How Rep. Mark Green's abrupt resignation will affect House Republicans' slim majority



Republican Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee abruptly announced Monday that he will be resigning from Congress, narrowing an already slim GOP majority.

Green said he will be ending his 40-year-long career in public service to pursue a role in the private sector, which he says "was too exciting to pass up." His resignation will take place after he votes on President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill," which barely made it through the House in May and is currently making its way through the Senate.

Once Green officially resigns, Republicans will hold 219 seats and Democrats will hold 212 seats.

Although Green is not the first Republican member to leave this Congress, his resignation has raised some eyebrows.

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"It is with a heavy heart that I announce my retirement from Congress," Green said in a statement Monday. "Recently, I was offered an opportunity in the private sector that was too exciting to pass up. As a result, today I notified the Speaker and the House of Representatives that I will resign from Congress as soon as the House votes once again on the reconciliation package."

Although Green is not the first Republican member to leave Congress since the 2024 election, his resignation has raised some eyebrows.

Former Republican Reps. Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz of Florida both left Congress after President Donald Trump nominated them for attorney general and national security adviser. Gaetz's nomination was eventually withdrawn, and he was replaced with Republican Rep. Jimmy Patronis. Waltz went on to serve in the administration and was later replaced by Republican Rep. Randy Fine.

Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York was also set to serve in the administration as ambassador to the United Nations. Stefanik was midway through her Senate confirmation before her nomination was also pulled due to the narrow House majority.

While Stefanik's nomination was withdrawn due to the slim majority, Green's resignation went unopposed.

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A key difference between the two is that Green's seat is in a safe Republican district. Although Stefanik comfortably won re-election, the blue state of New York would have been responsible for holding a special election for her seat.

Stefanik was also set to leave before the reconciliation vote, which barely made it through the House in May with a 215-214 vote. Because of the thin margin, Green said he will remain in Congress until the landmark legislation is sent back from the Senate and passes the House for a second time.

House Republican leadership staff confirmed to Blaze News that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was made aware of Green's imminent resignation before his announcement on Monday, allowing for a smooth transition.

Republican Gov. Bill Lee of Tennessee now must set the date for a special election. Tennessee law requires the governor to order a special election within 10 days of Green's resignation and to schedule a primary election within 55 to 60 days from the resignation and a subsequent general election within 100 to 107 days.

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How Congress' balance of power continues to shift



Just months into the 119th Congress, the balance of partisan power continues to shift within historically narrow margins.

Although Republicans held on to their House majority, Democrats managed to flip nine seats, while Republicans flipped eight seats, narrowing their advantage. The GOP also took a hit when several members of the Republican conference, such as former Rep. Mike Waltz of Florida, were tapped to serve in President Donald Trump's administration.

With multiple vacancies and several special elections, the House's partisan split continues to fluctuate, and every seat counts.

Former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida was also initially recruited to head the Department of Justice, although he eventually dropped his bid and announced that he would not return to serve in the 119th Congress.

These vacancies leave Johnson with just a one-seat majority, requiring Republicans to vote in lockstep for every partisan vote.

To fill the Floridians' vacancies, the state will hold a special election on April 1. While both seats are expected to be filled by Republicans, Johnson is bracing himself for another vacancy in New York once the Senate confirms Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik to serve as U.N. ambassador. As a result, Republicans have made an effort to prolong Stefanik's confirmation, given how valuable her vote is in the House.

Once Stefanik does vacate her seat, Republicans will have a challenging time replacing her. Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York reportedly plans on slow-walking the special election to fill Stefanik's seat, prolonging Republicans' narrow majority.

On the other hand, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas is also tasked with replacing Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner after he passed away on March 5 at the age of 70.

With multiple vacancies and several special elections, the House's partisan split continues to fluctuate, and every seat counts.

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Matt Gaetz's ethics report may not be the bombshell Democrats were hoping for



The House Ethics Committee released the long-anticipated report on former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida on Monday.

Many thought the report would be damning. However, Gaetz has already been investigated for all the allegations detailed in the report and was never charged by the Biden-Harris Department of Justice. Through it all, Gaetz has stood firm and denied all allegations against him.

"The Biden/Garland DOJ spent years reviewing allegations that I committed various crimes," Gaetz said in a post on X ahead of the report's release. "I was charged with nothing: FULLY EXONERATED. Not even a campaign finance violation. And the people investigating me hated me."

"Then, the very 'witnesses' DOJ deemed not-credible were assembled by House Ethics to repeat their claims absent any cross-examination or challenge from me or my attorneys," Gaetz continued. "I've had no chance to ever confront any accusers. I've never been charged. I've never been sued. Instead, House Ethics will reportedly post a report online that I have no opportunity to debate or rebut as a former member of the body."

The report's most incendiary finding was that Gaetz allegedly slept with a 17-year-old girl in 2017 and paid multiple women for what they claim were sexual encounters, all while he was a member of the House.

Gaetz again firmly denied these allegations, noting that they were never brought against him in court and that he was never charged.

"In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated - even some I never dated but who asked," Gaetz said. "I dated several of these women for years."

"I NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18," Gaetz continued. "Any claim that I have would be destroyed in court - which is why no such claim was ever made in court."

After Gaetz resigned from the House in November, the committee deliberated on whether to release the report since it was no longer within its jurisdiction. Although it is not regular practice to release reports on former members and despite Speaker Mike Johnson's defense of Gaetz, the committee voted to release the report anyway.

"My 30's were an era of working very hard - and playing hard too," Gaetz said. "It's embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life. I live a different life now."

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Gaetz gets ahead of ethics report release with admission about his 'single days'



Republicans on the House Ethics Committee voted last month to block the results of the panel's investigation into former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, which apparently detail claims that Gaetz had sex with a minor and engaged in illicit drug use. On Dec. 5, House Republicans spiked a Democratic-pushed resolution to release the report. That same day, the committee indicated it had resumed discussions of "the matter of Representative Matt Gaetz."

Unnamed sources told CNN and confirmed to The Hill this week that the House Ethics Committee ultimately voted in secret to release the report before year's end.

In an apparent attempt to get ahead of the release, Gaetz issued a statement on X Wednesday providing some context for what the American people might read about him in the days to come as well as about the alleged nature of the people who conducted the investigation.

"The Biden/Garland DOJ spent years reviewing allegations that I committed various crimes," wrote Gaetz, who was briefly President-elect Donald Trump's pick to run the Justice Department. "I was charged with nothing: FULLY EXONERATED. Not even a campaign finance violation. And the people investigating me hated me."

'I probably partied, womanized, drank, and smoked more than I should have earlier in life.'

"Then, the very 'witnesses' DOJ deemed not-credible were assembled by House Ethics to repeat their claims absent any cross-examination or challenge from me or my attorneys. I've had no chance to ever confront any accusers. I've never been charged. I've never been sued," continued the former Florida congressman. "Instead, House Ethics will reportedly post a report online that I have no opportunity to debate or rebut as a former member of the body."

The committee's ultimate decision to release the report means one or more Republican members would have needed to flip. The Republican members of the committee are as follows: Reps. Michael Guest (Miss.), David Joyce (Ohio), John Rutherford (Fla.), Andrew Garbarino (N.Y.), and Michelle Fischbach (Minn.).

The committee did not respond to CNN's request for comment. Rep. Guest confirmed to The Hill that the committee held its final meeting of the 118th Congress last week but did not divulge what they discussed.

"In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated — even some I never dated but who asked. I dated several of these women for years. I NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18," Gaetz said in his statement. "Any claim that I have would be destroyed in court — which is why no such claim was ever made in court."

Gaetz continued, writing, "My 30s were an era of working very hard — and playing hard too. It's embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank, and smoked more than I should have earlier in life. I live a different life now."

The former congressman added, "But at least I didn't vote for CRs that f*** over the country!"

After Trump announced on Nov. 13 that he wanted Gaetz to replace Attorney General Merrick Garland, the Florida Republican resigned from Congress. Some of Gaetz's colleagues reportedly speculated that his resignation had something to do with the Ethics Committee's report. After all, the panel lacks jurisdiction over former members and even CNN admitted it is "exceedingly rare" for such a report to be released after a House member's departure.

Less than two weeks after Gaetz's resignation, he withdrew from his AG nomination, noting that "it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the crucial work of the Trump/Vance Transition."

The report will likely be made public later this week.

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