House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is a man who stays in motion — enthusiastically greeting tourists at the Capitol, dashing overseas last week to the G7 summit of industrial world leaders, raising funds back home to elect fellow Republicans to the House majority.

But beneath the whirlwind of activity is a stubborn standstill, an imbalance of power between the far-right Republicans who hoisted McCarthy to the speaker’s role yet threaten his own ability to lead the House.

It’s a political standoff that will be tested anew as the House returns this week from a long summer recess and McCarthy faces a collision course of difficult challenges — seeking to avoid a government shutdown, support Ukraine in the war and launch an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.

“They’ve got some really heavy lifting ahead,” said the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, John Thune, of South Dakota.

  • stephfinitely
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    241 year ago

    Well the last president proved that impeachment apparently means absolutely nothing. So I think it funny the GOP is doing this at all.

    • @[email protected]
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      411 year ago

      They just don’t want Trump to be the only one impeached. They want it to mean nothing, so they’re probably going to try impeaching every Democratic President forever now.

      • TechyDad
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        151 year ago

        I still think that they really wanted to impeach Biden three times. This would “prove” that Biden is more corrupt than Trump. Ignore that none of the Biden impeachments would have been about any actual crime beyond “we don’t like that he’s President - we wanted the other guy!”

        Of course, with McCarthy’s razor thin margins, he couldn’t manage this, but he’s feeling increased pressure to get one impeachment in. This way the Republicans can say “well, yes, it was political but this just proves that the two Trump impeachments were political also so the Democrats are worse!” (Again, ignoring that Trump actually committed crimes and Biden didn’t.)

        • WagesOf
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          91 year ago

          To be perfectly honest if you can get enough of congress to agree you could impeach for wearing a tan suit, and then convict and remove.

          Impeachment is a completely political act, it requires no law breaking, no ethics breaches and no wrongdoing.

          That’s why our president (according to the constitution, not the laws made by congress since) are still subject to federal and state laws.

      • Chainweasel
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        71 year ago

        They just don’t want Trump to be the only one impeached

        Have they forgotten the whole Clinton thing already?

      • keeb420
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        61 year ago

        theyve been doing that since the 90s. they wanted anything to impeach obama on and got nothing as well.