The stage is set for a vote on the two articles of impeachment later this week. Here’s what comes next:
Rules Committee hearing
The House Rules Committee meets Tuesday at 11 a.m. to formulate a rule determining how long lawmakers will have to debate the articles of impeachment on the House floor.
House vote on articles of impeachment
Depending on what the Rules Committee decides, a period of debate and full votes on the articles of impeachment are expected on Wednesday. The timing of the vote won’t be determined until the Rules Committee finalizes the outline for debate. Members will vote on each article separately, with a simple majority needed to impeach the president.
Selection of House managers
Assuming the articles of impeachment are adopted, the House will then need to appoint “managers” who will present the case before the Senate at trial. In modern impeachment cases, including the impeachment of President Bill Clinton, these managers have been selected through House resolutions.
Since Democrats control the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi will ultimately decide who represents the House at trial. Several dozen freshman Democrats have been pushing for independent Representative Justin Amash, a former Republican, to be included as a manager.
Holiday recess
Congress is scheduled to go on a two-week break at the end of this week, returning after the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Senate trial
The official 2020 Senate calendar blocked off the month of January for a potential trial. Several Republicans, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham, have indicated their intention to resolve the trial quickly, possibly without the appearance of witnesses.
While the chief justice of the Supreme Court presides over impeachment trials, a simple majority of 51 senators can rule on motions to introduce evidence or call witnesses. There are 53 Republicans in the upper chamber.
In his letter to McConnell on Sunday, Schumer, the Democratic leader, proposed a timeline for the trial:
- Monday, January 6: The adoption of “pretrial housekeeping measures.”
- Tuesday, January 7: Swearing in of the chief justice and senators, followed by “a period for preparation and submission of trial briefs”
- Thursday, January 9: Recognition of the House managers for 24 hours to present the case against the president, followed by 24 hours for the president’s counsel to present the defense.
Senate rules adopted in 1986 govern the proceedings at modern impeachment trials. Under these procedures, the Senate meets everyday after the House managers are introduced, with the exception of Sunday, until a final verdict is reached.
Schumer noted his proposed timeline is “modeled directly on the language of the two resolutions that set forth the 1999 trial rules” in the Clinton impeachment, which were adopted unanimously by the Senate.
