Staff Reports
Senate Republicans caused problems for Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer on Thursday to show their displeasure with the Democrats’ plan to not have a full impeachment trial for Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
The Republicans used their small minority power in the chamber to turn simple votes into longer roll-call votes that take up a lot of the chamber’s time.
The Democrats want to quickly stop a Senate trial on two impeachment articles against Mr. Mayorkas once they are sent from the House next week. Speaker Mike Johnson delayed sending the articles this week to pressure Senate Democrats.
Senate GOP stage floor mutiny to protest Democrats’ plans to kill Mayorkas impeachment trialhttps://t.co/GOVnBb2Shi pic.twitter.com/uanQjxdEhz
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) April 12, 2024
The Senate would be able to throw out the articles without a full trial with a simple majority vote.
On Thursday, Republicans forced roll-call votes for doing legislative business so Mr. Schumer could move forward with a district court nominee and for taking breaks for the weekend.
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine was the only Republican to vote with Democrats on both measures. Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, joined Ms. Collins in voting with Democrats to take a break for the weekend.
Mr. Mayorkas is accused of mishandling illegal immigration, specifically by intentionally undermining immigration enforcement laws and lying to Congress and the public about the southern border and his efforts to control it.
Democrats dismiss the charges as purely political and based on policy disagreements with President Biden, therefore not deserving a full trial.
In a letter to Mr. Schumer signed by 43 of the 49 Senate Republicans, GOP lawmakers demanded that the chamber “uphold its constitutional responsibility to properly adjudicate” the articles.
“Never before has the Senate abandoned this duty, even when certain members believed the basis for impeachment was tenuous at best,” they wrote. “Two-hundred and twenty-seven years of Senate history mandates a trial.”
Senate Democrats have also countered by pointing to the GOP efforts to dismiss two separate impeachment trials against former President Donald Trump.
Six Republicans did not sign the letter to Mr. Schumer: Ms. Collins, Mr. Paul, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama.
