Hard-Right House Republicans Force Vote on Impeachment Resolution Against President Biden, Testing Speaker McCarthy’s Control

House Republicans Force Vote on Impeachment of President Biden

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a surprising move, hard-right House Republicans pushed for a vote on Thursday to impeach President Joe Biden, sending the matter to congressional committees and highlighting the challenge Speaker Kevin McCarthy faces in controlling the majority party.

The impeachment resolution, brought forward by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), caught Republicans off guard with its unscripted nature. Many viewed it as a political distraction from other priorities. The measure charges Biden with “high crimes and misdemeanors” over his handling of the U.S. border with Mexico.

Boebert, with the support of her allies, demonstrated how a single lawmaker in the 435-member House could use the chamber’s rules to force a snap vote on such a serious constitutional matter. The party-line vote of 219-208 sent the impeachment resolution to committees for possible consideration, similar to any other bill.

“The House is taking historic action,” Boebert said during the debate, although committees are not obligated to act.

This episode highlights the influence that the House conservative flank holds over McCarthy, forcing him to accommodate hard-right priorities if he wants to maintain power. It also rewards a small group of Republicans who employ rare tactics to exert power over the majority.

Conservatives are preparing for more actions like this. The process used by Boebert to force the issue is the same method employed by another hard-right conservative, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), who forced a separate vote to censure Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff over his investigations into Donald Trump’s ties to Russia.

“There’s going to be no end to this,” Schiff said, expressing concern about the extreme direction the House is taking and the damage it is causing to the institution.

During the debate, Republicans were repeatedly admonished to tone down their remarks.

Democrats argued that the case against Biden was a mockery of the seriousness of impeachment and merely an attempt to distract from the twice-impeached Donald Trump, who is now indicted for hoarding classified documents under the Espionage Act.

Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern, the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee, criticized the impeachment referral resolution, suggesting that Trump influenced his allies to bring it to the floor.

“This body has become a place where extreme, outlandish, and nutty issues get debated passionately, and important ones not at all,” McGovern said. “In short, the Republican Party is a joke.”

The vote followed days of maneuvering by McCarthy to quell the uprising within his party over a roll call that many were hesitant to take. A sudden vote to impeach Biden would have been politically challenging for GOP lawmakers and potentially embarrassing for McCarthy, causing a split within the party. In a private meeting, McCarthy encouraged lawmakers to consider the traditional process for bringing such consequential legislation forward.

Ultimately, McCarthy negotiated a deal with Boebert to send the Biden impeachment resolution to the Judiciary and Homeland Security committees for review, postponing a vote for the time being.

“We are just beginning,” said Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, a member of the House Freedom Caucus.

Conservatives are lining up other votes, including an impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and a censure of Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, the chairman of the committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. These actions are part of their effort to shift control of the House away from traditional centers of power, including the speaker’s office.

Boebert stated that if the committees delay action, she will bring her resolution back to the floor every day for the rest of her time in Congress, forcing a House vote on Biden’s impeachment.

Rank-and-file Republicans were frustrated at being forced to vote on a resolution to impeach Biden without going through the traditional process of an impeachment inquiry. They resented a single lawmaker jumping ahead of other priorities.

In a heated exchange on the House floor, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized Boebert for taking the Biden impeachment on her own. Greene has her own articles of impeachment against the president.

“I wish the anger that’s been directed towards Ms. Boebert was directed towards the president and his policies,” said Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), a member of the Freedom Caucus.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), a leader in the conservative efforts to block McCarthy’s rise to speaker, compared their actions to the failed Trump impeachment efforts by renegade lawmakers when Democrats had control of the House.

“That did help the Democrats build momentum, so maybe this is our version of that,” Gaetz said.

Former President Donald Trump was impeached twice, but both times he was acquitted by the Senate.

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Associated Press writers Farnoush Amiri and Stephen Groves contributed to this report.

How does the unexpected impeachment resolution from Rep. Lauren Boebert regarding President Biden’s handling of the U.S. border pose a challenge for Speaker Kevin McCarthy in maintaining party control

House Republicans have made a surprising move by forcing a vote on the impeachment of President Joe Biden. The impeachment resolution, brought forward by Rep. Lauren Boebert, charges Biden with “high crimes and misdemeanors” over his handling of the U.S. border with Mexico. The vote of 219-208 sends the resolution to committees for possible consideration. This unexpected move highlights the influence of the House conservative flank and poses a challenge for Speaker Kevin McCarthy in maintaining party control. Democrats argue that the impeachment case against Biden is a distraction from the twice-impeached Donald Trump.