All House Republicans and six Democrats voted Thursday to condemn Vice President Kamala Harris for her job performance in handling the immigration crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Blame on Harris
Republicans and the six Democrats blame Harris for not doing enough to stem the tide of migrants crossing the border and taxing the resources of border states and communities.
Speaker Johnson Describes Harris’s Record
House Speaker Mike Johnson said, “The result of her inaction has been record-high illegal crossings, overwhelmed communities, and an evisceration of the rule of law.”
Historical Frustrations
Republicans have long been upset by the crisis at the border, going so far as to impeach Biden’s Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas earlier this year for not controlling the flow of migrants across the border. The Republicans likely wish they had tried Harris instead of Mayorkas, given her swift ascent to the top of the Democratic party.
Democratic Dissenters
While Harris has so far enjoyed a unified show of support from Democrats, six Democratic members voted to condemn her record on immigration.
Representatives Yadira Caraveo (CO), Henry Cuellar (TX), Don Davis (NC), Jared Golden (ME), Mary Peltola (AK), and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA), approved the resolution, which called for “elected officials who understand the gravity of the crisis at the border and who will execute the policies to fix the border crisis.”
Democratic Detractors Spread the Blame Around
Not wanting to pin all the blame on Harris, Peltola said, “This isn’t about any one person– it’s about our border not being secure and fentanyl destroying Alaska communities.”
Defense of Harris
Other Democrats who voted against the resolution, such as Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal, defended Harris, saying she “was narrowly tasked with developing agreements that could help bring government and private sector investments to those countries that are sending migrants to the United States.”
Democrats Point out Republican Hypocrisy
Democrats also hit back at Republicans, pointing out that Republicans had ultimately torpedoed a commonsense bipartisan negotiated border deal that would have provided more border security and operationally closed the border to address the overwhelm.
Political Implications
Newly elected Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi (NY) campaigned on the issue of border security, something he felt was crucial to his remarkable election victory. He noted that Harris “now has to emphasize that she recognizes that the southern border is a problem.”
Impeachment Articles
In addition to the resolution condemning Harris’s actions at the border, on Tuesday, new articles of impeachment were filed against Harris for breaching public trust by covering up Biden’s health decline.
New Articles Describe Grievances Against Harris
Tennessee Republican Rep. Andy Ogles filed new and updated articles of impeachment against Harris this week, setting out a list of grievances the Republicans will likely use to critique the Democrats and Harris specifically throughout the remainder of the electoral season.
“Breach of Public Trust” Charge
The new impeachable charge against Harris, according to Rep. Ogle’s Tuesday filing, is for “breach of the public trust,” where Republicans blame Harris for covering up what they see as Biden’s compromised mental and health state.
Ongoing Criticism
The articles of impeachment introduced by Ogle state, “Kamala Devi Harris has knowingly misled the people of the United States and the Congress of the United States, principally to obfuscate the physical and cognitive well-being of the President of the United States, Joe Biden.”
Older Articles of Impeachment
This criticism adds to the charges already leveled against Harris from last summer when the initial impeachment proceedings argued that Harris “demonstrated extraordinary incompetence in the execution of her duties and responsibilities, a stark refusal to uphold the existing immigration laws, and a palpable indifference to people of the United States suffering as a result of the ongoing southern border crisis in the United States.”
