In a dramatic evening on the floor of the U.S. House, Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., opposed a pair of GOP initiatives that failed in the Republican-controlled chamber — one that would have provided military aid to Israel and another that would have impeached a member of President Joe Biden’s cabinet.
The first-term representative joined the rest of the Democratic caucus in voting against the impeachment of Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. Republicans had drafted two articles of impeachment related to Mayorkas’ oversight of the U.S.-Mexico border, arguing that he had refused to comply with the law and breached the public trust.
But after several Republicans defected and a Democratic member appeared on the floor unexpectedly, the measure failed on a vote of 214-216.
In a statement explaining her vote, Balint said that impeaching Mayorkas “would do absolutely nothing to address immigration concerns, and only serves to politicize the humanitarian crisis at the Southern border.” Calling the move “a political stunt,” she said that House Republicans had “no intention of working to find legislative solutions to address our broken immigration system.”
Shortly after the impeachment vote, the House took up a bill that would have provided $17.6 billion in aid to Israel, which has been at war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip for nearly four months. Congress has considered a number of aid packages in recent months — some tied to humanitarian assistance for Palestinians in Gaza, aid for Ukraine in its war against Russia and measures to secure the Southern border — but this package was focused largely on military assistance to Israel.
In a separate statement Tuesday, Balint said she has long advocated for Israel’s right to defend itself. “But I cannot support any aid package that does not immediately surge robust humanitarian assistance to the millions of Palestinian families suffering in Gaza,” she said, also criticizing the bill for not including support for Ukraine.
Balint said she would oppose “this type of cynical legislation until a comprehensive aid package is brought to the floor.”
