A new Trump impeachment proposal is before the House after Rep. Steve Cohen, a Tennessee Democrat, introduced 26 articles against the president on September 24. The filing makes a sweeping case for removal, but it remains Cohen’s set of allegations. The House has not approved his articles, and introducing them does not start a Senate trial.
Cohen, a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, says the articles concern abuses of power, violations of the presidential oath, misuse of the pardon power and alleged violations of the Constitution’s emoluments provisions. He called Trump “the most impeachable President our country has ever endured.” That assessment is his, rather than a finding by Congress or a court.
The filing arrives after a separate impeachment effort met resistance in the House. On September 15, members voted 232–147 to table a resolution offered by Rep. Al Green of Texas, with 47 lawmakers voting “present.” The vote shelved Green’s measure; it was not a vote on the articles Cohen introduced nine days later.
What Cohen’s 26 articles allege
Cohen’s resolution ranges across foreign policy, immigration, federal spending, press access and the use of executive power. Its listed subjects include the war with Iran without congressional approval, the deployment of military forces in U.S. cities, withholding appropriated funds, the pardon power and alleged pressure on news organizations, law firms and universities.
The articles also accuse Trump of benefiting personally from the presidency. Each of those claims would require scrutiny on its own facts. Their inclusion in an impeachment resolution does not establish that a law was broken or that the constitutional standard for removal has been met.
Cohen has framed the proposal as a duty of congressional oversight and said he hopes the next Congress will more fully check the executive branch. The breadth of the filing reflects his view that the president’s conduct forms a pattern. Other lawmakers could disagree with particular allegations, the legal framing or the timing even if they support investigations into administration actions.
Why the earlier House vote matters
The September 15 roll call illustrates the political obstacles facing any immediate Trump impeachment effort. All 213 Republicans who cast a yes-or-no vote supported tabling Green’s measure; one Republican voted “present.” Eighteen Democrats and one independent also voted to table it. Among Democrats, 147 opposed tabling and 46 voted “present.”
Those figures show that the division is not confined to a party-line disagreement. Democratic lawmakers differed over whether Green’s separate resolution should receive a vote at that moment. The earlier tally cannot predict how members would decide after examining Cohen’s filing, but it shows that a majority was willing to stop an impeachment proposal from advancing earlier this month.
The two resolutions should not be treated as interchangeable. Green’s measure concerned immigration enforcement and due process. Cohen’s 26 articles cover a much wider range of accusations. The House would need to decide what to examine, what evidence to seek and whether to advance any article for a vote.
How Trump impeachment and removal would work
The Constitution gives the House the sole power to impeach. A simple majority vote approving one or more articles would formally impeach the president. The Senate would then try the approved charges and vote on whether to convict.
Conviction requires two-thirds of senators present. For a sitting president, conviction results in removal from office. Merely introducing articles does not impeach him, and a House vote to impeach would not itself remove him. That distinction matters when political calls use the two words together.
The constitutional grounds are “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” The phrase does not supply a mechanical test for every dispute over presidential conduct. Members of Congress must assess the evidence and decide whether alleged acts justify exercising this exceptional power. Impeachment is a constitutional process with political judgments built into the House and Senate votes, rather than a substitute for a criminal conviction.
What remains unresolved
Trump was impeached twice during his first presidency and was acquitted in both Senate trials. Cohen’s filing raises a new set of questions about the current administration. It does not itself resolve disputed factual claims or demonstrate that Congress is prepared to remove the president.
There is a legitimate public debate over whether the cited actions warrant impeachment, further investigation or other congressional responses. The immediate, verifiable development is narrower: Cohen filed 26 articles on September 24, while an earlier and different impeachment resolution was tabled on September 15. Any move toward removal would require the House to approve charges and the Senate to convict.
