Tennessee Republican announces resignation, shrinking House majority
For the second time in less than a month, a Republican Congressman is leaving the House, further narrowing the GOP’s already slim majority. Four-term Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee announced his resignation Friday, July 4, in a post on X.
Green, who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, said his resignation will take effect on July 20. In his post, he wrote, “I will be doing something specifically designed to help America compete against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party), but this time in business.”
What does this mean for the House?
Green’s departure will temporarily reduce the GOP’s House margin to 219-212, with four seats vacant. Under Tennessee law, the governor must call a special election within 10 days.
The announcement comes just days after House Republicans narrowly passed Trump’s signature “Big Beautiful Bill” — a sweeping tax and spending package that passed by a margin of 218 to 214, with two Republicans joining all Democrats in opposition.
House Speaker Mike Johnson scrambled to secure votes before the final tally, a reminder of how fragile the GOP’s control remains.
Who else is leaving Congress?
Green is the second Republican in recent weeks to announce plans to leave Washington.
On June 30, Rep. Don Bacon, R-Nebraska, said he won’t seek a sixth term representing the Omaha area’s District 2 — a perennial battleground known as the “Blue Dot” for its tendency to vote Democratic at the presidential level. Bacon has held the seat since 2017, but Democrats Kamala Harris, Joe Biden and Barack Obama all carried the district in 2024, 2020 and 2008, respectively.
Several Democrats in Nebraska have already announced plans to run for the open seat.
Bacon hints at higher office, blasts Trump on Ukraine
Bacon told NBC News he does not have the “fire in [his] belly” to continue 14-hour days in Washington, though he didn’t rule out a future run for governor or even president.
A retired brigadier general, Bacon has publicly clashed with Trump, particularly over the president’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine war. Bacon has called Trump’s views on Vladimir Putin a “blind spot” and sharply criticized the decision to pause U.S. weapons shipments to Ukraine.
Bacon told NBC News, “If Ukraine falls, the world’s a more dangerous place. I really don’t understand why President Trump doesn’t see that.”
Why the 2026 midterms matter
All 435 seats are up for grabs in the 2026 midterms. Democrats currently hold 212 seats. If they hold their ground and flip just three Republican seats, they could reclaim control, especially if they win upcoming special elections in three blue-leaning districts in Virginia, Texas and Arizona.
Johnson’s narrow House majority continues to face challenges from retirements, internal divisions and competitive races ahead.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
