Special Poll
Former President Trump criticized Republican representatives who are stepping down from their positions, labeling them as “cowards and weaklings” and exacerbating concerns about the diminishing GOP majority in the House. In a Truth Social post, Trump expressed his disdain following the announcement of Representative Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) planning to leave Congress.
Trump’s comments over Easter targeted Gallagher and former Representative Ken Buck (R-Colo.), who both opted for early retirement, leading to vacant seats. Gallagher’s seat will remain unfilled until the following January, whereas Buck’s resignation led to an earlier replacement set for June.
These departures, along with other vacancies, have dwindled the Republican majority to a precarious one-seat lead post-Gallagher’s resignation. This has intensified the struggle to pass legislation along party lines and sparked rumors that Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) might vie for the Speaker position amidst GOP dissent against current Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).
Criticism has particularly been directed at Gallagher, whose resignation timing aligns with Wisconsin’s election law, thereby preventing a prompt special election to fill his seat. This move has drawn ire within the GOP, with Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) suggesting his expulsion, a proposal that has seen little traction.
The upcoming vacancy left by former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) will soon follow, briefly maintaining the slim majority margin. Gallagher has attributed his departure to the prevailing dysfunction within the GOP, citing a belief in the non-career nature of congressional service and advocating for a return to private life as per the original intentions of the nation’s founders.