The House Republicans are inching closer to filing articles of impeachment against President Joe Biden.

“We get those depositions done this year and … then we can decide on whether or not there’s articles,” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) revealed to Politico, referring to the forthcoming depositions of Biden family members and other involved parties.

The House Oversight Committee announced its subpoenas of Biden’s son and brother, Hunter and James Biden, respectively, earlier this month. Interviews with the men would offer the committee further insight into whether the president was directly involved in foreign business dealings or the influence-peddling the family has been accused of.

Progress toward an impeachment inquiry was one of the demands that cornered former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who was ousted in an effort led by hard-line conservative Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL). And while movement on the impeachment matter satiates the House Freedom Caucus members, it has the potential to agitate centrist members, particularly those in competitive districts.

This problem looms much larger given the House Republicans’ razor-thin majority, which requires near-unanimity to move anything forward.

“Any kind of an impeachment puts our Biden people in a really tough spot,” according to one Republican member involved in the Oversight investigation.

“Impeachment hurts us politically – it makes our base feel better,” they said.

An impeachment inquiry into the president based on the available information would not only face difficulty gaining a majority in the House, but it wouldn’t stand much of a chance in the Democratic-led Senate. And the Republicans could face significant embarrassment if they bring articles against Biden and fail to garner enough support in the House.

Further, the public is divided on impeachment, even if it does believe the Biden family’s actions haven’t always been above board. In several polls from September, people more often said impeachment of Biden wasn’t warranted.

Going into the 2024 general election, independents and centrist voters are expected to make the difference. In an NBC News poll, also from September, independents overwhelmingly opposed the House Republicans’ intention to hold impeachment hearings. Given the group’s disapproval, the matter could influence these voters’ decisions regarding Republicans down the ballot ahead of an already competitive election.