House Speaker Johnson Readies Swearing-In for Texas Rep.-elect Menefee as Vote Margin Tightens

By Eric Mack
Sunday, February 1, 2026, 9:17 PM EST

House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana reportedly will be ready to swear in Rep.-elect Christian Menefee of Texas on Monday if Menefee’s office takes the necessary steps.

A recent report on social media states that Johnson is expected to administer the oath to Menefee tomorrow provided the paperwork from Texas arrives in time. This action would reduce Johnson’s vote margin to one.

Johnson was previously criticized for not swearing in Rep. Adelita Grijalva of Arizona during the Democrats’ record-setting government shutdown last fall, but the latest partial shutdown over obstruction of immigration enforcement is a separate issue that will not affect House operations.

“We are not in legislative session,” Johnson said October 20. “I will administer [the] oath to her, I hope, on the first day we come back into legislative session.”

Johnson later criticized Grijalva for partisan political games before even being seated. “In the meantime, instead of doing TikTok videos, she should be serving her constituents,” Johnson said pointedly October 20. “She could be taking their calls, directing them, trying to help them through the crisis that Democrats have created by shutting down the government.”

The House plans to vote Tuesday on the Senate’s reworked continuing resolution to reopen the government after the partial shutdown resumed early Saturday morning, just after midnight Friday.

Democrats will insist on a prompt swearing-in for Menefee, tightening the Republican lead to 218-214. Three House vacancies in Georgia, New Jersey, and California are scheduled to be filled by special elections in March, April, and August, respectively.

The Texas district has been vacant for most of the past year. Menefee will replace the late Rep. Sylvester Turner of Texas, who served only two months in the House before his death in March.

Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.