In spite of the fact that GOP leadership in the House of Representatives has urged him to stay in office, Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI) has decided to retire early from Congress in April.
According to a source close to Gallagher, who spoke to the Washington Examiner, Gallagher has been in communication with other Republicans, as the Gazette reported.
Namely, the lawmaker has been speaking to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and other leaders in the House "throughout this process, including before this decision was announced and his departure date was agreed upon."
"His decision has not changed," the source said.
As per Scripps News, Johnson purportedly requested Gallagher to reconsider his intention to resign from Congress on April 19 and urged him to "do anything he can to stay longer" in the House, where the Republican majority is razor-thin.
The political staff of the speaker failed to provide a response to the Washington Examiner's request for comment.
Gallagher declared his early departure from Congress on March 22, 2024, subsequent to his declaration in February that he would not be seeking re-election in 2024.
As chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, he recommended Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI) as the successor to Gallagher, an individual appointed by Speaker Johnson.
Over the past seven years, Mike Gallagher has faithfully served Wisconsin’s 8th District and all of the American people by his extraordinary work in the House, and by courageously exposing the threat Beijing poses to the U.S., especially as Chairman of the Select Committee on the… https://t.co/cp99fu0bUq
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) March 22, 2024
The early withdrawal of the Wisconsin Republican positions Johnson potentially to gain a one-seat majority.
After Representative Ken Buck (R-CO) tendered his resignation on March 22, the Republican majority in the chamber shrunk to 218-213. Due to Gallagher's retirement, the number will decrease to 217.
After April 19, Speaker Johnson will hold a 217-214 majority in the House, subsequent to a special election for former New York Democratic Representative Brian Higgins, which is expected to name a Democratic successor.
Consequently, in order to postpone the implementation of a specific measure, the Republican Party can barely afford to lose one vote.
Johnson called Gallagher a "trusted friend and colleague" in a statement to X responding to the Wisconsin congressman's early departure announcement last week.
NEWS: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has spoken with and encouraged Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) to *not* resign Congress on April 19, as planned, and "do anything he can to stay longer," a person familiar with Speaker Johnson's thinking confirms to me @scrippsnews (1/2)
— Nathaniel Reed (@ReedReports) March 28, 2024
"We will greatly miss his leadership on Capitol Hill, but we are happy for him, Anne, and their daughters as they begin the next exciting chapter of their lives," the speaker said.
