The failed attempt to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will not stop House Speaker Mike Johnson from seeking his desired outcome.
Johnson said on Tuesday that he would bring the articles for impeachment for a vote again once Rep. Steve Scalise is back on the job. He is currently being treated for blood cancer.
"Mayorkas needs to be held accountable, the Biden administration needs to be held accountable and we will pass those articles of impeachment," Johnson insisted.
House Republicans came up short in their effort to impeach Mayorkas on Tuesday. A simple majority would have allowed the measure to pass, but four Republicans joined Democrats in voting against the measure. The final vote was 214 in favor of the bill and 216 opposed. With the addition of a "yes" vote from Scalice and Rep. Blake Moore, who changed his "yes" vote to "no" so he could reintroduce the resolution at a later date, Republicans would be able to impeach Mayorkas.
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Reacting to questions about Republicans failing to secure a vote, Johnson said on Tuesday that "democracy is messy."
It appeared Johnson thought he had enough votes to pass the resolution, but was surprised when Democrat Al Green, who was in the hospital, showed up to kill the measure.
"We have a razor-thin margin here and every vote counts," Johnson said. "Sometimes when you're counting votes and people show up when they're not expected to be in the building, that changes the equation."
Republicans brought the articles of impeachment, claiming Mayorkas isn't doing enough to secure the southern border.
Democrats have accused Republicans of politicizing the issue. Their argument gained more steam this week as the House said it would not even take up a border security bill if it passed in the Senate.
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