The Republican majority in the U.S. House was eager to punish President Joe Biden’s administration for its handling of the U.S.-Mexico border after failing last week in a politically embarrassing setback, and they voted Tuesday to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
The nighttime roll call proved close, with Speaker Mike Johnson’s threadbare Republican majority unable to manage many defectors or absences in the face of overwhelming Democratic opposition to impeaching Mayorkas, the first Cabinet secretary facing charges in nearly 150 years.
The House impeached Mayorkas 214–213, a stunning setback.
Despite opposition from within their own ranks, Republicans gained ground thanks to the return of Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who had been away from Washington for cancer treatment and a storm that affected those in the Northeast.
“History will not look kindly on House Republicans for their blatant act of unconstitutional partisanship that has targeted an honorable public servant in order to play petty political games,” stated President Joe Biden in a statement issued following the vote.
Announcing his cancer remission, Johnson had shared a picture of Scalise with his fists clinched, writing, “looking forward to having him back in the trenches this week!”
With Republicans failing to deliver on their priorities, there is a sense of political desperation surrounding the Republican attempt to impeach Mayorkas for his handling of the southern border.
