Four Republicans voted with Democrats to tank the resolution. Republican lawmakers say they will bring it up again for a vote next week
House Republicans failed Tuesday in their effort to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas for refusing to enforce multiple U.S. immigration laws after two hours of hard-hitting floor debate, despite earlier in the day having won a key procedural vote.
The motion to approve two Articles of Impeachment against Mr. Mayorkas was rejected with 214 members voting for it and 216 opposing it. Among the opposing votes were those cast by Republican Reps. Ken Buck of Colorado, Tom McClintock of California, Blake Moore of Utah, and Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin. Mr. Moore changed his vote in order to preserve a future parliamentary opportunity to reconsider the vote.
When the five minutes officially allotted for the vote expired, the count was a deadlock at 215 to 215, with one member not voting, House Majority Leader Steven Scalise (R-La.), who is absent while undergoing medical treatment for blood cancer.
The chamber erupted with Democratic applause when Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced the tally.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a staunch proponent of the effort to impeach Mr. Mayorkas, told reporters after the vote that Republicans plan to bring the measure up for a vote again next week when Mr. Scalise hopefully returns.
“We can bring this back to the floor for another vote and we can pass it,” she said.
When asked if she had a message to the four defecting Republicans, Ms. Greene replied: “I don’t think I have to give them a message. I think they’ll hear from their constituents and and hopefully maybe they change their mind over the weekend.”
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) said after the vote that the result did not represent a failure of Speaker Johnson.
“I think it’s their own belief system,” he said of the four Republicans who voted against impeachment.
“We don’t carry a stick … we allow our members to vote their conscience and that’s what happened.”
The White House applauded the resolution’s defeat.
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