You might be forgiven for thinking that the Republican Party had a majority in the House of Representatives. After all, it secured slightly more seats than the Democrats in the 2022 midterm elections.

But believing that the GOP had a majority in the House would be a mistake. Since the 118th Congress convened in January 2023, House Republicans and what was initially a four-seat majority have been plagued by infighting and drama that now threatens to hand control of the chamber over to the Democratic Party.

On Friday, three things happened: First, a minority of Republicans along with most Democrats passed a spending bill to fund the government through the rest of the year, much to the chagrin of the conservative wing of the GOP. Second, Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), announced he would be resigning from Congress in April. Third, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) filed a motion to vacate Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and freeze the chamber for the second time this Congress in retaliation for the spending bill.

While Greene’s motion to vacate might draw the most headlines, the motion will not face a vote until she calls it up. It is really Gallagher’s retirement announcement that is the most consequential, because it reduces the mathematical majority for the House GOP to one seat, as there are already multiple vacancies in the chamber.

For the past year, Republicans in the House have been plagued by infighting that has made their razor-thin majority entirely dysfunctional, and the party has been forced to rely on Democratic votes to pass legislation, effectively turning the chamber into a coalition majority between establishment Republicans and Democrats. And with a one-seat majority, any member will be able to veto any bill that comes to the floor and requires a party-line vote for passage.

And if this untenable situation were not bad enough, Gallagher decided to flip his party a proverbial middle finger with the timing of his resignation. The Wisconsin congressman is leaving office on April 19, and any vacancy arising after the second Tuesday in April must be filled in the November general election, according to Wisconsin law.

In other words, Gallagher could have announced his resignation would take effect two weeks sooner, and the GOP would be able to fill his seat in a special election in short order. Instead, he’s making sure that can’t happen and thumbing his nose at the people of Wisconsin who elected him while he collects a fat paycheck from Palantir.

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With Gallagher’s resignation, it will only take one more departure from the House Republican Conference to hand control of the chamber over to the Democratic Party, at least until a series of special elections in May and June fill some vacancies from safe Republican districts.

If more Republican lawmakers sell out their voters and head to the exits before their terms end, the Republican majority that never was will be gone before voters can have their say, and Democrats will have unified control of the government once more.