Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) expressed confidence that the House would vote to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas even as a handful of Republicans have come out against it, threatening its passage.
The House is set to vote on whether to charge the top border official with high crimes and misdemeanors on Tuesday evening, but with some vacant seats and other possible absences, GOP leadership has very little room for error. At least two Republicans have already come out publicly against the resolution, with a handful of others keeping their cards close to their chests.
Still, Johnson said he believes there is enough support to impeach Mayorkas when it comes to the floor.
“I’m confident,” Johnson told reporters on Tuesday. “We’re working on it.”
Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) was the first to oppose Mayorkas’s impeachment last week, arguing there was not enough evidence the top border official had committed a crime. Support among House Republicans became even more precarious on Tuesday morning after Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) said he would vote against the measure just hours before it was scheduled to hit the floor.
Johnson said he respects their decisions, noting how “heavy the weight of impeachment is.”
Those two definite “no” votes complicate the math for GOP leadership, thanks to the party’s slim majority. As of Friday, the House has 219 Republicans and 212 Democrats. That means the magic number to approve the impeachment is 216 “yes” votes, giving Republicans a three-vote majority — but only if all members are present.
Assuming all members are on the floor to vote, Republicans can only afford one more holdout lest the resolution fail. And it’s not yet clear whether they will be able to clear that hurdle.
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) reportedly expressed hesitation about the impeachment resolution, and the Wisconsin Republican declined to tell reporters whether he would support it on the floor. Other members, such as Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), have not yet made clear whether they will back the motion.
The latest resolution introduces two articles of impeachment against Mayorkas, which may be brought up in two separate votes. If either passes, Mayorkas would become the first Cabinet member to be impeached since 1876.
The resolution was introduced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who suggested that any Republicans voting against the measure are failing their oath of office.
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”Clearly he’s not paying attention to the American people,” Greene said, referring to McClintock’s announcement to vote against the measure. “He needs to grow some courage and read the room. The room is our country.”
If passed, the matter would then be moved to the Senate, where lawmakers will decide whether to convict Mayorkas on the charges.
