Fogbow

The United States House of Representatives rejected impeachment charges against Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, on Tuesday after a small group of Republicans broke with their party and refused to support what amounted to a partisan indictment of President Biden’s immigration policies.

The move dealt a stunning defeat to Speaker Mike Johnson, who had expressed confidence that he had the votes to charge Mr. Mayorkas with high crimes and misdemeanors for failing to lock down the United States border with Mexico amid a migrant surge, a move that Republicans have been promising for more than a year.

House Republicans failed to pass articles of impeachment for Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Four republicans voted against the measure in a final vote of 214 to 216.

Republicans could still revisit the impeachment effort which was stuck in a stunning 215 to 215 tie for several minutes as leaders scrambled. The vote scuttled an effort that was widely seen as an opportunity to deliver on a key promise to GOP base voters.

Republicans immediately moved to bring back the resolution up for another vote. But it's unclear when that could happen. The number 2 GOP leader Steve Scalise was absent and is expected to return to the Capitol this month.

It is unclear if or when Republicans may revisit the impeachment. The two articles charge Mayorkas with "willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law" in enforcing border policy and "breach of public trust."

The Republican base and conservative media figures called for impeachment of multiple Biden administration officials – including Secretary Mayorkas, Attorney General Garland, and President Biden himself – after the party retook the House in the 2022 midterms.

Republicans have focused on investigations and oversight to deliver on demands from their base in a divided Congress where a Democratically controlled Senate could quash any partisan bills sent from the House. But with a razor-thin majority, Republicans were unable to unite their conference and maintain a majority on the measure.

Mayorkas has called the accusations "baseless."

* * *

The final vote was 214-216. Four Republicans defected and joined all Democrats present in opposing the measure.

For moment, the vote was tied at 215-215 for several minutes before another Republican switched to their vote to no.

* * *

The GOP lawmakers who voted against the measure were Reps. Ken Buck of Colorado, Tom McClintock of California and Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin.

The count was tied until Rep. Blake Moore (R-Utah), the vice chair of the conference, flipped his vote to “no” — a procedural step that will let Republicans revive the impeachment articles.

SuzieC wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 8:48 pm When will Tom Suozzi take office if he wins NY-03 and what will the House split be then? Good luck bringing up the sham impeachment for a vote again.

SuzieC wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 9:38 pm Thank you Portia. So they will have a 3 vote margin.

p0rtia wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 10:54 pm

SuzieC wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 9:38 pm Thank you Portia. So they will have a 3 vote margin.

I'm still missing something on the language usage of the whole "margin" issue.

I think they'd call this a two-vote margin, because if they lose three votes they tie.

And if Scalise is still out, the practical margin would be definitely two (218 to 213).

Adam Parkhomenko @AdamParkhomenko wrote: Speaker Mike Johnson says he was counting on a Democrat to be in surgery during his failed impeachment efforts

They just don’t get it. What he really said “We tried to cheat but we were caught.” They are so comfortable with cheating that they are uncomfortable with honesty.

Acyn @Acyn wrote: Jeffries: It’s not our responsibility to let House Republicans know which members will or will not be present on the House Floor

J.D. Vance @JDVance1 wrote: There’s an Ukraine first package being shoved down the throat of the US Senate. It doesn’t secure our border, gives away all leverage to achieve real border security, and no one has had time to read through the details. Let’s defeat this package. We have to.

Acyn @Acyn wrote: Jeffries: We had the same exact margins in the last congress. Republicans have produced chaos, dysfunction, and extremism. Under the same margins with Speaker Pelosi, we produced the American Rescue Plan, shots in arms, money in pockets, kids back in school…

Sean Casten @SeanCasten wrote: I’ve no doubt that this self-sanctified Speaker tried to take advantage of a medical situation rather than allow democracy to play out. But it’s also true that a guy who thinks the universe is 6000 years old might not be very good at basic math.

Adam Parkhomenko @AdamParkhomenko wrote: Speaker Mike Johnson says he was counting on a Democrat to be in surgery during his failed impeachment efforts

raison de arizona wrote: ↑Wed Feb 07, 2024 2:01 pm Worth noting, the Ds had the same margin in 117th, and yet they were able to produce. Poor Rs.

Acyn @Acyn wrote: Jeffries: We had the same exact margins in the last congress. Republicans have produced chaos, dysfunction, and extremism. Under the same margins with Speaker Pelosi, we produced the American Rescue Plan, shots in arms, money in pockets, kids back in school…

Luke Johnson @Orly_licious

Democrats govern.
The MAGA GOP does NOTHING.
#VOTE #Elections2024

During the 2020-2022 period when Democrats controlled the House, they achieved several significant accomplishments:

Infrastructure Spending: President Biden and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell made a rare joint appearance to highlight nearly $1tn in infrastructure spending that lawmakers approved on a bipartisan basis in 2021.

Violence Against Women Act: The reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act was included in a bold and robust government funding package.

American Rescue Plan Act: This $1.9tn economic stimulus plan was designed to combat the coronavirus pandemic and begin repairing the nation’s social safety net1. It sent $1,400 stimulus checks to tens of millions of Americans, temporarily extended unemployment benefits, and included billions in funding to speed up vaccination distribution and school reopenings.

Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Bill: After a century of waiting, the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching bill was passed.

Supreme Court Justice Confirmation: The historic confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and Federal Judges of diverse backgrounds.

Gun Violence Reduction Legislation: The first meaningful gun violence reduction legislation in 30 years was advanced.

Marriage Protection: Protection was provided for LGBTQI+ and interracial couples.

Inflation Reduction Act: This act lowers costs for families, combats the climate crisis, reduces the deficit, and finally makes the largest corporations pay their fair share.

These are just a few of the many accomplishments during this period. For a comprehensive understanding, it’s best to consult with a political expert or conduct further research.


Thomas Massie @RepThomasMassie

Getting rid of Speaker McCarthy has officially turned into an unmitigated disaster.

All work on separate spending bills has ceased.

Spending reductions have been traded for spending increases.

Warrantless spying has been temporarily extended.

Our majority has shrunk.
7:09 AM · Feb 7, 2024

CSPAN @cspan wrote: .@RepJeffries: "Instead of extreme MAGA Republicans pivoting to working with us in a common sense way to solve real problems...their focus is on how do we get Steve Scalise back to Washington so we can continue to do the bidding of Marjorie Taylor Greene and Donald Trump..."

House Speaker Mike Johnson has informed several Republicans on Thursday morning that he will not endorse Rep. Matt Rosendale for a US Senate race in Montana after all, according to two sources familiar.

Johnson talked to one senator, as well as a congressman, about his plans.

The reversal comes after Punchbowl reported earlier Thursday that Johnson was preparing to back Rosendale, which prompted some swift blowback for the speaker, sources said.

The move would have put Johnson sharply at odds with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and the Senate GOP’s campaign arm, who are both supporting Republican candidate Tim Sheehy to challenge Democratic Sen. Jon Tester in what is seen as a critical race for the GOP’s effort to flip the Senate.

There’s concern among Republicans that if Rosendale — a hard right Republican who has lost statewide before — wins the primary, that they will be far less likely to win the seat in November.

Rosendale has not announced a candidacy for Senate but is expected to jump into the race soon.

Johnson’s team, in a statement to CNN, said the speaker would donate to Rosendale’s campaign, but said he will not be making any official endorsements.