Mayorkas is the first non-presidential executive branch official to be impeached since 1876.
By a margin of one vote, House Republicans passed impeachment articles against Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, over questionable claims from GOP lawmakers he wasn’t performing the duties of his office in a sufficient manner.
The measure passed 214-213, with every Democrat in the chamber and three Republicans voting against it and the remaining Republicans voting for impeaching Mayorkas. Four lawmakers — two from each side of the political divide — were absent for the Tuesday night vote.
The House has not impeached an executive branch official other than a president since 1876, when Congress impeached Secretary of War William Belknap over bribery charges. Mayorkas is also the first sitting cabinet member of any presidential administration to be impeached.
The vote came a week after a previous vote on impeaching Mayorkas had failed in the chamber, then seen as an embarrassing outcome for Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), who commands a very slim GOP majority in the House of Representatives. But with the addition of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana), who was absent during that previous vote for health reasons, Republicans were able to win the vote.
