The United States Senate is likely to reject an attempt by the House to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas after three Republican lawmakers voted against their party's efforts.
Senators are expecting Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to move to either dismiss the two articles against Mayorkas or to refer them to the committee level, which would effectively kill the process. The situation comes as the impeachment attempt is a potential third impeachment trial in five years.
![[UPDATE] Mayorkas Impeachment: Senate Likely To Reject GOP Attempt After 3 Republicans Vote Against Party Efforts](https://d.hngn.com/en/full/287091/update-mayorkas-impeachment-senate-likely-reject-gop-attempt-after-3-republicans-vote-against.jpg?w=830&f=ecb07ae52d53a703a4b9b6938aa345f3)
The Senate will return to work on Feb. 26, and will immediately be faced with having to fund part of the government by the end of that week. Schumer is also likely to focus his efforts on that issue and the impeachment attempt against Mayorkas.
In a statement, a former top aide to former Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, Jim Manley, said that whether or not lawmakers move quickly to dismiss or bury the impeachment in committee is still unclear, as per The Hill.
Manley said that he sees no need for the Senate at this point and time to spend any more effort and resources on the issue, given the fact that they need to fund the government, among other things.
A dismissal of the Mayorkas impeachment, however, could be slightly trickier, as it would force Democrats in tough Senate races to vote to get rid of the charges against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) chief without a trial.
On the other hand, sending the matter to the committee would allow Democratic lawmakers in competitive races to point to the need for more investigation on the matter. Another factor that is helping Schumer is that he is likely to have the votes needed no matter what option he chooses.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal called the charges against Mayorkas a "total sham," adding that they deserve absolutely no dignity. He also said that the efforts are "purely a political stunt" made by the far-right fringe of the MAGA movement, according to the New York Times.
Senate Likely To Reject Attempt
The Senate is, under the Constitution, required to consider impeachment charges approved by the House. This means that there should be a trial of some sort, with senators sworn in as jurors. However, from that point onwards, there are many options for lawmakers to choose from on how to proceed with the matter.
House Republicans have been demanding a full trial for the impeachment of Mayorkas, with Rep. Steve Scalise saying that Democrats cannot ignore the matter and throw it in the trash. He said that they need to "do their job."
The most recent impeachment trials that the Senate has held were the 2020 and 2021 ones for former United States President Donald Trump, both of which ended in his acquittal. The only other cabinet secretary to have been impeached was William Belknap, who resigned before the House approved the charges against him in 1876.
The situation comes as three Republican lawmakers went against their own party to vote in opposition to the impeachment of Mayorkas. These are Reps. Mike Gallagher, Ken Buck, and Tom McClintock, said Fox News.
