Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) will resign from the Home on Jan. 20, the day President-elect Trump takes workplace, to change into the nationwide safety adviser for Trump’s second time period, a supply acquainted with the matter confirmed to The Hill.
His upcoming resignation implies that Home Republicans, who have been already slated to have a razor-tight majority, will likely be a minimum of two members down when Trump takes workplace till a minimum of April 1 — the date set for the particular election to switch each Waltz and former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who withdrew from consideration to be Trump’s legal professional basic final week however mentioned he will not return to Congress.
Staying by Jan. 20, nonetheless, implies that Waltz will nonetheless be in Congress when the Home elects its Speaker on Jan. 3 — a vote for which the margins within the chamber may play a major function.
Florida Secretary of State Twine Byrd introduced receipt of Waltz’s resignation letter on Monday, alongside a particular election timeline that units the first election date for the seat on Jan. 28 and the final particular election date on April 1. Politico first reported Waltz’s intention to resign on Jan. 20, which a supply acquainted with the matter confirmed to The Hill.
The nationwide safety adviser function doesn’t require Senate affirmation, which means Waltz can take the place instantly.
Waltz and Gaetz aren’t the one Home members leaving Capitol Hill for the Trump administration. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) was tapped to be ambassador to the U.N., and Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.) — who misplaced reelection — is Trump’s choose to be Labor secretary.
The Waltz, Gaetz and Stefanik seats are all protected Republican districts, however the vacancies imply Home Republicans could have a tough time with their slim margins, which is also a consider Stefanik’s departure timeline.
Determination Desk HQ has projected 220 Home seats for Republicans and 213 seats for Democrats, with two races in California remaining too near name.
Home Republicans could have wherever from a two-seat to four-seat majority as soon as the seats are crammed, however might be right down to a one- to three-seat margin till the 2 Florida seats are crammed — and that’s earlier than accounting for some other emptiness from Stefanik.
