Rep. Christian Menefee (D-Texas), a former Harris County, Texas, attorney, was sworn in as a member of the House on Monday after winning the special election runoff for late Rep. Sylvester Turner’s (D-Texas) seat last week.
“It’s been more than 330 days since the people of the 18th Congressional District had representation, had a voice in Congress,” Menefee said after being sworn in.
When this body took on important votes about whether to cut [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)] benefits, about whether to make it more difficult to access Medicaid, important issues, this district had no voice in Congress, so this one is for the 18th.”
Turner died in March of last year at the age of 70, leaving his seat empty for close to a year.
With Menefee now a member of Congress, House Republicans are facing an even tighter margin of error for votes. The House now stands at a 218-214 split in a time of unease among Republicans in the lower chamber directed toward Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and President Trump. The already-beleaguered speaker can now only afford to lose one Republican vote.
