Rep. Mike Gallagher exiting Congress in April, further whittling slim House GOP majority

Rep. Mike Gallagher announced that he will leave Congress next month, before the end of his term, a move that will shrink Republicans’ already thin control of the House to one vote.

The 39-year-old lawmaker was considered a rising star in the Republican Party, building a brand as a top national security and foreign policy hawk. Last year, he was tapped to chair the high-profile Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.

But after being one of three House Republicans to vote against impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in February, Mr. Gallagher, Wisconsin Republican, decided to not run for reelection, saying at the time that “Congress is no place to grow old.” 

Now, he’s fast-tracking his retirement.  

“After conversations with my family, I have made the decision to resign my position as a member of the House of Representatives for Wisconsin’s Eighth Congressional District, effective April 19,” Mr. Gallagher said on X. 

His decision, coupled with Rep. Ken Buck’s exit from Congress on Friday, leaves House Speaker Mike Johnson with extremely little room for error on passing legislation. Republicans will hold 217 seats, while Democrats hold 213, with five vacancies.

“I’ve worked closely with House Republican leadership on this timeline and look forward to seeing Speaker Johnson appoint a new chair to carry out the important mission of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party,” Mr. Gallagher said. 

Mr. Gallagher said at the time of his decision not to run for reelection that he planned to treat his tenure in Congress as a “high-intensity deployment,” and intended to spend more time with his family and pursue private sector career, where he hopes to continue the national security and foreign policy work he began in Washington.