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468 WORDS | 3.6 MINUTE READ
Hi John,
I'm writing to update you on my time in Washington, where I was back for consequential votes on Articles of Impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Speaker Johnson's Israel funding bill. Read on to see how I voted and why:
Impeachment Bid of Secretary Mayorkas
Our Founding Fathers understood that Congress needed power to remove federal officials from office as part of our system of checks and balances. However, according to our Constitution, removal of an official via impeachment is an extraordinary undertaking meant only for the serious offenses of “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” Based on all the evidence presented by House Republicans, I do not believe they have met this high burden. The Articles of Impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas are nothing more than House Republicans' haphazard attempt to distract the American people from their failure to mount a serious legislative session, which is why I voted no on this political sideshow.
I have visited our southern border twice and agree that our immigration system is broken. That’s why I support commonsense reforms that improve our system of asylum processing, expand legal pathways to enter the U.S., and allow us to maintain proper security along the southern border. Instead of engaging in politically motivated impeachment proceedings, I urge my colleagues to place principle over politics and join me in pursuing meaningful immigration reform that will keep our communities safe and economy strong.
Republicans' Standalone Israel Aid Bill
With a bipartisan Senate deal in hand that would strengthen U.S. national security and support our Ukrainian, Israeli, and Taiwanese allies in their defense against dictators and terrorists, I’m appalled that Speaker Johnson chose – for the second time since October 7th – to politicize aid to Israel, by separating it from crucial U.S. national security priorities like aid to Ukraine and Taiwan, humanitarian assistance to Palestinians, and southern border security.
The Senate supplemental agreement is far from perfect, but it is the result of negotiation and compromise, which is exactly how our system is designed to work. The American People want and deserve leaders who work together to make the hard decisions necessary to keep us safe, not leaders who are more concerned about special interests than our national interests. That's why I voted no on this standalone bill and was glad to see it fail in the House.
Our nation must not allow Putin to win in Europe, the People’s Republic of China to end democracy in Taiwan, and Palestinian people to be denied desperately needed humanitarian aid. Regretfully, Speaker Johnson appears to care very little about our security, our future, and our responsibilities. Moving forward, the United States must use every lever available to invest in peace around the world, ensure security for Israel, recognition and investment in a demilitarized Palestinian state, protection of our allies on every continent, and national security here at home.
Keep the faith and keep in touch,
Dean Phillips
Member of Congress
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