Congressional Republicans faced swift criticism on Wednesday for voting to formalize the GOP's ongoing impeachment inquiry into U.S. President Joe Biden despite any evidence of wrongdoing by the Democrat.
"Today, the first year of MAGA Republicans' control of the House of Representatives ended just how it started: consumed by chaos and political stunts, with zero record of accomplishing anything for the American people," declared Christina Harvey, executive director of the progressive group Stand Up America.
"Rather than use their positions to improve the lives of everyday Americans, MAGA Republicans in the House are focused on using their power for political revenge," she charged. "That's bad for the American people, and it's a dangerous precedent for our democracy."
Harvey argued that "every second spent on this baseless inquiry is a waste of taxpayer dollars and a dereliction of duty by officials who were elected to represent the real needs of their constituents."
House Resolution 918 directs the chamber's Oversight and Accountability, Ways and Means, and Judiciary committees to continue ongoing investigations of alleged misconduct by the president related to his son Hunter Biden's business dealings and legal trouble.
The 221-212 vote was strictly along party lines and widely expected after the House Rules Committee advanced the resolution to the chamber's floor on Tuesday. Since the measure was introduced last week by Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.), critics have accused Republicans of probing Joe Biden to benefit former President Donald Trump.
Biden is seeking reelection next year and twice-impeached Trump is the Republican front-runner, despite his criminal cases and arguments that he is constitutionally disqualified from holding office after inciting an insurrection in response to his 2020 loss.
"There is a lot of work to be done," Biden said in response to the vote, pointing to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, "the situation at our southern border," inflation, and the looming government shutdown. "But after wasting weeks trying to find a new speaker of the House and having to expel their own members, Republicans in Congress are leaving for a month without doing anything to address these pressing challenges."
"Instead of doing anything to help make Americans' lives better, they are focused on attacking me with lies," the president said of the GOP. "Instead of doing their job on the urgent work that needs to be done, they are choosing to waste time on this baseless political stunt that even Republicans in Congress admit is not supported by facts."
"The American people deserve better," he added. "I know what I am going to remain focused on. I would invite Republicans in Congress to join me."
