On Thursday, Republicans utilized their narrow majority in the House to attack Vice President Kamala Harris, with the support of a small number of Democrats.
A resolution condemning Harris’s efforts on the border was approved by the House with a vote of 220-196. The Republican Party has chosen to target Harris on this topic as part of their electoral plan.
Elise Stefanik of New York, the Republican conference chair, pushed the resolution, and six Democrats voted in favor of it. No Republican voted against it. Democratic representatives Jared Golden of Maine, Yadira Caraveo of Colorado, Don Davis of North Carolina, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, Henry Cuellar of Texas, and Mary Peltola of Alaska cast “yea” votes.
House Republicans were already planning to use border security as a scapegoat for Democrats who were in a weak position, forcing them to take unpopular votes. Republicans, however, saw Harris’s work on the border during President Joe Biden’s term—dubbed the “border czar” by Republicans—as supporting their claim.
When asked about the top issue confronting Americans, Stefanik made it clear that it was Kamala Harris’ open border catastrophe, regardless of the congressional district one went to. “The American people are entitled to representatives in office who grasp the seriousness of the border crisis.”
Stefanik made the announcement quickly following Biden’s endorsement of Harris to replace him on the November ticket on Sunday.
There aren’t many plans to unseat Harris, but this one has the support of the majority of House Republicans. Given the resistance from centrists, conservatives’ other proposals—such as an attempt to impeach Harris or the opening of a new comprehensive investigation—are likely to fail. There are Republicans who believe Harris should use the 25th Amendment to remove Biden from office, but there has been resistance from inside the party to a legislation that would do just that.
With the Senate controlled by Democrats, the resolution regarding Harris’ border role is meaningless and unlikely to be considered.
Republicans were condemned for changing certain language of the original bill, and House Democrats accused Republicans of attempting to “slander” Harris. The original version described Harris as being chosen “to serve as the administration’s border czar.” The Republican-controlled legislature amended the original text to read: “came to be known colloquially as the Biden administration’s ‘border czar.'”
A non-binding resolution is this. It will never be passed into law. Rep. Jim McGovern (Mass.), the top Democrat on the Rules Committee, stated that the notion that Kamala Harris was the border czar was created by right-wing media.
