- The Republican majority in the House is hanging by a thread as another lawmaker leaves early.
- Several departing members have cited GOP dysfunction and infighting as their last straw.
- It’s been a highly tumultuous session fraught with censures, resignations, and an expulsion.
The narrow majority that House Republicans have enjoyed this session is dwindling by the day.
Rep. Mike Gallagher, one of the few Republicans to object to the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, announced on Friday that he’d be leaving Congress before his term is complete, according to the House Press Gallery. In a statement, Gallagher said he’d leave office on April 19.
Several other Republican members have also announced in recent months that they’d be leaving the House. Some of them cited dysfunction within the Republican Party as the culprit for their decision.
“This place just keeps going downhill, and I don’t need to spend my time here,” Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado said earlier this month following his announcement that he was stepping down effective March 22. The congressman was elected to office in 2014.
Buck’s departure followed announcements from multiple Republican committee chairs — Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, and Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee, and Rep. Kay Granger of Texas — that they, too, were leaving Congress.
Remaining and departing members alike have complained about the political gridlock and lack of productivity this session. The Republican majority censured three Democratic lawmakers and saw upheaval with the ousting of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. There was also a fair amount of political theater around the expulsion of GOP Rep. George Santos of New York, whose own departure opened a potential seat for Democrats in 2024.
After the 2022 election cycle, the GOP expected a “red wave” but only won the majority by nine seats. While both parties have seen departures this session, Republicans are now just one seat away from losing that majority altogether.
