GOP lawmaker's absence nearly hands Democrats win on Trump war powers

By Fox News · Fox News

Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, nearly handed Democrats a victory to restrict President Donald Trump's war powers in Venezuela by initially failing to appear for votes on Thursday. It’s a continuation of a pattern of absences that’s added instability to a razor-thin Republican majority in the House of Representatives as Hunt spends time in Texas campaigning in a competitive Republican Senate primary. Hunt had already missed two key votes earlier in the day by the time he rushed into the House chamber 20 minutes late for the Venezuela resolution. His vote was key to killing the bipartisan effort — which nearly succeeded by a one-vote margin. CORNYN TORCHES DEMOCRATIC FIELD, SAYS PARTY NOW ‘RULED BY SOCIALISTS’ If successful, the resolution would have directed Trump to remove U.S. military forces from Venezuela , despite the administration saying there are no boots on the ground as is. When asked before the vote if he was representing his constituents well, Hunt declined to answer, saying that he had returned to make sure lawmakers and their staff could leave town on schedule. "I just want to make sure that y'all are OK when the storm hits, because it's coming, especially here in D.C. It's gonna hit y'all really, really hard," Hunt said, referring to a snowstorm forecast to hit the nation’s capital over the weekend. Having cast his vote , Hunt immediately left the chamber. DEMOCRAT TAKEOVER FEARS RISE AS GOP CLINGS TO SLIM HOUSE MAJORITY "Y'all be safe. Y'all be safe. Y'all be safe. This storm is coming," Hunt said as he got into a car. House Speaker Mike Johnson , R-La., told reporters Hunt’s absence did not make his job "any easier" after the Texas Republican missed a separate vote that Republicans narrowly won earlier in the day. With the recent death of Rep. Doug LaMalfa , R-Calif., and the resignation of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., Republicans can only lose two votes to pass legislation without Democratic help. Notably, Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., and Tom Mc…