House Republicans are facing several absences this week that might leave them without a majority and the ability to pass legislation.
Politico reported, “Republicans hold a thin majority in the House and will need every vote they can get. But McCarthy could face attendance issues. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise is undergoing treatment for multiple myeloma, and Rep. Chris Stewart’s (R-Utah) seat will be empty starting next week. And if Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) ends up pleading guilty to federal charges against him, that could spell his exit from the House.”
Where this gets interesting is that the House and Senate are racing each other to get government funding legislation passed, because the first chamber to pass a plan will have the upper hand in negotiations as Congress attempts to avoid a government shutdown. Democrats say that Senate appropriations probably won’t be passed until early next week, but if McCarthy has attendance issues in his House majority, the House might not be able to pass anything this week.
The pressure is growing on Speaker McCarthy to move forward on Biden impeachment, but he might not have the votes to do much of anything.
The Republican House majority is so tiny that even a few people absent opens the door for potential chaos.
Kevin McCarthy is going to try to sell this as everything is fine, but if a few Republicans go MIA, he’s got a big problem that perfectly plays into the hands of Democrats.