House Votes to Impeach Homeland Security Secretary

In a party line vote of 214-213, the House voted yesterday to impeach Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, marking the first time a Cabinet official has been impeached since 1876. Notably, the presence of Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), who has been away from Washington receiving medical treatment, pushed the vote over the top as three Republicans — Reps. Tom McClintock (R-CA), Mike Gallagher (R-WI), and Ken Buck (R-CO) — voted against impeachment. As of now, Senate leadership’s decision on an impeachment trial is still up in the air. Given Congress’s tight bandwidth for the balance of 2024, senators could move to expeditiously dismiss the case if they feel that the House’s findings do not meet the bar for removal.