The House is set to conduct a test vote on Monday to determine whether Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas should be impeached. This step is typically reserved for serious misconduct but is being used in an unprecedented effort to remove the Cabinet secretary due to his management of the southern border.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a far-right Republican from Georgia, has forced a vote on impeaching Mayorkas through a rule that allows any single member to call for a snap vote on resolutions, including matters such as impeachment.
Democrats have attempted to block the matter through a vote that would “table” or kill the impeachment resolution, but the outcome remains uncertain. Some prominent Republicans have expressed their support for Greene’s resolution, signaling a growing effort within the GOP to impeach Mayorkas.
In her speech, Greene accused Mayorkas of a “pattern of conduct that is incompatible with the laws of the United States,” citing record numbers of illegal border crossings, an influx of drugs, and his “open border policies.” The impeachment resolution accuses him of not upholding his oath to “defend and secure our country and uphold the Constitution.”
Impeaching a Cabinet official for their policy decisions would be unprecedented, demonstrating the House Republicans’ willingness to redefine what constitutes impeachable “high crimes and misdemeanors.”
Amidst ongoing scrutiny of the Biden administration’s handling of the border with Mexico, Greene voiced frustration over the speed of inquiries and pointed to a car crash in Texas that killed eight people following an attempt to flee the police by a driver suspected of smuggling people.
This renewed push to impeach Mayorkas presents another challenge for new House Speaker Mike Johnson, who is currently managing negotiations over government funding legislation to prevent a federal shutdown at the end of the week.
Johnson, who has been supportive of an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, revealed in a recent interview that he believed Mayorkas had committed “impeachable offenses,” while also acknowledging the House’s limited time and resources.
Only one U.S. cabinet official has ever been impeached: Secretary of War William Belknap in 1876. A House investigation found evidence that he had received kickbacks while administering government contracts.
