MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Rep. Mike Gallagher, the leading Republican who has been at the forefront of the House's pushback against the Chinese government, announced Saturday that he will not run for a fifth term. The announcement came days after he angered his fellow Republicans by refusing to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Republicans have been considering removing Mayorkas as a way to punish the Biden administration over its handling of the U.S.-Mexico border. Tuesday's House impeachment vote fell just one vote short. Gallagher was one of three Republicans who opposed impeachment. His fellow Republicans surrounded him on the House floor in an attempt to change his mind, but he refused to change his vote.
Record numbers of people are fleeing countries around the world and arriving at our southern borders. Many people apply for asylum and end up in U.S. cities unequipped to support them while they await trial. The issue is a powerful attack vector for Donald Trump as he works to defeat him. President Joe Biden in the November election.
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed published after the vote, Gallagher said impeachment would not stop immigrants from crossing the border, but would set a precedent that could be used against future Republican administrations. Stated. However, the rejection of the impeachment resolution was a major setback for Republicans. Wisconsin Republicans this week began considering whether Gallagher should face his primary challenger.
In his statement announcing his retirement, Gallagher did not mention the impeachment vote, saying only that he did not want to grow old in Washington.
“The framers intended for the people to serve as legislators for one season and then return to private life,” Gallagher said. “Electoral politics was never meant to be a profession, and believe me, Congress is no place to grow old. Therefore, with a heavy heart, I have decided not to run for re-election.”
He told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the backlash against the impeachment resolution did not influence his decision.
“Honestly, I feel like people understand that and can accept the fact that they don't have to agree 100%,” he told the newspaper, adding later in the interview: Ta. However, I don't think something like that will last long. ”
Voicemails left by The Associated Press at its offices in Washington and Wisconsin on Saturday were not immediately returned.
Gallagher, a former Marine who grew up in Green Bay, has been serving as a state representative from northeastern Wisconsin since 2017. Last year, he led a new House committee dedicated to countering China. At the commission's first hearing, he characterized the competition between the United States and China as a “competition for survival over what life will be like in the 21st century.''
Tensions between the two countries have been high for years, and both countries imposed import tariffs during President Trump's term. China's opaque response to COVID-19, its invasion of Taiwan, and the discovery of a possible spy balloon flying over the United States last year have led lawmakers to step up to stop Beijing. It only strengthens the intention to take further action.
Chinese officials have slammed the committee, accusing its members of bias and maintaining Cold War-era thinking.
Gallagher was one of the most high-profile Republicans this year considering a run for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Tammy Baldwin, a Wisconsin Democrat. However, he abandoned the idea in June. He then said he wants to focus on countering China through the committee and that he intends to run for a fifth term in the House.
