Johnson expands size of Intelligence panel to give Stefanik spot

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) is back on the House Intelligence Committee after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) opted to expand the size of the panel — the latest fallout from President Trump’s decision to withdraw the New York Republican’s nomination to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

The House on Friday approved, through unanimous consent, changing the chamber’s rules to allow no more than 27 members to sit on the House Intelligence Committee — up from no more than 25 members. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) then appointed Stefanik, who will serve as ranking member, and Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) to the panel.

The move puts to bed one of the lingering questions following the withdrawal of Stefanik’s nomination to serve as UN ambassador in March, a move that shook Washington and underscored the ultra-thin majority Republicans are grappling with in the House.

Stefanik had served on the plum Intelligence Committee since 2017 but relinquished her position for the 119th Congress as she prepared to leave the House to serve as UN ambassador. At the beginning of the term, Johnson filled the committee — whose members are up to the discretion of party leadership — leaving no room for Stefanik when she wanted to return.

Johnson vowed to place Stefanik back on the committee in April when he announced that she would rejoin the conference’s top ranks as Chairwoman of the House Republican Leadership. But it remained unclear if he would increase the number of members on the panel, or look to swap someone out for Stefanik.

On Friday he made the decision official, increasing the size of the committee and naming Stefanik as ranking member, serving right below House Intelligence Committee Chair Rick Crawford (R-Ark.).

“I’m proud to continue my work as a senior Member of the House Intelligence Committee, House Armed Services Committee, and the Education and the Workforce Committee to secure results for my constituents in New York's 21st Congressional District and the American people,” Stefanik said in April. “I look forward to the work ahead in enacting President Trump’s historic agenda.”

The relationship between Stefanik and Johnson has been tense since the congresswoman decided to remain in the House following her withdrawn nomination for UN ambassador. The New York Times reported in April that Stefanik blamed Johnson for White House's decision not to move forward with her nod, and the pair got in a public spat that month after Johnson suggested he had spoken with her about her interest in running for governor of New York.

Stefanik said that was “not true,” and the two later met. Johnson said the duo had a “really great meeting.”

“She’s like a sister to me, and there was a lot of things being said that weren’t true of people about us and what was being said, and we worked that out and I thought it was great,” Johnson said.