GOP Representative Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin will depart from Congress early, dealing another blow to Speaker Mike Johnson and his razor-thin Republican majority.
Gallagher said had he made the decision after “conversations with my family.” He added that he would be leaving Congress on April 19.
A statement from Congressman Mike Gallagher. pic.twitter.com/dOBcM8kbNV
— Rep. Gallagher Press Office (@RepGallagher) March 22, 2024
Earlier he said that he would not seek re-election.
“The Framers intended citizens to serve in Congress for a season and then return to their private lives,” Gallagher said in a statement. “Electoral politics was never supposed to be a career and, trust me, Congress is no place to grow old. And so, with a heavy heart, I have decided not to run for re-election.”
Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) on Saturday called for the expulsion of Gallagher so that the people of Wisconsin can hold a special election and have representation in the House.
“We’re in a very dangerous situation, Steve,” Greene told Steve Bannon of the War Room. “What Mike Gallagher did yesterday was intentional, purposeful, and puts our entire majority at risk.”
“I think he should be expelled preeminently before he’s allowed to just walk out of Congress at a date of his choosing where his district doesn’t get to replace him until next Congress. I think that is completely wrong.”
“I think people should be able to have a voice,” she continued. “His district deserves a voice in Congress and we should expel him, and that way his district can replace him as quickly as possible with a special election.”
“Our majority is too important to throw away and the horrible, dishonest, and completely irresponsible actions of many in our Republican majority have led us to where we are,” she said. “When people leave early, it’s a math game. They’re the ones that put us at risk of losing the majority. Every member that leaves early puts us at risk of losing the majority expelling Republican members.”
She continued to rail against Gallagher for his sudden departure.
“For a Democrat to control and take over the seat like they did to George Santos, puts us at risk of Hakeem Jeffries becoming the Speaker of the House,” she said. “It’s not me putting in a motion to vacate like a pink slip, letting Mike Johnson know that his speakership is over and also informing our entire conference that we need to come together, move forward and start the process.”
“And no matter how long it takes to decide who our next speaker is going to be, one that the American people will trust and one that will not do the bidding of the deep state and the CIA and the continued effort to destroy America,” she went on.
“So that’s where we’re going from here. And this process may take a while, but I think it’s the most important. Yes, painful. I don’t care how painful it is. If you want to lead this country, you better get ready to be uncomfortable and get comfortable being uncomfortable because we have a job to do and our job is to save America,” she remarked. “And that is not an easy task, and it’s not going to be quick. It’s going to take us a long time.”
Marjorie Greene also called for the expulsion of Gallagher on X.
Yes he should be expelled if he refuses to leave immediately in order to allow his district to hold a special election to elect a representative so that their district can have a voice for the remainder of the 118th Congress!
Leaving after the deadline is intentional betrayal! https://t.co/5QR81wNgSp
— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) March 23, 2024
“Yes, he should be expelled if he refuses to leave immediately in order to allow his district to hold a special election to elect a representative so that their district can have a voice for the remainder of the 118th Congress!” Greene said.
The House already has three vacancies: Two vacated by Republicans and one by Democrats, and Republican Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado has announced that he will depart Congress after this week.
After Buck and Gallagher depart, Johnson will have a 217-to-213 majority, which means Republicans can only lose one vote with full attendance and still approve legislation.
Gallagher is the chairman of the high-profile Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and in his statement, he addressed the search for a successor chair after he stands down.
“I’ve worked closely with House Republican leadership on this timeline and look forward to seeing Speaker Johnson appoint a new chair to carry out the important mission of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party,” Gallagher said in his statement.
Gallagher was also one of a handful of Republicans to oppose the impeachment of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise downplayed the narrowing majority.
“It is tough with a five-seat majority, it is tough with a two-seat, one will be the same,” Scalise said. “We all have to work together.”
“We have to unite if we are going to get things done, we have proven with bills like our energy bill, our border security bill and some of the other big things we have done we can come together and get things done for hard working families,” he added.
On Friday, the House of Representatives passed a $1.2 trillion spending bill that many Republican voters blasted as a “betrayal.” The Senate is deliberating on its passage and is likely to take up the vote on Monday.
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