Democrats and Republicans are preparing for an impeachment battle that could dominate Congress for months and drag on into the new year.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have been struggling to determine the timing for the impeachment process and how it will affect critical legislative deadlines, including must-pass federal spending bills.
House Democrats launched proceedings on Sept. 24 with orders from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to move “expeditiously.”
But more than a month later, Democrats have yet to produce a timeline for when they plan to conclude the investigation and have not even scheduled public hearings, which are expected to precede a House floor vote on impeachment articles.
An earlier prediction by some Democrats that the inquiry could wrap up by October has now been abandoned. Democratic leaders won’t even commit to wrapping up by Thanksgiving, or anytime in 2019.
“There is a desire to do it expeditiously,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters in the Capitol last week. “Whether that’s the end of the year or not, we don’t know.”
The uncertainty has left both parties nervous about the practical and political implications of a drawn-out impeachment fight.
The most pressing legislative problem is impeachment’s potential clash with the November spending deadline.
A temporary spending bill keeping the government funded will expire on Nov. 21, and the two parties are nowhere near reaching a long-term deal on fiscal 2020 spending, in part because of the impeachment battle, which has further aggravated the partisan divide.
Democrats and Republicans now conclude it’s more likely Congress will be forced to send President Trump another stopgap measure, which is both wasteful to the taxpayer and harmful to government agencies, particularly the military.
“I think we are going to end up with one,” Sen. John Kennedy told the Washington Examiner when asked about the prospect of Congress having to approve another stopgap bill. “Because, given the partisan atmosphere, I don’t see how anything is going to pass.”
So far, the impeachment proceedings have taken place mostly in closed session in a secure hearing room in the basement of the Capitol.
House Intelligence Committee Democrats who are running the inquiry have over the past month summoned a string of former and current Trump administration officials into a secure hearing room and, along with Republicans, questioned each for nine hours or more.
Lawmakers in both parties from three committees are participating in the questioning.
Democrats are attempting to build a case that shows Trump tried to win Ukraine’s help investigating Democrats by withholding critical security aid.
Trump denies any quid pro quo was involved in his request, while Republicans have declared the Democratic impeachment proceedings to be “illegitimate” and unfair to the president.
Democrats told the Washington Examiner they are moving cautiously through the inquiry to ensure they build a solid case the public can trust.
“I hated the impeachment of Bill Clinton,” Rep. Donna Shalala, who served as Clinton’s secretary of health and human services, said. “I thought it was totally political. But we learned from that. And that is why we are being so careful now.”
But public support for impeachment, which had climbed slightly in recent weeks, is showing signs of waning, particularly among those critical to maintaining the Democratic majority in the 2020 election.
A New York Times/Sienna College voter survey conducted Oct. 13 to Oct. 20 found 53% of battleground state voters in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Florida, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Arizona opposed impeachment and removal of Trump, compared to the 43% who supported it.
Democrats may be caught grinding through an investigation the public opposes just as the critical campaign season heats up.
That may ultimately be good news for the GOP and will motivate them not to rush through the process when impeachment articles reach the Senate, which will hold a trial.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell hinted last week he won’t take any steps to try to speed up a trial and that the process would be under the control of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.
The Senate conducted a two-month trial before acquitting Clinton of obstruction of justice and perjury on Feb. 12, 1999.
“I have no idea how long this will go on,” McConnell said. “What I can tell you for sure is if the House impeaches, we will be on it. It will displace everything else and will be on it until we finish.”
