The House will reconvene for the fourth straight week on Monday after a brief recess, but for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), the House Republican vote is one vote less reliable and could be the start of a mad dash for Congress. Become.
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), considered a rising star in the Republican Party, announced last month that he would leave Congress before the end of his term, shocking even some of his colleagues. The House of Representatives announced his formal resignation on Friday.
Due to the timing of his retirement, his seat will not be filled until the next parliament in January 2025.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louis., left) is starting the next Congressional spurt with one spot less reliable in the Republican vote following the retirement of Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher on Friday. . (Getty Images)
Even Mr Johnson’s public statements and leadership decisions reflect a keen awareness of the historically narrow two-seat margin with which he has been dealing.
It is likely to become even smaller, at least temporarily, in the coming weeks.
A special election will be held Tuesday to replace retiring Congressman Brian Higgins of New York in New York’s 26th Congressional District. Many seats in urban areas are tilted in favor of Democrats. President Biden won the Buffalo-area district in 2020 by a nearly 30-point margin.
House Republican leaders are hoping for some relief as the two Republicans running to replace former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) face off in a special runoff election in late May. has been done. Mr. McCarthy left the House late last year, but no candidate received a majority of votes in the race to replace him in March — a runoff election required by California law.
For the third time, Republicans call for Johnson’s ouster over $95 billion in foreign aid plan
Mr. Gallagher surprised even some colleagues when he announced his early retirement last month. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
But if Mr Higgins’ old seat remains in Democratic hands, Mr Johnson is likely to have to survive at least part of this four-week term with just a one-vote majority. That means only one Republican could lose on a partisan vote.
But House Republican aides who spoke to Fox News Digital downplayed any potential concerns. They argued that Mr. Johnson has already successfully ushered in most major legislation coming up in the near future, except for the reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which has a May 10 deadline.
A House Republican aide asserted, “Barring FAA reauthorization, which will be passed later this year, Chairman Johnson has done the job he was entrusted with.”
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“More Republican resignations may shrink his majority, but he has already won tough legislative battles. Any future dysfunction will be the fault of those who refuse to govern and who want to complain.” It will attack you head on.”
The aide was referring to members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus and their allies. They have wielded significant influence over the House Republican majority to repeal or block legislation by voting in small blocs to protest the Republican leadership’s handling of key issues. Government spending and foreign aid.
The group has already signaled it will take on a new upcoming legislative battle to fund the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Congress could fight over its role in funding the rebuilding of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the coming weeks. (Tassos Katopodis/Getty Images)
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The Freedom Caucus issued a statement earlier this month demanding that the funds appropriated by Congress be offset by spending cuts in other areas and that funding be focused solely on rebuilding bridges.
It’s not immediately clear when the funding bill will take shape or how much influence conservatives will have, given strong bipartisan support is expected. But Republican rebels are expected to face an uphill battle if Mr. Johnson tries to pass the bill through the traditional mechanism, which relies solely on partisan votes.
