House Republicans Refused To Quickly Seat Tom Suozzi

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Democrat Tom Suozzi won a special House election to replace George Santos, but House Republicans have refused to seat him quickly.

The House Was In Session But Didn’t Seat Ton Suozzi

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) said on MSNBC, “Two weeks ago when Tom Suozzi wins in a blowout election on Long Island and asks to be seated and Leader Jeffries asked to seat Suozzi that week. Republicans have seated their members in the past when they win that week, and they refuse to seat him, and that’s because of the thin majority that they have. So we’ll come back, and I hope he’s seated, but they have shown that they will play it fast and loose if it benefits them.”

House Republicans were in session the week that Suozzi won. Suozzi won on the same say that House Republicans impeached DHS Secretary Mayorkas, and the House remained in session for two days after the election. Democrats assumed that precedent would be followed and Suozzi would be seated ASAP, so that the New York’s third congressional district would have representation, but this is not what happened.

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In the 1969 case Powell v. McCormack, the Supreme Court ruled that the House has no authority over whether or not to seat duly-elected candidates. The authority of the House to remove a member only takes effect after that member is sworn in.

As Rep. Swalwell said, House Republicans are playing fast and loose with the law. Speaker Mike Johnson hasn’t said he wouldn’t seat Suozzi, but he is dragging his feet before he fulfills his constitutional duty because once the Democrats officially pick up another seat, the House Republican majority will shrink to two votes.

The Suozzi delay is another example of the lawlessness that is a defining characteristic of the Trump Republican Party, and hopefully, Rep-Elect Suozzi will be seated when the House comes back into session.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

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Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association

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