’ve done for them and all the things we’re going to do in the days ahead.”This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.Scott Wong is a senior congressional reporter for Jattvibe News. Kyle Stewart is a producer and off-air reporter covering Congress for Jattvibe News, managing coverage of the House.