Florida GOP Rep. Mike Waltz has resigned from Congress after being tapped to serve as incoming President Donald Trump's national security adviser, The Hill reported. Unfortunately, this could impact the balance of the House of Representatives.
Waltz's resignation takes effect when Trump takes the oath of office on Jan. 20, 2025. This ensures Waltz can vote for Speaker of the House on Jan. 3.
However, this news also comes on the heels of fellow Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz's resignation last week. Gaetz was initially picked to be Trump's attorney general, but he withdrew his name from consideration and later from his current and new terms in Congress.
Even before these registrations, Republicans had a narrow majority to pass Trump's agenda. Now, they will have to wait until April 1, when special elections will be held to elect replacements for the outgoing representatives.
On Monday, Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd accepted Waltz's resignation. Byrd said the primary election would occur on Jan. 28, with the general election commencing on April 1 to fill the vacancies.
Unlike other cabinet positions, the national security adviser role goes into effect as soon a candidate accepts the role rather than requiring Senate confirmation. Other Republican members of Congress tapped to staff Trump's cabinet include Oregon Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who lost her reelection, and New York Rep. Elise Stefanik.
According to Fox News, Trump has already begun endorsing some candidates for their replacements. In Florida, Trump presented the state's chief financial officer, Jimmy Patronis Jr., and former state Sen. Randy Fine as possible candidates.
So far, Trump's cabinet picks have been popular with Americans, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the Health and Human Services Secretary and Fox News host Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary, the New York Post reported. Surveys show that his new cabinet is well received.
There is considerable optimism for Trump when he takes the White House along with the people he's handpicked to help. However, he may run into a snag with the vacancies in Congress from those who will leave to join his administration.
Fox News noted that Republicans have 219 seats compared to Democrats' 213 seats in Congress. The majority could be in jeopardy with the departure of Gaetz, Stefanik, and Waltz.
Even in heavily Republican districts, the success of Republican candidates is not guaranteed, which is making some nervous. "I know he's already pulled a few really talented people out of the House – hopefully, no more for a little while until special elections come up, but it shows you the talent that we have and the ability we have," House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson similarly implored Trump to quit pulling talent from their ranks. "President Trump fully understands and appreciates the math here, and it's just a numbers game. You know, we believe we're going to have a larger majority than we had last time," Johnson said.
"It's too early to handicap it, but we are optimistic about that. But every single vote will count, because if someone gets ill or has a car accident or a late flight on their plane, then it affects the votes on the floor. So, I think he and the administration are well attuned to that. I don't expect that we will have more members leaving, but I'll leave that up to him," Johnson said.
There's a delicate balance between getting the best of the best in Trump's cabinet and leaving some solid Republicans in place. Trump will strike that balance as best he can, but the nation's future is looking bright with him at the helm no matter what.
