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Johnson’s Career Crisis & The House G.O.P. Exodus

Serving in the House—even when your party controls that chamber, the Senate, and the Oval Office—just ain’t what it used to be. The 119th Congress has been divided and demoralized, and is on track to be the least productive in recent memory. Now, frustrated G.O.P. members are running for the exits before things get worse.

Mike Johnson
Republicans are so frustrated with Mike Johnson’s reluctance to move bills that they are defying him by filing discharge petitions—three of them so far this year—a tactic that was once unheard of from the majority party. Photo: Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images
Leigh Ann Caldwell
December 7, 2025

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House Republicans got everything they could have asked for in 2024—not just a powerful (albeit small) majority in their own chamber, but also control of the Senate and the presidency. Still, that governing trifecta has been less productive and more acrimonious than anyone hoped: The electoral high has long since worn off, replaced by stalled legislation, a capricious and vindictive White House, and the possibility of a midterm beating that could relegate them to the minority. These days, many House Republicans are wondering if their future includes another term in Congress at all.