The US House voted 214-213 Tuesday to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, with the Republican majority determined to punish the Biden administration over its handling of the US—Mexico border. It was second time lucky for House Republicans. The measure failed in a 214-216 vote last week. With the return of Majority Leader Steve Scalise to bolster the GOP's numbers after being away from Washington for cancer care and a Northeastern storm impacting some others, Republicans recouped—despite dissent from their own ranks, the AP reports.
The vote makes Mayorkas the first Cabinet official to be impeached since William Belknap, President Ulysses Grant's secretary of war, was impeached in 1876. Because Belknap resigned moments before the vote, Mayorkas is the only sitting Cabinet official ever to be impeached. Three Republicans voted against impeachment Tuesday, the same number as last week. The New York Times reports that two Democrats, Reps. Lois Frankel and Judy Chu, missed the vote for reasons that are unclear. A vote from either of them would have defeated the measure. (More Alejandro Mayorkas stories.)
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