House To Vote On DHS Secretary Mayorkas Impeachment Today

The House of Representatives will vote today on impeaching DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas – the first bid to impeach a Cabinet Secretary in nearly 150 years. Due to the bare bones GOP House majority, and a "hard no" from retiring Rep Ken Buck (R-CO), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) can likely only drop two votes if all members are present. However, the impeachment will likely carry as moderate Republicans will be warry of bucking the GOP mainstream and risking backlash from former President Donald Trump’s retaliatory infrastructure in an election year.

• The Democrat-controlled Senate will acquit Mayorkas but the theatrics of the impeachment will keep the border in the political spotlight and could dilute the impact of former President Donald Trump numerous ongoing criminal trials.
• The impeachment process is the flagship of a major House Republican offensive on Democrats' border policy and immigration which is expected to play out until the general election in November and comes as House Republicans torpedo major legislation to overhaul border policy. More analysis in today's edition of the MNI US Daily Brief.
• The White House said in a statement yesterday: “Impeaching Secretary Mayorkas would trivialize this solemn constitutional power and invite more partisan abuse of this authority in the future."
• Two DHS lawyers said in a38-page letterto the House Rules Committee yesterday that impeachment would be “unconstitutional."
• If the impeachment is approved, a Senate trial will automatically become a priority for the upper chamber, likely to take place after the two-week recess for President’s Day.