New York Rep. Elise Stefanik will return to House Republican leadership after President Donald Trump withdrew her nomination to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed Thursday.
“I will invite her to return to the leadership table immediately,” Johnson wrote in a post on X.
The speaker will likely have to create a new, honorary leadership position for Stefanik, the former No. 4 House Republican. She didn’t run again for Republican conference chair last December after Trump nominated her to be in his administration.
The sitting GOP conference chair, Rep. Lisa McClain of Michigan, is not planning to step down from her post, according to a person who was granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about her plans.
It would not be unprecedented for Johnson to create a new leadership position to solve an internal political quandary. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi created a role for House Democrats nearly two decades ago that became known as “assistant leader” and “assistant speaker” to allow more close allies at her leadership table.
Trump’s decision to pull Stefanik’s nomination caught many Republicans on Capitol Hill off guard — as did his public acknowledgment that her seat, which Trump won by 21 points in November, could have been in jeopardy for Republicans in a special election.
“With a very tight Majority, I don’t want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise’s seat,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The people love Elise and, with her, we have nothing to worry about come Election Day.”
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