



Certain Republican House members are weighing the prospect of invoking an underused rule that could curtail the remuneration of President Joe Biden’s administration officials.
This development comes amidst ongoing disagreements over the subject of impeachment, according to a report by Politico on Monday.
The Republican party remains split over the question of impeachment for critical Biden appointees including U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and FBI Director Christopher Wray.
As a potential alternative, the Holman Rule is being touted, a legislative provision that empowers Congress to decrease “the number and salary of the officers of the United States.”
“We have a policy difference with Secretary Mayorkas, not a matter of high crimes and misdemeanors,” GOP Representative Ken Buck from Colorado told Politico. “The right course of action would be to slice his salary during the appropriations process, if necessary.”
The handling of the border crisis by Secretary Mayorkas and the involvement of Garland and Wray in probing Hunter Biden, the President’s son, has provoked Republicans in the House to consider impeachment.
Rep. Buck, a member of the Freedom Caucus who also holds a seat on the House Judiciary Committee, is contemplating the use of the Holman Rule, rejecting the idea of impeaching Biden administration officials merely based on divergent policy perspectives.
According to Buck, “The Constitution doesn’t dictate such action. There are a lot of accusations, a lot of people calling for impeachment. However, I’ve yet to see documents indicating that [Garland] modified the plea offered to Hunter Biden. These issues need thorough scrutiny.”
The use of the Holman Rule is likely to receive the backing of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who revived the provision in January as part of a rules package.
But a centrist GOP member has expressed worry over the potential backlash, fearing it could set a dangerous precedent for future administrations.
“What if Ron DeSantis becomes our next president and Democrats decide to cut off his Cabinet salaries because they disagree with his policies?” the unidentified member voiced his concern. “This keeps escalating. We need a touch of sanity here.”
Expressing his reservations over the Holman Rule, Buck pointed out the potential deadlock in the Democrat-controlled Senate.
Specifically, he mentioned potential reductions in salaries for those cooperating with Special Counsel Jack Smith, who’s leading the investigations into former President Donald Trump.
“An effective response to an ill-conceived prosecution is a trial in front of 12 jurors with a judge overseeing the proceedings, not defunding individuals with whom you have disagreements,” Buck stated.
Yet another GOP source has indicated that, while using the Holman Rule to affect the salaries of key Biden officials is being considered, impeachment is still not off the table.
This source suggests impeachment proceedings could be brought against Garland in the House Judiciary Committee this month.
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