By Congresswoman Victoria Spartz has announced that she’s boycotting her own part. On Monday evening the Indiana congresswoman said she is stepping away from participation in the House Republican Caucus, expressing dissatisfaction with party leadership. Her decision, shared via a post on Twitter, comes as House Speaker Mike Johnson faces challenges managing a slim GOP majority and growing internal tensions.
One of my promises to the people I represent was to fix our badly broken institution – the United States Congress. 🇺🇸
I see only one way to do it at this point – bring transparency to the American people how bad it has become.
Watch my @CNN interview this morning. pic.twitter.com/uq0Uo6l1HD
— Rep. Victoria Spartz (@RepSpartz) December 18, 2024
Spartz, who initially planned to retire before running for reelection in 2024, delivered a pointed critique of her party’s leadership.
I will stay as a registered Republican but will not sit on committees or participate in the caucus until I see that Republican leadership in Congress is governing. I do not need to be involved in circuses. I would rather spend more of my time helping @DOGE and @RepThomasMassie to… https://t.co/ZNju2jvNHk
— Rep. Victoria Spartz (@RepSpartz) December 16, 2024
Spartz, a Ukrainian immigrant, indicated plans to collaborate with Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie and operate outside traditional GOP structures.
Confirming her decision Tuesday morning, Spartz announced she would forgo her committee assignments in the upcoming Congress, including her influential seat on the House Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over critical areas such as the Department of Justice and the FBI. Her departure complicates Speaker Johnson’s already precarious position, as the GOP majority in the next term could narrow to 216-215, requiring near-unanimous Republican support to pass key legislation.
Politico writes that the decision to step down confused some Republicans, but others suspected the move had something to do with the House GOP Steering Committee not giving her a coveted post on the House Ways and Means Committee, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter.
Spartz, who has had problems with retaining staff, said she’d prefer to “spend more of my time helping” the mission of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which is meant to help cut government spending.
Some Republicans are happy about her decision to boycott the conference meetings, according to two people familiar with the situation, as some had privately complained about her speaking too much during the internal GOP meetings.
Her stance also raises questions about her future alignment with GOP leadership and the House majority altogether, explained Newsweek.
“Spartz’s move could throw the slim Republican majority in the House into peril amid other GOP members of the House being tapped to serve in Trump’s Cabinet.
These include Matt Gaetz, who has already resigned after being picked for the role of attorney general, a position from which he later withdrew. Meanwhile, Representatives Mike Waltz of Florida and Elise Stefanik of New York are in line for national security adviser and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations respectively. Representative Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon has also been nominated to serve as labor secretary.
All the vacant seats will be filled by special elections, the date of which will be set by the governors of each state. No date has yet been announced for the special elections, other than in Florida, where one has been called for January 28 to fill Gaetz’s seat.”
By breaking with the GOP caucus, Spartz positions herself as a potentially influential figure in the next Congress, with the ability to impact party dynamics and the legislative agenda under President-elect Donald Trump’s second term. Her independent approach could create ripples within the Republican Party as it navigates a turbulent political landscape created by one of the slimmest majorities in history.
[Read More: Pelosi Blocks An AOC Power Move]
