The Republican majority in the House is already extremely narrow, so former President Trump took aim at the wave of GOP members quitting this year.
“Never forget our cowards and weaklings! Such a disgrace,” Trump said on Truth Social on Sunday in response to an article concerning Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), who is leaving office.
Trump targeted former Representative Ken Buck (R-Colorado) and Gallagher with his Easter comments since they both decided to leave Congress early and vacated their seats. Although Buck resigned last week to be replaced in June, Gallagher will step down from Congress in mid-April, keeping his position vacant until January of next year.
Trump’s insults to Gallagher are echoed by the Republican establishment, since the congressman seemed to time his departure to comply exactly with Wisconsin law, so avoiding a special election. That ensures that, rather than being filled in a few months, his seat will remain vacant until January.
Even though it would be ineffective and lack support, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) asked the House to remove Gallagher as a punishment.
The one-seat margin will last for around three weeks when the next vacancy, that of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), is scheduled to be filled at the end of April.
Gallagher attributed his resignation to the GOP’s disarray.
In an interview in February, Gallagher stated, “Since I ran, I always said that Congress shouldn’t be a career,” following his announcement that he would not seek reelection but prior to making public his early resignation.
“I think that the fact that we have so many lifers and careerists in this institution is why it’s so dysfunctional, and that the framers, when they created the Constitution and this country, had in mind that you would embark on a season of service and then return to private life,” he further added.
