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House Fails to Impeach DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  February 06, 2024 7:30 PM

On Tuesday night the House voted against impeaching Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who would have been only the second cabinet member impeached, the first since 1876. The final vote was particularly narrow, coming down at 216-214, with Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT), the vice chairman of the House Republican Conference changing his vote to "no" so that there could be a motion to reconsider. Had the vote remained tied at 215-215, it would have failed. 

Not only did all Democrats vote against impeaching Mayorkas, but so did Republican Reps. Tom McClintock (CA), Ken Buck (CO), and Mike Gallagher (WI).

Posts and trends over X not only abound when it comes to Tuesday's effort to impeach Mayorkas, but also how McClintock, Buck, and Gallagher helped tank that effort.

Trump ally Alex Bruesewitz even called upon Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to remove Gallagher from his chairmanship on the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.

The failure to impeach Mayorkas comes as House Republicans have acted out against their own, with eight Republicans joining with all Democrats to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) last October after Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) filed a motion to vacate the chair. Last December, now former Rep. George Santos (R-NY) was expelled by the House, as many of his fellow Republicans joined in to provide the necessary votes.

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Santos' seat could very well be filled by a Democrat, thus shrinking the already narrow Republican majority even further. Former Rep. Tom Suozzi previously held the seat but left the House to launch a primary challenge to Gov. Kathy Hochul. Should Republican nominee Mazi Pilip emerge victorious, however, that might be a reason for Republicans to try the vote again. 

House Republicans are already saying that they intend to try again with the effort to impeach Mayorkas, which includes Johnson's staff and Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), who would have served as an impeachment manager had it gone through, spoke of trying again when House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) returns from his cancer treatment.

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-TN), who also would have served as an impeachment manager, has since responded. 

"While I’m disappointed in the outcome of today’s vote, this is not the end of our efforts to hold Secretary Mayorkas accountable. I look forward to Leader Scalise’s return," he said in a statement. 

POLITICO's Olivia Beavers was posting about members' votes and floor reactions in real time, which included posts about Green meeting with Gallagher, though he did not change his vote. 

This effort to impeach Mayorkas also comes days after the text to a disastrous border bill was released on Sunday, with enough Senate Republicans already coming out against the effort. The speaker has also repeatedly declared the bill to be "dead on arrival."

The crisis at the southern border is not only a problematic issue for Mayorkas, but for President Joe Biden, who has repeatedly and falsely claimed that he needs such a bill to secure the southern border. Immigration is currently Biden's worst issue, RealClearPolling shows, as he has just a 32.5 percent approval rating on the issue.

In response to Republican opposition to such a bill, Biden has taken to blaming Republicans, including former and potentially future President Donald Trump. 

Mayorkas and other members of the Biden administration have repeatedly claimed that the border is "secure." Meanwhile, numbers from last December set the record for the most illegal immigrant encounters ever, before the month was even over. 

When confronted by a reporter during Tuesday's press briefing about Mayorkas' claims about the border, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre appeared visibly tense and insisted "it was a ridiculous premise and ridiculous statement that was made." She also went on to claim in her answer that Mayorkas was "negotiating in good faith" and that it was Republicans who were "playing politics."

Jean-Pierre's response even included reference to Republican opposition to impeachment, specifically Buck and his op-ed published in The Hill, "Principles matter: Republicans should follow the Constitution and not impeach Mayorkas." Meanwhile, it's Democrats who have shamefully changed the rules on impeachment when they went after Trump.

The House also voted on Tuesday night against a standalone bill to provide aid to Israel. The White House had threatened that Biden would veto such a bill.