House Republican leaders are insisting they can pursue investigations targeting the Biden administration and the president while still delivering on their legislative agenda. As a potential impeachment inquiry looms, however, leadership faces major challenges to keep their narrow majority united over contentious policy and oversight issues.
Recent legislative fights have exposed divisions within the House Republican conference and showcased the influence of hardline conservatives who continue to exert pressure on leadership. Top Republicans will be put to the test again this week as the House takes up a series of spending measures.
Facing a juggling act, House GOP leaders argue it won’t be a problem to balance it all.
Asked about the threat of a potential impeachment inquiry as opposed to focusing on other issues, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said, “It’s not in lieu of anything, we can do many things at the same time,” at a news conference Wednesday.
Later, after criticizing immigration policy under the Biden administration, Scalise said, “We’re going to continue to get the facts out. And we can do all of these things at the same time while we’re moving a legislative agenda, including appropriations bills.”
Earlier this week, Speaker Kevin McCarthy suggested that House Republicans may be approaching the point where they’d pursue an impeachment investigation into President Joe Biden.
At the same time, Republican leadership is bracing for yet another week where they’ll need to unite a splintered conference – this time on a series of spending bills that will set the tone for a showdown in the fall with the United States Senate over government funding.
One House Republican – Colorado Rep. Ken Buck – said that his party was engaged in “impeachment theater” and accused McCarthy of using a “shiny…
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