House Republicans failed to impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas by a 214-216 vote, with several Republicans joining Democrats in voting against impeachment.
This vote represents a setback for GOP leaders who had come under pressure from conservatives to make Mayorkas’s handling of border crossings an election issue this fall. Though his actions have been widely criticized within his party, constitutional experts maintain there is insufficient evidence against him for impeachable offenses.
House Votes to End Impeachment Process
House members voted Tuesday to end impeachment proceedings against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. One article of impeachment charged that Mayorkas failed to comply with federal immigration laws amid record numbers of migrants crossing the border; another charged him with breaking public trust by making false statements in congressional testimony about border security, humanitarian parole programs in Afghanistan and similar matters.
Democratic officials and constitutional scholars contend Republicans have not provided sufficient evidence that Mayorkas committed high crimes or misdemeanors, prompting their use as election-year political stunt. Republicans countered with arguments about their need for crisis response articles being brought back up once enough votes are available; one outcome hinged on Democratic Representative Al Green’s surprise return from surgery to cast his no vote before an excruciating roll call process began.
House Speaker Mike Johnson Defeats Israel Aid Bill
House Republicans defeated a standalone bill providing $14.3 billion to Israel through cuts to the Internal Revenue Service as an election-year political stunt, seeing no connection with border security or negotiations over immigration policy with Senate. Critics saw it as an unnecessary hindrance.
Ken Buck of Colorado and Tom McClintock of California had voiced reservations about impeaching Mayorkas, which resulted in a vote that fell short of achieving two-thirds majority support and fell by 250-180 votes.
If Johnson had signed the articles of impeachment, it would have marked the first time in nearly 100 years that an incumbent cabinet secretary was impeached while serving in office – an impossible feat given that Secretary of War William Belknap had already been cleared from corruption charges before being exonerated in 1903.
House Speaker Paul Ryan Resigns
Ryan of Janesville, Wisconsin made headlines as the party’s youngest Speaker when he took office in 2015 and his colleagues have noted how his youthful approach helped broaden its appeal. But ultimately he wasn’t able to fulfill his grander vision of smaller government, free trade agreements and balanced budgets.
Once tax reform was in the books, Ryan began planning his departure from Congress in 2021. He advised his aides not to confirm whether or not he was running again for election; public comments remained vague so as to allow for his exit without initiating an internal leadership battle within his conference.
However, efforts to impeach Mayorkas proved exhausting for him. These attempts were spearheaded by Texas Republican Chip Roy who circulated a letter to House Conference disputing that Mayorkas failed to enforce US immigration laws and thus placed American citizens in danger. Unfortunately for Roy however, Mayorkas eventually resigned meaning the case against his removal will go no further – his articles were ultimately voted down on Tuesday evening.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise Is Out of Town
As part of the Republican wave of 2010, hardline lawmakers like Scalise were elected into Congress during the Republican wave of 2010. Together with McCarthy and eventual Speaker John Boehner, this trio helped secure power for their party. But later, Scalise emerged as an outspoken figure who championed Second Amendment rights while opposing abortion rights – becoming one of its polarizing figures along the way.
His views diverged significantly with those of the conference, particularly regarding immigration policy. His push for impeachment focused on how the administration had dealt with record migration flows entering from Mexico into the U.S.
House members can impeach federal officials with a majority vote for articles outlining charges against them, much like an indictment. Once impeached, conviction will require two-thirds approval in the Democratic-led Senate.
But even if the impeachment were to advance, its evidence might not be strong enough for approval by the Senate. Legal experts have noted that incompetence alone isn’t grounds for impeachment under constitutional law and any attempts by Republicans to punish Mayorkas over border crisis may be dismissed by lawmakers as baseless by them.
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