Representative Mark Green (R-TN) submitted his resignation from Congress on Friday, leaving the GOP with a razor-thin margin in the House of Representatives.

Green resigned from Congress on Friday, leaving the GOP down yet another seat in an already collapsing majority with major legislative ventures on the horizon.

Green is a retired U.S. Army officer who has represented Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District since 2019 and had already confirmed that he planned to step down after passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

With the success of Trump's massive budget bill, Green is taking the exit and reportedly heading for the private sector after serving six years in Congress.

A disaster

In a letter to the House GOP, Green stated, "It’s with a heavy heart that I say farewell. To my constituents across Tennessee’s 7th District—thank you. The trust you put in me is humbling. I will look back fondly on my years of serving as your voice in Washington."

For House Republicans, Green's resignation is a disaster, albeit one that they saw coming ahead of time. Green claims that he is leaving Congress to help the U.S. compete with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the private sector.

In a video message, Green explained, "While I cannot give the details here, I will be doing something specifically designed to help America compete against the CCP, but this time in business."

For some, this sounds like Green is pursuing a more profitable venture in the private sector. While being a Congressman is a lucrative deal, there are still a lot of opportunities that pay better without all of the negative attention.

No margin for error

While Green goes off to fight the communists in the private sector, the GOP is going to have to cope with having next to no margin for error for future legislation.

Passing President Trump's massive budget bill was already a massive undertaking, with two Republicans choosing to vote against the massive bill. Now the GOP can afford even fewer mistakes in future efforts until Green's seat is filled.

Furthermore, Green's influence will need to be replaced as he was the chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, and his expertise will be difficult for Republicans to replace.

Future special elections

There are a few key special elections in the coming months that will carry big implications for control of the House. Democrats are hoping to fill empty seats that will further narrow the gap for control of the House.

The date for the special election to replace Green in Tennessee’s 7th District has yet to be announced, but no doubt, Tennessee Republicans will move as fast as possible to get that seat filled.

While the GOP can celebrate passing Trump's massive budget bill, there is more work to do, and maintaining control of the House is paramount.