The House Republican majority will be down by one seat after January 21 because House Majority Leader Steve Scalise is on sick leave.
Scalise, who was diagnosed with blood cancer on Aug. 29, will be absent from the House when it reconvenes on Jan. 9 to undergo a stem cell transplant, officials said. statement His agency released him. After Ohio Republican Rep. Bill Johnson resigns on January 21, House Republicans will only have 218 members present and voting in the then-432-member chamber, giving them a majority of 217 to pass legislation. . They hold a one-seat majority. (Related: House Republican majority shrinks further as members announce resignations)
“[Leader Scalise] He is currently undergoing the transplant process and is reaching an important milestone in his fight against cancer. Once the procedure is complete, he will recover under the supervision of a medical team and he plans to work remotely until he returns to Washington next month,” his office said in a statement. Scalise said members cannot vote remotely or by proxy because they must be present in the House chamber to vote, which has been the policy for some time. Revived It was passed by House Republicans at the beginning of the 118th Congress, after Democrats in the 116th and 117th Congresses approved voting by proxy.
House Democrats are focused on building an economy that grows the middle class.
MAGA Republicans continue to waste time targeting President Biden's family.
Extremists have nothing to show when they were in the majority.
— Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) January 5, 2024
Ideological divisions in the House Republican Conference, which has a slim majority of four seats, has often hampered legislative action during the 118th Congress, as some Republicans defected on key votes. These included both the election of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his removal from office, as well as votes on several spending bills that were withdrawn from the House floor in November due to lack of support.
Mr. McCarthy resigned from the House on December 31st, vacating his seat and contributing to the narrowing of the majority, while Republican Representative George Santos of New York was expelled by the House on December 1st. The rally, headed by Santos, will be held on February 13th, along with the Democratic candidate (Santos' predecessor, former New York Congressman Tom Suozzi). Leading by a small margin The poll is within the margin of error.
The House and Senate must pass several spending bills by January 19th to avoid a government shutdown, and the rest by February 2nd to avoid a complete shutdown. House Democrats have broadly opposed all seven bills that have passed in the House so far but have not passed in the Senate.
The exact date of Mr. Scalise's return is unknown. House Speaker Mike Johnson did not respond to a request for comment.
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