Speaker Mike Johnson faces potential attendance problems as major bills loom

Source: The Hill

03/22/26 6:00 AM ET


Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is grappling with an attendance issue as lawmakers begin to prioritize the 2026 midterms, potentially complicating the passage of key measures in the months ahead. The predicament was on full display this week: 22 Republicans did not vote for any bills on Tuesday, followed by seven on Wednesday and five on Thursday. By comparison, 21 Democrats did not vote for any bills on Tuesday, followed by six on Wednesday and nine on Thursday.

To be sure, the week was complicated by predictions of a storm that delayed travel back to Washington at the beginning of the week, and there were no must-pass bills on the agenda. But some GOP lawmakers expressed unease with the possibility that absences could spill over into more significant weeks, with major bills on issues such as housing affordability, spy powers and government funding still looming.

When asked if he was concerned about GOP attendance, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) said, “Absolutely. We’ve got to get people here.”. Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) said that “given the slim majority, you’re always going to have to have concern about attendance.”

“It’s like herding cats, and it’s a hard problem. It’s really the responsibility of the whip. But I think Tom Emmer does as good of a job as possible. I think the other thing is, take a look at the importance of some of those bills and significance,” Burlison said. “Members who are kind of having to weigh, it’s campaign year, so they’re having to weigh the opportunity costs of being in their district to some of these votes, and some of these votes are not exactly top priority as much as some of the other ones are.”

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5793607-speaker-mike-johnson-attendance/