House Speaker Mike Johnson found himself caught off guard when a key Republican ally, Texas Rep. Wesley Hunt, was nowhere to be seen during a critical House vote on Thursday.
Johnson expressed surprise at Hunt’s absence as House Republicans narrowly advanced a rule to set up votes on four appropriations bills, including funding for the Department of Homeland Security, passing by a razor-thin margin of 214-213 with all present Democrats voting against it, while other Republicans like Arkansas Rep. Steve Womack, mourning the loss of his wife, and Indiana Rep. Jim Baird, recovering from a car accident, still showed up to cast their votes.
The Daily Caller reported that Hunt’s absence isn’t a one-off; according to GovTrack, he has missed 46 out of 49 roll call votes between Dec. 18, 2025, and Jan. 21, 2026, a staggering 94% absence rate.
Over his three-year tenure since January 2023, Hunt has skipped 327 out of 1,641 votes, or 20%, compared to the median lawmaker’s mere 2% absence rate.
While the GOP didn’t ultimately need Hunt’s vote to advance the funding bills on Thursday, Johnson noted the strain such absences place on their agenda with “effectively a one-vote margin,” making every missed vote a risky proposition.
Hunt, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, also skipped former special counsel Jack Smith’s testimony on Thursday, adding to the irritation of party leaders.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise noted that many members running statewide still show up to vote daily, underscoring the expectation for attendance.
Scalise himself said, “We have made it very clear to our members, especially with a narrow majority, that you have a job to do and it’s important for everyone to be here who is able to.”
With Hunt campaigning for the Texas Senate primary on March 3, trailing opponents Sen. John Cornyn and State Attorney General Ken Paxton by double digits per Decision Desk HQ polls, his focus seems divided.
Cornyn’s campaign spokesman, Matt Mackowiak, accused Hunt of prioritizing “selfish political ambitions” over his duties, a jab that hits hard given the GOP’s tight margins.
A spokesperson for Hunt told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the Speaker reached out just 30 minutes before a needed afternoon vote on Thursday, claiming Hunt was en route to Washington, D.C., to cast his ballot.
The same spokesperson also claimed a member of House leadership confirmed with Hunt on Tuesday that his presence wasn’t required in D.C. this week, a statement that raises questions since Johnson hadn’t even spoken to Hunt all week.
Hunt seems unfazed by the criticism, telling a Texas outlet on Monday that primary voters don’t care about attendance, only about securing the border or supporting President Trump’s agenda.
But with fellow Republicans like Womack and Baird showing up despite personal hardship, Hunt’s dismissive stance feels like a misstep—if he wants a bigger job, proving reliability in the current one might be the smarter play.
