Mayorkas impeachment, Hunter Biden contempt charges draft, spending talks all continue on Wednesday

On one of the most consequential days in the GOP-led House, the process of impeaching United States Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas begins, the markup of the Hunter Biden contempt charges takes place, and the negotiations over the next spending bill continue as the deadline to avert a government shutdown draws closer.

The first impeachment hearing for Mayorkas is scheduled for Wednesday at 10 a.m. in the House Homeland Security Committee. Republicans allege that Mayorkas has mismanaged the border and inaccurately claimed the Biden administration has operational control of the southwest border.

"Our investigation made clear that this crisis finds its foundation in Secretary Mayorkas’ decision-making and refusal to enforce the laws passed by Congress, and that his failure to fulfill his oath of office demands accountability," said Chairman Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., in a statement. "The bipartisan House vote in November to refer articles of impeachment to my Committee only served to highlight the importance of our taking up the impeachment process—which is what we will begin doing next Wednesday,” Green said.

Last month, there were more than 300,000 encounters with migrants on the southwest border alone, setting a new monthly record.

A group of House Republicans recently visited the U.S.-Mexico border and called on the Biden administration to reinstate border policies that the president terminated when he came to office, including Remain in Mexico.

"I just don't know how anybody can actually defend not impeaching him, whatever party you're in. This is just absolutely horrendous what he has done," Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., told Just the News on Tuesday. Mark Morgan, former commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, argued that Mayorkas has "abused his authority" and "abdicated his oath" of office.

"He's lied to the American people. He's lied to Congress. He served as the chief architect of the worst border security crisis in our lifetime that's unleashed a tidal wave of death and destruction and vulnerabilities into this nation. That's why he's been impeached tomorrow," Morgan said on the "John Solomon Reports" podcast on Tuesday.

"We just don't have a handle on what's causing the complete chaos and lawlessness, the complete breakdown of our borders. He blames everybody but himself. He blames Congress. He blames Mexico. He blames climate change," Morgan added.

Morgan also said Mayorkas has turned the U.S. Border Patrol into a "federal travel agency" and "literally handed operational control over to the cartels for them to exploit" with drugs, criminals, and national security threats. 

The House GOP introduced a resolution on Monday to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress after he refused to first testify in a private hearing as part of the House investigation into his family's foreign business dealings. 

"Our investigation has produced significant evidence suggesting President Biden knew of, participated in, and benefitted from his family cashing in on the Biden name," said Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, in a joint statement. 

"We planned to question Hunter Biden about this record of evidence, but he blatantly defied two lawful subpoenas, choosing to read a prepared statement outside of the Capitol instead of appearing for testimony as required. Hunter Biden’s willful refusal to comply with our subpoenas constitutes contempt of Congress and warrants referral to the appropriate United States Attorney’s Office for prosecution. We will not provide him with special treatment because of his last name," the lawmakers added.

The House Oversight Committee is set to consider the contempt resolution during a markup at 10am on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Congress faces two appropriations deadlines of Jan. 19 and Feb. 2 before the federal government runs out of money.

House Speaker Mike Johnson reached a tentative spending deal with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, which sets a top line for domestic and military spending through September 2024 at $1.59 trillion. The total reflects the parameters of the previously passed Financial Responsibility Act of 2023. The FRA was passed after former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy had reached a spending agreement with President Biden that raised the nation's debt ceiling. 

House conservatives argue that the Johnson and Schumer agreement does not do enough to reduce deficit spending as the national debt now approaches $35 trillion. 

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday that Congress would likely need to pass a stop-gap continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government funded while spending negotiations continue. Johnson has committed to not passing any more CRs. 

A group of eight House conservatives supported a motion to vacate the chair after McCarthy put a 45-day CR on the House floor to avoid a government shutdown. The bill passed with Democrat and Republican votes on September 30, 2023, and McCarthy was ousted from position shortly afterward.