Overview
- House Republicans advanced a rule for four appropriations bills in a 214–213 vote that did not ultimately require Rep. Wesley Hunt's vote.
- Johnson told reporters he was surprised Hunt was not present and then phoned him around 12:30 p.m. ET to return for later votes, according to accounts from leadership and a source familiar with Hunt.
- After flying back to Washington, Hunt arrived late but cast a decisive vote to defeat a Venezuela war powers resolution by a one-vote margin.
- GovTrack data show Hunt missed 46 of 49 roll call votes between Dec. 18 and Jan. 21 and has a 20% lifetime absence rate since 2023, far above the 2% median.
- Hunt, who is trailing Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton in Decision Desk HQ's polling average for the March 3 Republican Senate primary, faces criticism from GOP leaders and Cornyn's campaign as he argues voters care more about policy outcomes than attendance.