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Politics

Marjorie Taylor Greene remarks ‘hopefully no one dies’ as Republican majority shrinks

By Jake Beardslee · December 7, 2023

In brief…

  • Speaker McCarthy announced he will resign from Congress by end of December
  • Rep. George Santos was expelled from the House, shrinking the GOP majority
  • Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said the GOP will have just a 1 seat majority in 2024
  • Other Republicans like Rep. Bill Johnson also plan to resign soon
The rapidly shrinking Republican House majority due to resignations leaves the party on precarious footing heading into the 2024 elections.  Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America/Wikimedia

House Republicans face a rapidly shrinking majority following the announced resignations of Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and the expulsion of Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.).

“Now in 2024, we will have a 1 seat majority in the House of Representatives,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) stated on social media platform X. “Congratulations Freedom Caucus for one and 105 Rep who expel our own for the other. I can assure you Republican voters didn’t give us the majority to crash the ship.”

According to Greene, these developments leave Republicans clinging to a fragile one-seat advantage as they head into the 2024 elections. She added, “Hopefully no one dies,” referring to the precarious situation.

McCarthy revealed in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal that he plans to step down from Congress by the end of December, after a turbulent start to his speakership. The House Freedom Caucus initially blocked McCarthy’s ascension to Speaker in October. He finally secured the gavel earlier this month after 15 rounds of voting.

“I know my work is only getting started,” McCarthy wrote regarding his future plans.

The House also made history last week by voting almost unanimously to remove Santos over fabricated life details shared during his successful House campaign.

The resignations reflect a broader exodus plaguing Congress. An increasing number of representatives have announced retirement plans, while others intend to run for different political offices.

For example, Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) recently declared his intention to exit by spring to lead Youngstown State University.