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Floor Speech

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Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, this afternoon, the Senate will be called, for just the 19th time in our history, to rule on the impeachment of a senior official of our government. It is a responsibility to be taken seriously. As I said the last time the Senate convened as a Court of Impeachment, it is a power that Congress must not exercise frivolously.

Today, the Senate will hear House managers charge Secretary Mayorkas with serious dereliction of duty--with a systematic refusal to enforce our Nation's immigration laws and with lying to Congress about the extent of the border crisis that unfolded on the Biden administration's watch.

The facts of the crisis are well-known. Since January of 2021, CBP has recorded more than 7.5 illegal crossings at our southern border, while observers estimate over 1.5 million known ``got-aways.'' And last December saw the highest daily and monthly numbers ever recorded.

In the 2 months since the House impeached Secretary Mayorkas, the border crisis has only continued, with excruciating consequences for innocent Americans.

On February 22, an illegal alien was arrested in Virginia for sexually assaulting a minor. The very next day, another illegal alien from Venezuela was arrested for the murder of Laken Riley, a young college student in Georgia. And the same month, yet another was charged with first- and second-degree murder for the shooting of a 2-year-old in Maryland.

For the Americans living right near the border, things are not improving. In February, one man working in Arizona recounted watching cartel guides lead over 170 people from around the world through one such opening in a matter of hours.

The House managers will make the case for Secretary Mayorkas's role in neglecting and exacerbating that crisis. As befits such a solemn and rare responsibility as convening a Court of Impeachment, I intend to give these charges my full and undivided attention.

Of course, that would require that Senators actually get the opportunity to hold a trial. This is exactly what history and precedent dictate. Never before has the Senate agreed to a motion to table Articles of Impeachment--not for an officer of either party, not once.

Instead, every single time that we have been called upon to render judgment, we have done so. We have convened a trial in accordance with rule XI of the Impeachment Rules agreed to in 1935. We have appointed a trial committee to dig into the facts and make a recommendation.

It would be beneath the Senate's dignity to shrug off our clear responsibility and fail to give the charges we will hear today the thorough consideration they deserve. I will strenuously oppose any effort to table the Articles of Impeachment and avoid looking the Biden administration's border crisis squarely in the face.

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