‘Expected Him To Be Here’: Mike Johnson Stunned Rep. Wesley Hunt Was Missing For Key House Vote

House Speaker Mike Johnson said he was surprised by Republican Texas Rep. Wesley Hunt’s decision to miss a critical vote Thursday while Republicans work to pass their agenda with a razor-thin majority.

Hunt, who is vying in a brutal three-way Texas Senate primary, was absent while House Republicans advanced a rule teeing up votes on four appropriations bills, including a measure funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Though House Republicans did not end up needing Hunt’s vote to advance the funding bills, GOP leadership has voiced irritation about the Senate hopeful’s frequent absences while he campaigns ahead of the March 3 primary.

“I expected him to be here so this was a surprise to me,” Johnson told reporters, adding that he had not spoken to Hunt the entire week.

When asked whether Hunt’s absences hurt Republicans’ efforts to pass their agenda, Johnson replied, “We have effectively a one-vote margin, so it doesn’t make the job easier.”

Hunt missed 46 out of the 49 roll call votes (94%) between Dec. 18, 2025 and Jan. 21, 2026, according to analysis from GovTrack.

He was absent for an additional three roll call votes during a vote series Thursday morning. House Republicans narrowly advanced the rule teeing up the four government funding bills in a vote of 214-213. All Democrats who were present voted “no,” forcing GOP leadership to scrap together enough Republican votes

Hunt, a member of the influential House Judiciary Committee, was absent during former special counsel Jack Smith’s testimony to the panel Thursday.