Mike Johnson dealing with 'morale problem' as GOP fears more lawmakers will quit abruptly

With six months to go before the 2024 election, the House Republican leadership is busy putting out fires and encouraging members of their caucus that things will get better so they should stick around.

According to a report from the Washington Post, there is a severe morale problem among House Republicans who are tired of the chaos that has led to the ousting of previous Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), and the back-biting that has led to a whopping 21 lawmakers who are leaving — five of whom are bailing before the election.

That, along with the ouster of Rep. George Santos (R-NY), has left the GOP with the slimmest of margins and is creating headaches for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) who is also facing calls for his demotion as the House leader.

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What worries Republicans even more is the possibility more members will announce their departure and then step down immediately handing possible control of the chamber to the Democrats.

Johnson was candid about his dismay of a declining majority, stating in an interview: “We’ve got to be ready to govern, and we’re going to turn this mess around 180 degrees, but we’ve got to get through this difficult valley to get to that other side.”

According to the Post, former Rep. Ken Buck (R-Co), who has already stepped aside, claimed there could be more to follow him.

“This is a dysfunctional place and I’m not making an observation that others haven’t made,” he admitted.

"The decision to step back is yet another sign of the broaderdrop in morale within the GOP conference. Many Republican lawmakershave largely accepted that their inability to govern is a predicament of their own making. They acknowledge that overcoming their legislative impasse relies on not just keeping control of the House in November, but growing their ranks significantly to neutralizethe handful of hard-liners who wield influence by taking advantage of the narrow margins," The Post is reporting before adding, "But many also continue to say privately what few have acknowledged publicly: Republicans believe they are likely to lose the majority."

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