House Resignation Will Whittle GOP Majority to Two Seats — Just Ahead of the Spending Votes

The announcement by Congressman Bill Johnson that he will leave the House on January 21 will reduce the Republican majority to two votes just as the budget battle comes to a head.Mr. Johnson submitted his letter of resignation on Tuesday, and his term in Congress will end on January 21. He is leaving the House to serve as president of Youngstown State University, a position he will assume on January 22.In his resignation letter to Governor Dewine and Speaker Johnson, Mr. Johnson said his constituents were disregarded by America’s “elites,” a group that he says includes the same academics he will soon be leading, according to the Youngstown NBC affiliate, WFMJ.“These blue-collar communities, like countless others in ‘flyover county,’ were critical in building our great nation and will play a pivotal role in America’s future,” Mr. Johnson said. “I am extremely humbled to have been repeatedly elected to serve them.”In a letter to the campus community, the chairman of the Youngstown State University board of trustees, Michael Peterson, said that Mr. Johnson has already begun to visit campus in preparation for his new role and expressed excitement about him joining the university despite his railing against academic “elites” in the past.“Bill brings a commitment to advancing our institution’s mission, and we eagerly anticipate the contributions he and his wife LeeAnn will make to our community,” Mr. Peterson said.In a November press conference announcing his move, Mr. Johnson said that one of his missions at Youngstown State will be to eliminate alleged liberal bias at the university, saying, “We want students to be educated, not indoctrinated.”Mr. Johnson’s resignation is the latest in a string of departures that has whittled away at the GOP’s majority, including that of the former speaker, Kevin McCarthy. Also, Congressman George Santos was expelled.Republicans may not have to attempt to govern with a two-seat majority for very long, though, because Congressman Brian Higgins, a Democrat, is expected to resign in February, which would expand the GOP majority to three seats.In the interim between Mr. Johnson’s departure and the expected departure of Mr. Higgins, the House will likely have to vote on a set of eight government funding bills.The House set a staggered deadline for the 12 spending bills it needs to pass to keep the government operating, with four expiring on January 19 and the remaining eight expiring on February 2, meaning House Republicans will need to deliver a spending package that can also pass the Senate with a slim two-seat majority.Mr. Johnson’s seat will almost certainly be filled by a Republican. In 2022, Mr. Johnson won re-election with 67.7 percent of the vote in his district.

House Resignation Will Whittle GOP Majority to Two Seats — Just Ahead of the Spending Votes

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