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Congressional Republicans suffered a series of humiliating setbacks Tuesday on key elements of their agenda, turning the Capitol into a hive of dysfunction and threatening several issues, including U.S. military aid to Ukraine and Israel, amid political standoffs. The main issue was left in limbo.
House Republicans’ attempt to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas has collapsed with defections from Republicans, as the border agreement sought by Senate Republicans stalls.
And then the final blow struck. Minutes after Republicans fell one vote short of impeaching Mr. Mayorkas, a punishment the party has promised its base since winning the majority, the House moved to send $17.6 billion in military aid to Israel. rejected the bill. The bill faced opposition from Democrats who saw it as a cynical political ploy to undermine efforts to pass a broad foreign military aid bill that includes Ukraine. They were joined by far-right Republicans who opposed the bill because the funding was not combined with spending cuts.
Taken together, the events that unfolded at the Capitol on Tuesday represent a chaotic Congress incited by Republicans intent on opposing President Biden at every turn, but lacking a sufficient majority or unity to carry out their will. showed a clear depiction of
They killed bipartisan efforts to increase military aid to Ukraine, sought compromises to secure the border from an influx of migrants, instead supporting only Israel, and firing Biden’s top immigration official. It is suggested that you seek. Tuesday’s losing streak showed that while they are adept at blocking action on important issues, they are difficult to address any of them.
This paralysis has put the fate of aid to Ukraine and Israel in jeopardy and closed off what appeared to be the best path left on Capitol Hill to approve critical military aid to America’s allies. . The sweeping bill that includes both is expected to fail in a Senate trial vote Wednesday, raising immediate questions about whether and how Congress can salvage the emergency relief package. It is occurring.
And it was a disastrous day for Speaker Mike Johnson, about 100 days into his term, underscoring his small majority and the unwieldy nature of the chamber.
In a statement, Mr Johnson criticized Democrats for opposing support for Israel, saying it was a “rebuke to our closest ally in the Middle East at a time of great need”. He said Republicans only announced the Israel aid bill without spending cuts as a “significant concession” given the “seriousness of the situation.”
But he said the impeachment vote was little more than a political exercise, given that the Democratic-led Senate is all but certain to acquit Mayorkas, but that what he sees as a disastrous miscalculation on the impeachment vote I left the Capitol without touching it.
The vote was an unusually chaotic scene on the House floor, with Republicans seeking support to push charges against Mayorkas instead of showing Republican unity against Biden’s impeachment of the top immigration official. The confusion was evident. thwarted by their small majority.
They vowed to try again Wednesday.
“House Republicans fully intend to return the articles of impeachment against Secretary Mayorkas to the floor as soon as there is a vote to pass,” Raj Shah, Johnson’s press secretary, said on social media.
Tuesday’s failure highlighted the divisions in the Republican Party over impeachment. Three Republicans opposed the resolution, warning that it would set a dangerous precedent for impeaching administration officials over policy differences.
In a dramatic denouement, Democrats voted against the bill with Texas Rep. Al Green, who missed the previous vote, still in a hospital gown after undergoing emergency surgery. This led to a deadlock in the counting process, rendering impeachment efforts, which require a simple majority, hopeless.
Far-right Republicans were furious and expressed bewilderment that their leaders did not appear to know exactly how many votes they had in key votes.
“I thought they would know that,” said Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina. “It’s not that difficult.”
Norman laughed when asked how he could explain voting to voters.
“Conservatives are going to have a big problem with this,” he said. “And they should.”
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who led the charge to impeach Mr. Mayorkas, announced that the House Republican leadership will recall the No. 2 Republican, Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, to Washington within days. He said he expected another vote on the matter. Mr. Scalise had been away from the Capitol to recover from treatment for multiple myeloma.
Greene predicted that Republicans who rejected the bill “will be hearing from their constituents.”
The Senate’s dysfunction is expected to continue into Wednesday, with Republicans expected to block a bill linking a border compromise to aid to Israel and Ukraine, but most senators, even those who led the negotiations, oppose the bill. Because of that. House Republicans refused to consider it amid opposition from former President Donald J. Trump.
“Joe Biden will never enact new laws and refuses to use the tools we already have to end this crisis,” said Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the No. 3 Republican. ” he said. “I cannot vote yes on this bill. Americans will look to the next election to end the border crisis.”
guo keira and luke broadwater Contributed to the report.
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