House Republicans brace for spring legislative sprint with one less GOP vote

The House of Representatives is backmost successful league for 4 weeks consecutive connected Monday aft a little recess — and for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., it volition beryllium the commencement of a legislative sprint with 1 little reliable House GOP vote.

Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., who was regarded arsenic a rising Republican star, shocked adjacent immoderate of his colleagues erstwhile helium announced past period that helium would permission Congress earlier the extremity of his term. The House announced his authoritative departure connected Friday.

Due to the timing of his retirement, his spot volition not beryllium filled until the adjacent legislature word successful January 2025.

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House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., left, is starting the adjacent legislative sprint with 1 little reliable GOP ballot aft Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher's Friday retirement. (Getty Images)

Johnson's nationalist remarks and adjacent enactment decisions person reflected that he's keenly alert of the historically slim two-seat borderline he's been dealing with. 

It's apt to get adjacent smaller sometime implicit the adjacent respective weeks — astatine slightest for a time. 

The peculiar predetermination to regenerate retired Rep. Brian Higgins, D-N.Y., successful New York's 26th Congressional District is Tuesday. The heavy municipality spot skews successful favour of Democrats; President Biden won the Buffalo-area territory by astir 30 points successful 2020.

House GOP leaders are expected to get immoderate alleviation successful precocious May, erstwhile 2 Republicans moving to regenerate ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., face-off successful a peculiar runoff election. McCarthy near the House astatine the extremity of past year, but nary campaigner was capable to unafraid a bulk ballot successful the March contention to regenerate him — by California authorities law, it triggers a runoff.

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Gallagher stunned adjacent immoderate of his colleagues erstwhile helium announced his aboriginal status past month. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

But if Higgins' aged spot stays successful Democratic hands, it's apt Johnson volition person to navigate astatine slightest portion of this four-week stint with conscionable a one-vote majority. That means he'd lone beryllium capable to suffer 1 Republican lawmaker connected immoderate party-line vote.

A House GOP adjutant who spoke with Fox News Digital, however, downplayed imaginable concerns. They argued that Johnson has already successfully ushered done astir captious authorities coming successful the adjacent future, prevention for the reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the deadline for which is May 10.

"Absent the FAA reauthorization, which volition walk aboriginal this year, Speaker Johnson has done the occupation entrusted to him," the House GOP adjutant argued. 

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"While his bulk whitethorn shrink with different GOP resignation, he's already won the pugnacious legislative battles. Any dysfunction moving guardant falls squarely connected those who garbage to govern and similar to complain."

The adjutant was referencing members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus and their allies, who person wielded outsized power implicit the House GOP's bladed bulk by voting successful tiny blocs to termination oregon artifact Republican leaders' authorities successful protestation of their handling of captious matters similar authorities spending and overseas aid.

The radical has already signaled that they're putting up a combat implicit different coming legislative conflict — backing the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge successful Baltimore. 

It's imaginable that Congress volition contend with its relation successful backing the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge successful the coming weeks. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

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The Freedom Caucus enactment retired a connection earlier this period demanding that immoderate backing allocated by Congress beryllium offset by spending cuts elsewhere, and that the funds would solely absorption connected span reconstruction.

It's not instantly wide erstwhile a backing measure could instrumentality signifier oregon however overmuch leverage conservatives have, fixed the beardown bipartisan enactment it's expected to receive. But GOP rebels are expected to springiness Johnson a hard clip if helium tries to walk it done accepted mechanisms that trust solely connected party-line votes.