The Republican majority in the House of Representatives hangs by a thread. Or two seats, to be exact. The advance to January 21 for the resignation of conservative congressman Bill Johnson to preside over Youngtown State University leaves the balance of forces at 219-213, with only two GOP legislators left to pass laws with the 217 votes necessary at the moment.
The announcement was made last Tuesday by Michael Peterson, president of the University's board of directors, through a letter to the university community. In it, Peterson assures that Johnson had submitted his resignation that same day and would become the 10th president of this educational center as of January 22, instead of March 15 as planned.
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I am pleased to announce that Youngstown State University’s 10th President, Bill Johnson, will officially assume the role of President at YSU, beginning on January 22, 2024. Bill submitted his official resignation from Congress today, effective at the end of day on January 21, 2024, paving the way for him to begin his presidency this month. With his contract indicating he would start prior to March 15, 2024 we are excited to have him on campus earlier than anticipated.
A precarious majority for the GOP
Johnson's goodbye leaves the GOP majority in the House of Representatives even more precarious, after the expulsion of George Santos and the premature goodbye at the end of the year of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Now, the conservatives barely have a margin of two seats to secure the necessary majority of 217 votes, in a key year and with crucial decisions in the coming months such as the impeachment of President Biden and avoiding the closure of the Government.
In addition, the seats of Santos and McCarthy will have to be decided in special votes, which could further weaken the situation of Republican legislators in the chamber.
In November, Johnson assured: "there is still much left on my agenda to do before I depart Congress"
Johnson had announced his goodbye in November, although he assured that he "will continue serving in the House for several more months, and you will see no let up." Furthermore, in a publication on X he stressed that "there is still much left on my agenda to do before I depart Congress, including doing all I can to help pass tax exemption legislation to benefit the people of East Palestine as well as a broader rail safety bill, streamline America’s LNG export process, and advance a responsible budget and spending package for the remainder of this fiscal year. It’s business as usual."
After much thought and prayerful deliberation, I have accepted the offer to lead Youngstown State University and will not be seeking an 8th term in Congress. As I’ve stated previously, I wasn’t looking for another job, because I love the one I have serving the people of Eastern…
— Rep. Bill Johnson (@RepBillJohnson) November 21, 2023
