Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Capitol Hill

We're coming to the end of what turned out to be a busy day here on Capitol Hill.

Let's quickly recap what happened:

• Voting along partisan lines, the House of Representatives formally approved an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden over corruption allegations
• The move gives the House committees that have been investigating the Biden family for months more powers to subpoena witnesses, compel testimony and acquire documents
• Democrats and the White House have condemned the vote, and the broader inquiry, as political theatre based on debunked facts. It is yet to present any evidence of wrongdoing
• An animated and tense debate on the measure took place on the House floor this afternoon

• And in the morning, Hunter Biden arrived at the time of a scheduled deposition but said he would not testify behind closed doors

The vote represents a legislative victory for Republican opponents of the Biden administration. You can read more on the story and follow the latest here.

The White House has just released a statement from President Biden that, once again, criticises the "baseless" Republican impeachment inquiry as a "stunt".

It begins by mentioning stalled congressional aide for Ukraine and Israel - legislation that has been blocked due to disagreement over reforms to the US immigration system.

"Republicans in Congress won't act to help" the US's allies, Biden says.

He goes on to say that his opponents have "wasted weeks" trying to find a new Speaker of the House and voting to expel their fellow Republican George Santos.

"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," Biden says.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Capitol Hill

We've just heard from Republicans Jim Jordan and James Comer. Both said they believed today's vote sent a "strong message".

In brief remarks, Comer said House Republicans - who voted unanimously in favour of the measure - have "made our point very clear".

"We have a simple question... that a majority of Americans have - what did the Biden family do to get millions?" he said.

Jordan, for his part, said the vote showed the unity of the party's members and explained that he believes the formalisation of the inquiry will give it the powers it needs to conduct the investigation as they see fit.

Both left abruptly after taking only a few questions from reporters.

The motion to formally approve the impeachment inquiry just passed by a vote of 221-212.

This means every single Republican in the House backed it.

That includes Congressman Ken Buck, who had previously suggested he would vote against the bill.

The Colorado lawmaker, who plans to retire at the end of next year, had called the effort against Biden "impeachment theatre" and said he saw no evidence of a link between the president and Hunter Biden's businesses.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Capitol Hill

There were a few cheers from the Republican side of the room as the vote ended.

There is a lot of handshaking and back-patting over there, too. It's all smiles as its members start to trickle out.

Many Democrats, on the other hand, are standing next to each other with arms folded. They made it clear in the debate earlier that they see this entire inquiry as a waste of time.

Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent

By voting to formally authorise the congressional investigation, House Republicans have started the ball rolling towards the impeachment of Joe Biden.

It may be difficult to stop.

Three of the four previous times the House took this step, the chamber ultimately opted to impeach. The one time it didn’t was because Richard Nixon resigned before a vote could be held.

In the short-term, the House’s action gives the investigating committees more power to subpoena for documents and testimony and for judges to enforce those requests. The Biden White House, which has cited the lack of a formal vote as grounds for refusing to provide some information, may now be compelled to comply.

Ultimately, this vote may clear the path for House Republicans, despite their narrow majority, to stick together and eventually back impeachment. They now are on the record agreeing to move the process forward – and they may feel more inclined to see it through to the end.

In the meantime, the investigations will continue. And while there is currently no evidence directly linking Joe Biden to his son’s professional and personal failings, sweeping powers can sometimes yield surprising results.

Bill Clinton’s impeachment for lying about an affair with an intern began with an inquiry into a failed real estate deal. Hillary Clinton’s email server saga came from a probe into a US ambassador’s death in Libya.

Sometimes fishing expeditions catch a fish.

It's official - House Republicans have successfully gathered enough votes to formalise the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, with the final tally of 221 in favour to 212 against.

Stay with us.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Capitol Hill

The House has just started voting on whether to formalise the impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden.

It'll be quick, with the representatives having just five minutes to enter their vote.

We'll know the result soon - but House Republican leadership has repeatedly expressed confidence that this will pass.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Capitol Hill

It's a very lively scene in the House of Representatives right now, with a majority of members now milling about the floor.

From where I'm sitting, I can clearly see most of the Republican members. Towards the front of the room, House Speaker Mike Johnson is huddling with 7-8 other members.

In the back of the room, Kevin McCarthy is hunched over a metal guardrail, laughing and joking with the row in front of him.

In general, there are a lot of smiles and back-slapping on this side of the room - they certainly seem confident the vote will go well for them.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Capitol Hill

Just as a reminder, the upcoming vote isn't about whether or not to impeach Joe Biden. Rather, it's a legislative step that would give the committees conducting the investigation more powers.

A formalisation of the process would mean that the committees can compel testimony, records or other information via subpoenas. In other words, it gives the investigation more teeth.

A previous justice department opinion issued during the second of Donald Trump's two impeachments found that a formal authorisation is required before a committee can "compel the production of documents or testimony".

House Republicans, including many of those that spoke earlier during the debate, believe this step will allow them to overcome any "stonewalling" of the investigation by the Biden family or their allies - a term they used on multiple occasions this morning.

Democrats have repeatedly called the entire inquiry, and today's vote, a sham based on debunked falsehoods.

Republicans only narrowly control the House and they can afford just three defections to pass the resolution if all Democrats turn up to vote no.

But the party leadership has been locking down votes among moderate members of their rank-in-file who represent 17 districts won by Biden in 2020.

Several House Republicans who previously voiced scepticism about the inquiry, including Mike Garcia of California, and Anthony D'Esposito and Marc Molinaro, both of New York, have changed course.

But some moderate Republicans in the Senate, such as Mitt Romney of Utah, have said there is no evidence yet of wrongdoing by Biden himself, let alone the “high crimes and misdemeanours” required under the US Constitution for impeachment.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Capitol Hill

Most votes in the House of Representatives are taken by electronic device - which is what we're going to see here shortly.

It's a fairly straightforward system.

Once a vote is called, the members have a set amount of time to record their votes - yea, nay, or present - at the various voting stations on the House floor, which are located near the rows of seats arranged around the chamber.

They first insert a voting card and then press one of several coloured buttons on the device.

Those of you watching from elsewhere won't be able to see it, but here in the House I'll be able to see the running tally shown on a display board on one of the walls here in the chamber.

The vote hasn't been called yet, but I'm starting to see a few lawmakers trickle into the chamber.

"Early bird gets the worm," I heard one of the representatives say, although I couldn't see who it was.

Towards the middle of the room, Florida Republican Matt Gaetz has arrived and is sitting with his hands clasped in his lap.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Capitol Hill

Welcome back and greetings from inside the House of Representatives.

We're soon going to get a vote on the formalisation of the impeachment inquiry into President Biden.

Earlier today, we heard a spirited debate from Republicans and their Democratic colleagues on the inquiry, starkly highlighting the divide between the two parties.

At the moment, the House is still wrapping up a last bit of other business, about the National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act.

After that, we'll go to a vote on the impeachment.

As I mentioned earlier, the vote won't be a dramatic roll call vote such as those you may remember from the battle to become Speaker of the House.

It'll be an electronic vote and the tally will be calculated quickly, without every representative being called by name.

We're resuming our live coverage as the House readies for a vote on giving the Biden impeachment inquiry more powers.

That is likely to come in the next hour, and potentially sooner, depending on how ongoing business in the House proceeds.

Stay with us for the latest.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Capitol Hill

We've still got a while to go until we expect a vote on whether to formalise the impeachment. After all, it's not the only bit of business on the House's schedule today.

At the moment, the House is debating legislation regarding whole milk in school meals.

Afterwards, they will consider two other pieces of legislation, including one formally condemning the rise of antisemitism on US college campuses and the recent, controversial testimony of university presidents in the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Only after that will the members vote, including on the impeachment formalisation.

The vote, however, won't be as specular or dramatic as we saw during the battle to become House Speaker.

It will be conducted through an electronic voting system, rather than a roll-call vote in which the representatives must be called to vote out loud.

That vote is likely to happen at 17.45 ET.

We're pausing our live coverage for now and will be back to cover the vote when it happens.

The danger to Biden in an election yearpublished at 19:20 Greenwich Mean Time 13 December 2023

19:20 GMT 13 December 2023

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

Image source, Reuters

Republicans have long viewed Joe Biden’s son Hunter as a political liability for his father.

If they can link his shady business dealings and personal conduct to the president, they have the potential to damage the elder Biden's standing with American voters.

A formal impeachment investigation, that leads to a House vote and a Senate trial, has the potential to become a major headache for the president in the midst of an election year.

And that remains true even if Republicans continue to lack any conclusive evidence tying the president to his son’s misdeeds and misbehaviour.

The perception of corruption tied to the Biden name - the possibility of it - may be damaging enough.

Republicans may also use impeachment proceedings, along with Hunter Biden’s legal battles, to draw attention away from the very real legal plight their likely presidential nominee, Donald Trump, faces.

Already there is talk of using the impeachment process to provide “counter-programming” that distracts from a possible Trump federal trial on charges of illegally attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election. That's scheduled to happen in March 2024.

In a nation whose mood toward elected politicians is already sour, the electoral environment in the coming year may become even more toxic.

We've been following the US House of Representatives as lawmakers debated whether to formalise an impeachment inquiry into Biden. Here's a quick recap:

• Republican Tom Cole kicked off the debate by calling today a "sad day for myself, the institution and the American people". He accused the White House of "stonewalling" Republicans' impeachment probe
• Democrat Jim McGovern hit back at the Republicans, saying they don't work for the American people, "they work for Trump". He called the impeachment probe "an extreme political stunt"
• Republican and Democrat lawmakers stuck to these arguments throughout the debate, with multiple mentions of Hunter Biden and Donald Trump

• The next step is a house floor vote, which is expected at 17.45 ET

Stay with us for the latest developments and analysis.

The House debate over an impeachment inquiry into US President Joe Biden has ended.

Democrat Jim McGovern finished by saying the inquiry was a "sham" and urged his colleagues to vote against it.

Republican Tom Cole summed up his side of the debate by asking Democrats "what are you worried about?" He said the inquiry would follow the example set by Democrats when they led investigations into Donald Trump.

The next step will be a vote on whether to formalise the impeachment inquiry.

That's expected at 17.45 ET.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has fiercely defended President Joe Biden.

"There is no evidence that Joe Biden has engaged in an impeachable offense," he says.

Like his fellow Democrats, he complains that Republican lawmakers are wasting time and money on an investigation that has no merit.

Jeffries calls Biden a "good, honourable and decent man".

But, he says, the "puppet-master in chief," former President Donald Trump, has concocted the impeachment inquiry.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Capitol Hill

Image source, Getty Images

As I'm sitting here in the House chamber, one thing stands out to me above all: that Republicans have not mentioned Donald Trump once, and Democrats seem to mention him constantly.

Just a little while ago, some Democrats held a press conference outside the chamber.

Florida Democrat Jared Moskovitz, for example, described the Republican impeachment push as a "be Donald Trump’s friend Olympics” and "impeachment theatre".

We've heard several similar statements from the Democrats inside.

These jabs - and the Republican counterpoints addressing the Biden family - seem to be getting under the skin of representatives.

Tempers seem to be flaring in the chamber. Representatives have had to be reminded several times to not direct their comments at each other, and just a few minutes ago, Republican Byron Donalds and several of the Democrats had a tense exchange from across the room after he was finished speaking.