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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said Speaker Mike Johnson had ‘failed’ Republicans by not forcing resigning Rep. Mike Gallagher to leave early enough to trigger a special election.
Gallagher, a Wisconsin Republican and chair of the China subcommittee, issued a shock resignation announcement last week that could leave the House with the slimmest of majorities for the rest of the year. He said his last day would be April 19.
Republicans will only be able to lose one vote and still pass party-line legislation once he leaves – at least until a runoff election in California’s 20th district to replace former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
According to Wisconsin election law, a special election is triggered to replace House members if the seat opens up by the first week of April. If a seat becomes available after that, it may sit vacant until the following congressional term.
Greene said Speaker Mike Johnson had ‘failed’ Republicans by not forcing resigning Rep. Mike Gallagher to leave early enough to trigger a special election
‘Speaker Johnson should be forcing Mike Gallagher to leave early so that his district can hold a special election, and any strong Republican Speaker of the House would expel a member for leaving our razor-thin majority in such a delicate, delicate state. We cannot allow — we cannot allow this,’ Greene said Sunday on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures.
‘Mike Gallagher betrayed all of us,’ Greene went on.
‘And Speaker Johnson, as the one who’s responsible for our majority, praised Mike Gallagher on Friday after he announced his departure, saying that he’s great and praising him and thanking him for his service in Congress,’ she added.
A source close to Gallagher told DailyMail.com: Gallagher’s decision was ‘difficult and personal’ and had come ‘after discussions with his family.’
‘House Republican leadership was made aware of and approved this timeline,’ the person said. ‘Moreover, when Vince Fong wins his election a few short weeks after Congressman Gallagher’s departure, this will be a one for one swap and the number of Republicans in the House will be the same.’
On Friday Greene filed a motion to vacate, or a resolution that could oust Johnson, over the spending bills he’d brought to the House floor. She said she would not immediately make the resolution privileged to force a quick vote, but meant it as a ‘warning and a pink slip.’
Gallagher, a Wisconsin Republican and chair of the China subcommittee, issued a shock resignation announcement last week that could leave the House with the slimmest of majorities for the rest of the year
On Friday Greene filed a motion to vacate, or a resolution that could oust Johnson, over the spending bills he’d brought to the House floor
Greene fist bumping with Speaker Mike Johnson at the State of the Union, just two weeks before she launched a motion to vacate against him
But on Sunday, she had forceful words for the speaker too.
‘Johnson cannot remain speaker of the House.’
Gallagher already announced he was retiring at the end of his congressional term earlier this year after blowback for his vote against impeaching Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas.
‘After conversations with my family, I have made the decision to resign,’ Gallagher said in a statement. ‘Effective April 19.’
Gallagher, 39, has been in Congress since 2017. He shares two young daughters with his wife.
The policy-focused pragmatic conservative joins a slew of high-level retirements among the House Republican ranks, after a congressional term marred by chaos.
Just after Gallagher’s announcement, Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, chair of the powerful Appropriations Committee, announced she would be stepping down as chairwoman. She already announced she won’t be running for reelection next term.
Friday was Colorado Rep. Ken Buck’s last day after an early resignation, making him the fifth Republican this year to flee early or be expelled in the case of Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y.
