House GOP ‘Could End Up Having A Speaker Hakeem Jeffries In The Interim Here,’ Says NY Republican Amid Diminishing Majority

What Happened: Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) expressed concerns on Monday about the diminishing House GOP majority, The Hill reported on Monday. The imminent departure of Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) next month threatens the current 218-213 majority, reducing the GOP’s lead to a mere four seats.

In a Fox News interview, Tenney voiced her fears, saying, “We’re perilous. We could end up having a Speaker Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) in the interim here while we’re waiting for special elections.”

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) criticized Gallagher’s resignation timing, which leaves his seat vacant until next January. Greene suggested expelling Gallagher before his retirement, though this proposal lacks support.

Three of the four current vacant seats were occupied by Republicans. The seat of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) will be filled in a late May special election, while those of former Reps. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) and Ken Buck (R-Colo.) will be filled in June. The vacant seat of former Rep. Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.) is likely to be filled by a Democrat in a special election on Apr. 30, leaving the GOP with a precarious two-seat margin in May.

This slim majority could potentially fall to Democrats due to daily absences or a single lawmaker siding with the opposition. The current margin has already put the GOP at risk as momentum grows to remove Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), an effort also led by Greene.

Why It Matters: The GOP’s majority is threatened by internal discord. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) has expressed dissatisfaction with the GOP’s direction under former President Donald Trump, hinting at a possible exit from the party.

Greene has also called out the GOP majority’s strategy on government spending and border security as a “complete failure.”

Greene’s move to oust Speaker Johnson has been met with criticism from fellow Republicans, who warn that it could further divide the already fractured GOP conference.