Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is urging House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to more rapidly drive Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) out of Congress so that his district can select a replacement to finish out his term.
Mr. Gallagher announced last month that he wouldn’t seek reelection in 2024. On March 22, he indicated that he wouldn’t finish his term and would officially step down on April 19.
The current timeline for Mr. Gallagher’s departure would leave his seat vacant, slimming the Republican House majority for the remainder of the term. Wisconsin law states that a resignation must occur before the second Tuesday in April for the seat to be filled through a special election. That date is April 9 this year.
Mr. Gallagher didn’t specify why he is choosing to resign on April 19. He said he had “worked closely with House Republican leadership” on the timeline.
During an interview with Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures” program on March 24, Ms. Greene lamented the impact of Mr. Gallagher’s departure and said party leaders should do more to preserve their slim advantage.
“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 this,” she said.
Ms. Greene is already clashing with the current House speaker over his decision on March 22 to advance a $1.2 trillion spending package to fund the government for the remainder of the fiscal year. Although 112 House Republicans opposed the spending deal, Mr. Johnson and 100 other House Republicans joined with enough House Democrats to pass it.
Afterward, she filed a motion to vacate Mr. Johnson from his speakership.
Speaking with Fox News on March 24, Ms. Greene indicated that she doesn’t plan to act immediately on her motion to oust Mr. Johnson from the speakership, but said the move acts as a “pink slip.” She pointed to the speaker’s apparent handling of Mr. Gallagher’s resignation as another reason for her disaffection with the current House Republican leadership.
“Speaker Johnson has also failed our majority because he is allowing Mike Gallagher to leave Congress after the deadline date where his district cannot hold a special election and elect a new representative for the rest of this entire Congress,” Ms. Greene said.
“Mike Gallagher betrayed all of us 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.”
Following Mr. Gallagher’s resignation announcement, the House speaker issued a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, commending the Wisconsin Republican’s work in Congress. Mr. Johnson said Mr. Gallagher “has faithfully served Wisconsin’s 8th District and all of the American people” and “has been a trusted friend and colleague since we both entered Congress in 2017.”
It’s unclear if Mr. Johnson is considering any effort to persuade or compel Mr. Gallagher to leave his congressional seat earlier to allow for a special election. NTD News reached out to the speaker’s office for comment but didn’t receive a response by press time.
It’s also unclear whether Mr. Gallagher is considering changing his resignation plans to avoid slimming the House Republican majority for the remainder of his term. NTD News reached out to the Wisconsin congressman’s office but didn’t receive a response by press time.
