Since Republicans took back control of the House of Representatives 13 months ago, the GOP conference has suffered several self-inflicted embarrassments.
With a narrow 219-212 majority in the lower chamber of Congress, Republicans have had several high-profile failures caused by party disunity, including the recent failure to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday. Here are three times the House GOP shot itself in the foot.
Failed Mayorkas impeachment
The GOP failed to advance the impeachment of Mayorkas on Tuesday by a 214-216 vote. Three House Republicans joined all-present Democrats in opposing the resolution. Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT) also voted against the resolution but did so for procedural reasons so it could be reconsidered at a later date, saying he still supports impeachment.
The three Republicans who said they disagreed with impeaching Mayorkas were Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), Tom McClintock (R-CA), and Ken Buck (R-CO). All three argued that while Mayorkas has done a poor job with securing the border, they argue policy disagreements are not impeachable offenses.
The stunning defeat on the House floor was the latest example of fractures in the Republican conference, which have stonewalled the GOP’s ability to legislate in the lower chamber of Congress.
House speaker race(s)
The first example of the House GOP shooting itself in the foot began on day one of the 118th Congress when it failed to elect a speaker of the House. Then-Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) had to go through 15 rounds of voting throughout the week before he was elected speaker in January 2023.
The January 2023 speaker election was plagued by hard-right members of the conference vowing not to vote for McCarthy without significant concessions. One of these concessions was lowering the threshold to bring a motion to vacate to one member, a concession that would doom McCarthy only nine months later.
On Oct. 3, 2023, McCarthy was ousted from the speakership in a 216-210 vote, which saw eight Republicans join all Democrats in voting to remove McCarthy as presiding officer. The move paralyzed the House of Representatives for three weeks, as House Republicans could not come to a consensus pick for McCarthy’s successor. After weeks of bitter fighting, the House GOP consolidated around Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) to be House speaker.
Biden impeachment troubles
One of the top matters for the House GOP has been the investigation and potential impeachment of President Joe Biden over his family’s business dealings. The investigation has had several unforced errors and embarrassments for House Republicans.
The House GOP started its impeachment inquiry into Biden in 2023, proclaiming it rather than taking a vote on the House floor, which caused Democrats to question the legitimacy of the inquiry. The House later voted to open an impeachment inquiry into the president in December 2023.
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As the House GOP has laid out evidence about the Biden family, some members of the conference still remain unconvinced over whether they have made the case to the public.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY), who has been one of the most visible faces of the impeachment effort, has allegedly frustrated some members of the conference, with one source close to Republican leadership telling the now-defunct outlet the Messenger that Comer “continues to embarrass himself and House Republicans.”
