This Obscure Rule Could Let House Republicans Cancel Biden Officials’ Salaries
Mary Lou Masters on July 10, 2023
Some House Republicans are considering using an obscure rule to cancel the salaries of President Joe Biden’s administration officials as the fight over impeachment continues, Politico reported Monday.
The GOP is divided over whether to impeach key Biden officials like U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and FBI Director Christopher Wray, according to Politico. Some Republicans are floating the Holman Rule as an alternative to target the federal employees, as the rule could reduce “the number and salary of the officers of the United States.”
“If we’ve got a problem, a policy difference — not high crimes and misdemeanors — with Secretary Mayorkas, the proper procedure is to cut his salary in the appropriations process,” GOP Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado told Politico.
House Republicans have been weighing impeachment against Mayorkas over his handling of the border crisis, and Garland and Wray due to the Justice Department’s role in investigating Biden’s son, Hunter.
Buck, a Freedom Caucus member who sits on the House Judiciary Committee, would consider using the Holman Rule, as he isn’t committed to the idea of impeaching Biden administration officials solely on the grounds of policy differences, according to Politico.
“It’s not what the Constitution says,” Buck told Politico. “You know, people make all kinds of accusations and say, ‘We should impeach!’ But I haven’t seen documents suggesting that [Garland] has in some way altered the plea offered to Hunter Biden. … All these things need to be fleshed out.”
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy can be expected to support using the rule, as he reinstated the provision in January via a rules package, but another centrist GOP member is concerned it will open the door for Democrats if a Republican becomes president in 2024, according to Politico.
“Let’s say Ron DeSantis happens to be the next president, and now [Democrats] will be cutting off his Cabinet because they don’t like his policies,” the unnamed member said. “This keeps getting worse. We need some sanity.”
Buck also voiced his concerns over using the Holman Rule, which would likely die in the Democratic-held Senate, in the case of reducing the salaries for those working with Special Counsel Jack Smith, who’s spearheading the investigations into former President Donald Trump, according to Politico.
“The answer to a bad prosecution is a trial in front of 12 jurors and a judge overseeing that trial,” Buck told Politico. “It’s not defunding people who you disagree with.”
Another Republican source told Politico that using the Holman Rule to target the salaries of key Biden officials doesn’t mean impeachment is off the table. The source said that impeachment proceedings could come against Garland this month in the House Judiciary Committee.
The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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