U.S. Representative Victoria Spartz, a Republican from Indiana, declared this week that she will not be a part of the House Republican Conference or its committees in her forthcoming term.

“We need to bring about some changes in governance. My party will take charge next year, but it seems they are not ready for the necessary changes,” Spartz remarked during an interview with IndyStar, which is part of the YSL News Network.

On social media platform X, she confirmed her intention to remain a Republican and expressed her enthusiasm to collaborate with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy on President-elect Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency.

“I wish for President Trump to succeed, as I expect my party to follow through on its promises,” Spartz mentioned to IndyStar.

A Brief Overview of Rep. Victoria Spartz

Spartz serves as the congresswoman for Indiana’s 5th District, which includes regions northeast of Indianapolis such as Anderson and Marion. She will begin her third term in January.

Her recent announcement continues a trend of voicing her concerns about the federal government’s workings in Washington, D.C., since her election in 2020. For instance, in late 2023, she threatened to resign from Congress unless a commission was formed to address the national debt.

Initially, Spartz revealed she would not pursue a third term in early 2023 but reversed her decision shortly before the early 2024 filing deadline. She allowed herself three months to appeal to voters while competing against eight other candidates in the GOP primary.

Spartz secured victory in the May primary with 39% of the vote. In November, she triumphed over her Democratic, Libertarian, and independent challengers, garnering almost 57% of the vote.

House Republicans Manage a Narrow Majority

By opting out of the House Republican Conference and committees, Spartz may miss crucial conversations regarding legislation and priorities led by the House Republicans in the upcoming Congress.

With Republicans poised to have control of both the White House and Congress in the new session, their majorities in each chamber are slim. The GOP anticipates a 220-215 majority in the House and a 53-47 majority in the Senate. Although they had larger majorities, some Congressional Republicans have been appointed to leadership positions in Trump’s forthcoming administration. Given these narrow margins, it is essential for the party to remain united to advance their key legislation, though past divisions on certain issues have been evident.

Some Republicans are concerned about retaining their slight U.S. House majority, while the Indiana Democratic Party criticized Spartz’s decision.

“Now that she has won, she’s chosen to abandon a significant portion of the responsibilities she was elected to fulfill. The people of Central Indiana deserve better,” the party stated in a post on X.

On the other hand, former U.S. Senator and Indiana Governor-elect Mike Braun supported Spartz’s stance.

“When I found out Victoria was focusing on wasting less in government and reducing inefficiency, I thought that would be far more valuable than participating in a system where a lot of legislation is done behind closed doors without proper transparency,” Braun said during an appearance on News Nation Tuesday. “She could have a more substantial impact there than what most representatives and senators generally do, where real legislative processes are not functioning effectively.”