One Republican missed House votes because of a car crash that left him badly bruised. Another is recovering from brain surgery, while yet another was away from Washington while caring for his wife, who is dealing with a bout of cancer.
And then there’s Rep. Wesley Hunt. The two-term Texan lawmaker, who is in a heated GOP primary for Senate, has spent so much time on the campaign trail back home that his missed votes have become a salient issue in the race.
Even when everyone is in Washington, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) faces challenges holding his razor-thin majority together in the House. But a spate of absences in recent weeks — some by choice and others by fate — has made it even more difficult to pass legislation, including President Donald Trump’s agenda.
“It’s dicey some days,” Johnson told reporters. “I told everybody … ‘no risk-taking, take vitamins and stay healthy and be here.’”
The White House has started to take notice of the absences, particularly of those who place a greater priority on campaigning than legislating.
“The president does not like it when he hears about members missing votes,” said a person close to Trump, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share private conversations.
Lawmakers have also been told by the White House to prioritize voting in Washington over appearing with Trump when he travels to events in their states, two people familiar with the dynamic said, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity to share conversations that aren’t public.
The White House and congressional leaders have been particularly irked by Hunt’s absences.
He is viewed as a long-shot for a Texas Senate seat, and his entry into the GOP primary has increased the possibility that there will be a costly runoff between the two leading candidates: incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and the state’s attorney general, Ken Paxton.
The absence of Hunt and four other GOP members last week prompted House leadership to postpone a bill that would write into law one of Trump’s executive orders. The legislation aims to increase how much water can be used in a shower by redefining federal standards around showerheads and allowing multiple nozzles. It’s been a pet cause for Trump for some time.
In social media posts this week, Cornyn highlighted Hunt’s absences.
“The Trump agenda is in jeopardy because @wesleyhunttx doesn’t show up to work,” Cornyn said in one. “For the third week this year, Hunt has failed to show up to vote. Texans deserve better.”
Hunt’s office responded the next day with a post touting bills that Hunt has passed in Congress and federal money he has steered to his district. Another post said he was “fully committed” to his constituents.
Hunt’s absences are laid bare on his on House website. A “Vote and Legislation” page recaps his most recent votes for constituents. As of Thursday morning, that included five bills on which he recorded as “Not Voting.”
“Congressman Hunt is crisscrossing Texas to unseat John Cornyn who has been a politician in Texas for 44 years,” Hunt spokesman Lillian Hale said in a statement Thursday. “Texans don’t want a senator who refuses to leave Washington. They want someone who is willing to sit down with them in every part of the state and listen to the issues they care about most.”
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) who, like Hunt, is also running for statewide office in Texas, declined to address Hunt’s absences specifically but said: “My job is to be here, and I’m going to be here. Life’s about choices. Everyone has to make choices about what they’re going to do. For me, I’m going to be here.”
Several other House Republicans are in competitive primaries for other offices and will be increasingly tempted to be on the campaign trail as the election nears.
The number of Republicans in the House narrowed to 218 following the unexpected resignation of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) and the sudden death of Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-California). Democrats currently hold 213 seats and will pick up one more after the winner of a Jan. 31 special election in Texas for a safely blue seat is sworn in.
Keenly aware of the dynamic, Democratic leaders have been forceful this year in urging their members to be present and voting on days key legislation is coming to the House floor. That has at times tripped up GOP leaders, who were not used to Democrats having a full presence.
In a statement to The Washington Post, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana) acknowledged the challenges posed by absent members but said the Republican conference remains unified and is coordinating with its members on the timing of legislation.
“When you have a historically small majority like we do, any absences or illnesses can present challenges and impact the floor schedule — this is not new for us,” Scalise said. “It’s a reality we deal with every day, which is why it’s so important for every member who is physically able to show up for work.”
Some lawmakers are going to great lengths to do that.
After he and his wife were hospitalized following a hit-and-run car crash, Rep. Jim Baird (R-Indiana) returned to work this week wearing a neck brace and bearing a purplish bruise under one eye.
Rep. John Rutherford (R-Florida) missed a string of votes in November while at home with his wife, who is battling cancer. He, too, has since returned.
One who is not yet back is Rep. Greg Murphy (R-North Carolina), who remains home while recovering from brain surgery.
“Per doctor’s orders, I’m still actively resting from my follow-up surgery and cannot be in Washington,” he said in a post this week on social media. “While I’m grateful my recovery has been uneventful, I’m eager to get back to our nation’s capital as soon as possible.”
Marianna Sotomayor contributed to this report.
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