House Republicans are considering a move that can effectively fire officials appointed by President Joe Biden’s administration without the politically risky impeachment process.
The Holman Rule is an appropriation power that was revived by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) that allows Congress to reduce the salary of or effectively fire a government employee by defunding parts of the government.
“If we’ve got a problem, a policy difference, not high crimes, and misdemeanors, with [Homeland Security] Secretary [Alejandro] Mayorkas, the proper procedure is to cut his salary in the appropriations process,” said Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO).
The power was first implemented by the 115th Congress in 2017 as a way to hold government employees accountable, but was scrapped after the Democrats took control of the House in 2019.
Under the new rules implemented by McCarthy, the Holman Rule would allow Congress to reduce or eliminate the salary of an official they were seeking to impeach. However, the move needs to be done in an appropriations bill, which needs to pass the House and Senate and be signed by Biden.
It is unlikely that the president or the Democratically-controlled Senate would approve such a measure, as it would effectively fire Biden-appointed officials. Nonetheless, House Republicans have repeatedly voiced concerns over the Biden administration, with Mayorkas being frequently mentioned.
Democrats oppose the Holman Rule, calling it a way “to sneak attacks on federal employees into must-pass bills.”
The 113th Congress attempted to reduce the salary of Mark Gabriel, the administrator of the Western Area Power Administration, to $1, but was unsuccessful.
Republicans are upset with the Biden administration’s immigration policies, and believe someone should be held responsible. Buck argued that impeachment is too serious of a charge for what he considers disagreements in policy.
“My guess is that he has not done something that rises to the level of impeachment,” he said. “I’m not supportive of impeachment unless there’s something that rises to that level.”
The Holman rule may be an alternative for House Republicans to take measures against the Biden administration, without the risk associated with impeachment. It remains, however, unlikely that Democrats would support it.
