House GOP sets a start date for Mayorkas impeachment
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The House Homeland Security Committee is expected to mark up four articles of impeachment for Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Jan. 30, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The panel is looking to swiftly move on impeachment of Mayokas over his handling of border policy, with a floor vote potentially happening as soon as early February.
- The committee has held two impeachment hearings in January on the purported effects of migrant crossings on border states and within the U.S.
- A leaked memo previously showed the committee was angling for a Jan. 31 mark up.
- Republicans have asserted they believe Mayorkas' handling of border policy is responsible for the surge of undocumented migrants, alleging it rises to the level of impeachment.
The other side: Democrats and the White House have defended Mayorkas, accusing Republicans of launching a "baseless political attack" instead of focusing on potentially bipartisan solutions.
- In a recent memo, the Department of Homeland Security accused Republicans of launching the impeachment proceedings with a predetermined outcome and conducting "sham hearings."
- "This unprecedented process, led by extremists, is harmful to the Department and its workforce and undercuts vital work across countless national security priorities," the memo said.
- "Unlike like those pursuing photo ops and politics, Secretary Mayorkas is working relentlessly to fix the problem by working with Republican and Democratic Senators to find common ground and real solutions," it continued.
The big picture: Impeachment articles are likely to pass out of committee and on the floor along party lines, but it's unclear how the Democratic-controlled Senate will handle the matter.
- Bipartisan concerns have been raised about the state of the border, but a Senate-led border deal is unlikely to see movement in the House.
