The Houston Democrat is recovering from abdominal surgery. Democrats did not expect him to attend the vote, but his surprise appearance sank the impeachment vote.

All of Texas’ House Republicans voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for failing to secure the southern border, but the House fell short of passing the historic resolution on Tuesday after Rep. Al Green, D-Houston, rushed to the House from the hospital where he was recovering from abdominal surgery to vote no.

The impeachment failed on a 216-214 vote. Four Republicans joined all Democrats in voting against the impeachment. The House has not impeached a member of a president’s cabinet in nearly 150 years.

The vote was extremely close, with the outcome unknown until the end of the vote. U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher, a Wisconsin Republican who chairs the House select committee on China, voted against the resolution. Numerous Republicans, including Texan Reps. Michael McCaul and Jodey Arrington were seen circling around Gallagher as he held out on his vote.

U.S. Reps. Ken Buck of Colorado and Tom McClintock of California also voted against impeachment. U.S. Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, ended up changing his vote to a no at the last minute, tanking the vote but allowing Republicans to bring it up again in the future.

House Republicans were counting on Green to be absent. But he arrived just in time in a wheelchair and scrubs to give Democrats enough votes to kill the impeachment.

  • prole@sh.itjust.works
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    6 months ago

    What a fucking joke. Seems pretty clear that one of their goals is to completely remove any meaning from the word “impeach,” so Trump’s tenure doesn’t look as bad.

    Really great priorities.

  • paddirn@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    What kind of a dumb system do we have where everybody has to be physically present on the floor to be able to put in a vote? They can’t just do a conference call to find out how a Rep would vote and get it recorded?

    • themadcodger@kbin.social
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      6 months ago

      Because our whole government operates as if this still the 1800s and the only thing holding us together is the Pony Express.

      • PopMyCop@iusearchlinux.fyi
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        6 months ago

        Pony Express

        Which was a commercial failure, if anyone is curious. The whole shebang lasted less than two years. Started in 1860, bankrupt in 1861, thanks to the telegraph’s stretch across America.

    • Infinity187@lemm.ee
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      6 months ago

      Because Steve Scalise and Co. were able to do away with proxy voting some years ago. The kicker is his goulish ass was also in the hospital and couldn’t vote. GOP are fucking idiots.

  • ferralcat@monyet.cc
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    6 months ago

    It’s 2024 and congress still wants people to come in to the office to raise their hand.

    • dhork@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      During the Pandemic, Democrats approved rules allowing proxy voting. Of course, that was one of the first things Kevin (Remember him?) got rid of.

      Ha Ha

    • aesthelete@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      But not when they want to kill a bill in the Senate, they can filibuster without ever even coming into the chamber.

  • HorreC@kbin.social
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    6 months ago

    Why would he have been in scrubs? He doesn’t work at the hospital, they don’t just hand those out to the patients.

    • Laticauda@lemmy.ca
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      6 months ago

      Idk if it’s different in the US but when I went to a hospital in Canada for a broken leg they gave me scrubs and even let me keep the pants cause they were so comfy.

      • HorreC@kbin.social
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        6 months ago

        I cant speak to all of the states, but when I had leg issues as well, I was doing my therapy walking down the hall in a hospital gown.

        • prole@sh.itjust.works
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          6 months ago

          I imagine he didn’t want to leave the hospital in an open-back hospital gown. So they gave him scrubs.

          Why are people even focusing on this? Who fucking cares if he was wearing scrubs??

          • HorreC@kbin.social
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            6 months ago

            Its not normal, you have your own clothes there, or you have staff to bring it. Why is this ok to gloss over?

    • downhomechunk [chicago]@midwest.social
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      6 months ago

      Well, maybe they meant hospital gown? Or they gave him scrubs so his balls would not have amy chance to see daylight? Or maybe it was a stunt to get attention.

    • guacupado@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      out to the patients.

      He had abdominal surgery. I’m guessing you stay there for a bit until everything checks out.

        • prole@sh.itjust.works
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          6 months ago

          Yeah, he should have went in his hospital gown instead. Bare ass.

          Jesus Christ people… We get it, you want to spin this.

  • nkat2112@sh.itjust.works
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    6 months ago

    I wish we could see video or images of this bad-ass Democrat in hospital scrubs charging in on a wheelchair to vote.

    • Goku@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Scrubs are a political stunt… If he can travel from Texas to DC he can change his clothes.

      • Tilgare@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        Are you joking? Do you think that representatives and senators commute daily from their home towns to Washington DC?

    • usualsuspect191@lemmy.ca
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      6 months ago

      Fonts need to clearly differentiate a lowercase L from an uppercase i. It’s so frustrating I don’t understand why this bad fonts are so widespread