NEW: GOP Rep. Resigns From Congress, Shrinking Majority

Rep. Mark Green (R-TN) served his last day in office on Sunday, leaving his position early and taking a seat from the GOP majority earlier than expected. House Republicans now hold 219 seats, compared to 212 for the Democratic Party.

With Green now out of the picture, there are 431 individual House members and four vacant seats. The other empty seats were left vacant by the deaths of Democratic Reps. Sylvester Turner of Texas, Raul Grijalva of Arizona, and Gerry Connolly of Virginia.

Green stated a month ago that after the House voted again on the Big, Beautiful Bill, he would be leaving Congress to return to the private sector. The statement was first reported on by Fox News.

“It is with a heavy heart that I announce my retirement from Congress. Recently, I was offered an opportunity in the private sector that was too exciting to pass up. As a result, today I notified the Speaker and the House of Representatives that I will resign from Congress as soon as the House votes once again on the reconciliation package,” Green’s statement read.

The congressman said that serving the folks of the Tennessee 7th Congressional District was “the honor of a lifetime.”

“They asked me to deliver on the conservative values and principles we all hold dear, and I did my level best to do so. Along the way, we passed historic tax cuts, worked with President Trump to secure the border, and defended innocent life. I am extremely proud of my work as chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, and want to thank my staff, both in my 7th District office, as well as the professional staff on that committee,” Green’s statement continued.

Later on, he revealed that he had originally planned to retire after the last Congress, but decided to stick around for the start of Trump’s second term.

“Though I planned to retire at the end of the previous Congress, I stayed to ensure that President Trump’s border security measures and priorities make it through Congress,” he explained. “By overseeing the border security portion of the reconciliation package, I have done that. After that, I will retire, and there will be a special election to replace me.”

Green previously served in the Army and has been a member of Congress since 2019.

While he’s leaving a seat open in the House, there are strong indications that it will remain firmly in Republican hands. Data reveals the district voted in favor of President Trump by over 20 percent over former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.