The White House Pushes Back on Impeachment Talk
WASHINGTON — The White House responded to Republican discussions of impeachment, dismissing them as “a partisan stunt.” This comes after Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia declared that she would not vote to fund the government unless impeachment proceedings against President Joe Biden were initiated.
During a town hall meeting with her constituents, and later in a Twitter post, Greene stated her refusal to support necessary budget bills unless impeachment proceedings against Biden began.
If the government is not funded, a shutdown could occur when the fiscal year ends on September 30th, potentially leading to furloughed workers, closed agencies, and endangered essential programs.
Currently, the House has only passed one of the 12 budget bills required to fund the government, with less than a month remaining until the deadline.
In response to the situation, the White House has urged Congress to pass a short-term continuing resolution to fund the government while long-term budget negotiations continue. Even prior to Greene’s remarks, significant divisions persist between the two parties, with Republicans seeking substantial spending cuts that are unlikely to pass in the Democrat-controlled Senate.
Greene also declared that she would not vote on budget measures if the House did not address her concerns, which include defunding what she calls President Biden’s “weaponization of government,” ending Covid-19 mandates, and halting funding to Ukraine.
In response, White House spokesperson Ian Sams issued a strong statement, asserting that millions of dollars have already been wasted on the “wild goose chase” that is the investigation into Biden and his family.
Republicans have yet to provide any evidence of wrongdoing by Biden or his son Hunter during their time in Ukraine, where Hunter served on the board of the energy company Burisma, nor have they shown that Biden personally benefited from his son’s position.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has begun warning his members about the potential consequences of not funding the government, including negative impacts on their impeachment probe. McCarthy referred to the possibility of impeachment as a “natural next step” in a recent interview with Fox News.
McCarthy also stated that if the House were to open an impeachment inquiry into Biden, there would be a formal vote on the matter, emphasizing that such a decision should be made collectively rather than by an individual.