Concerns with H. Res. 939

Floor Speech

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Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, impeachment is the most consequential tool Congress to has protect our Nation from a president or other public official who has betrayed their oath, abused their power, and committed high crimes and misdemeanors against the American people. Impeachment necessitates a deliberate process of investigation and a thorough documentation of crimes committed against the American people. I voted present on the motion to table this impeachment resolution because it does not meet that high standard.

It is clear that many members of the Trump Administration, including President Donald Trump himself, are violating the law and the public's trust in ways that should lead to an investigation on potential high crimes and misdemeanors by the House Judiciary Committee. But bringing an impeachment resolution to the floor mere hours after it has been introduced and without any investigative report--as Congressman Green is doing for the second time this Congress--sets a harmful precedent. It undermines the ability of Congress to make a serious and well- documented case for impeachment against this or any future president.

President Trump was impeached twice during his first term, and I voted to impeach him both times. We conducted a formal inquiry during the first impeachment, where we subpoenaed witnesses and held public hearings to demonstrate that the President had abused his power and obstructed Congress. When President Trump was impeached a second time for inciting an insurrection, the House Judiciary Committee completed an investigative report that documented what Members of Congress and our entire Nation witnessed on January 6, 2021. When the articles of impeachment were brought to the floor a week later, almost every House Democrat was a cosponsor. I presided over that vote in the House of Representatives, with full confidence in the case we were presenting to the American people.

The House of Representatives is currently controlled by President Trump's Republican party, and their majority is unwilling to take even the most basic step to hold Trump or anyone in his cabinet accountable for illegal and unconstitutional actions. To be clear, the House of Representatives has a duty to uphold our oath to defend the Constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic. This obligation includes the open, transparent process of Congressional hearings, investigations, and subpoenas into potentially impeachable offenses. The Republican majority controlling this Congress will not allow that work to move forward.

In the face of this obstruction, I will continue to work with my Democratic colleagues to document violations of the law by this administration, submit briefings to the court to rein in their abuses, and collect evidence to hold the President of the United States and his officials accountable.

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