The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a symbolic resolution rebuking Rep. Chuy García of Illinois for his decision to announce his retirement after the filing deadline for congressional elections. Critics argue that García’s move was strategically timed to position his chief of staff, Patty Garcia, for a potential run in the 2026 midterms. The resolution, which passed with a 236-183 vote, split party lines, as some Democrats joined Republicans in the rebuke.
Democratic leaders have been deeply divided over the issue since Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez introduced the nonbinding resolution against García through a fast-track process that bypassed traditional leadership channels. Gluesenkamp Perez, a moderate from Washington’s purple district, has frequently clashed with party leaders, but her aggressive opposition to García was seen as exceeding the bounds of acceptable dissent. Despite Democratic leaders’ objections, Gluesenkamp Perez attended a closed-door caucus meeting where leaders urged members to vote against the resolution, but she did not speak out in defense of her proposal.
Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, the third-ranking Democrat in the House, stated that the party should focus on ‘issues that affect the American people’ rather than internal disputes. Some Democrats defended García, who has denied wrongdoing and claimed his decision to retire earlier this month was based on personal health and family needs. However, many others struggled to justify García’s timing, as his chief of staff filed her candidacy days before García’s official retirement announcement.
Those who supported the resolution emphasized that it was not a personal attack on García but a stand against what they described as subversive tactics in securing political power. Gluesenkamp Perez, however, insisted she had no personal vendetta against García, stating that ‘you cannot win the right to represent people through subversion.’ Despite Democratic leaders’ attempts to kill the resolution Monday evening, Gluesenkamp Perez and Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) sided with all Republicans, forcing a final vote on the matter Tuesday afternoon.