House Speaker Mike Johnson chalked up the GOP’s failure to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and pass a stand-alone Israel aid bill to being a symptom of a “messy” democracy.
Mr. Johnson, Louisiana Republican, called the votes a mess but said neither the failed impeachment nor the failed emergency aid bill were reflections of his leadership.
“I don’t think that this is a reflection on the leader,” Mr. Johnson told reporters at the Capitol. “It’s a reflection on the body itself.”
Pressed on Congress’ inability to move legislation, either basic or complex, Mr. Johnson argued that democracy was messy, but working.
“You’re seeing the messy sausage-making process of democracy play out and it’s not always clean,” Mr. Johnson said. “It’s not always pretty but the job will be done at the end of the day.”
He said that with a razor-thin GOP majority, every vote counts. He also said Tuesday’s vote wasn’t the last word on impeachment.
“Sometimes when you’re counting votes, and people show up when they’re not expected to be in the building, it changes the equation,” Mr. Johnson said. “Mayorkas needs to be held accountable. The Biden administration needs to be held accountable, and we will pass those articles of impeachment.”
While a last-minute vote from the unexpected arrival of Rep. Al Green, Texas Democrat, ultimately sank the impeach, there were three Republicans who voted no.
Those three Republicans argued that there was no evidence of high crimes or misdemeanors, and warned of how impeachment could be weaponized to remove Cabinet members in a future Republican administration.
The speaker put the onus of the failed $17.8 billion stand-alone Israel aid bill on Democrats, who he said were following President Biden’s lead after he issued a veto threat.
The vote Tuesday was the second time Mr. Johnson tried and failed to pass a stand-alone aid bill for Israel‘s war with Hamas.
Mr. Johnson said that there was no reason for Democrats to object to the new bill because it included the original $14 billion that Mr. Biden had requested in his broader foreign aid package, with an extra $3 billion tacked on to resupply munitions and provide better support for U.S. service members in the increasingly dangerous region.
“The president of the United States has a 37% approval rating, if they’re going to follow that lead, I think they did it to their detriment,” Mr. Johnson said. “And it’s a very shameful thing at a time when our ally Israel needs the help desperately.”
It was not only Democrats who voted against the Israel bill. More than a dozen Republicans rebuked the speaker’s second attempt at a stand-alone Israel aid bill because it did not include offset spending cuts to pay for the foreign aid.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Capitol, the long-awaited deal to marry border security measures with aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, is headed to defeat with Senate Republicans pulling their support.
Republicans contend that the border policy attached to it does not do enough to quell the flow of migrants illegally crossing the southern border.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.