Several House Republicans are poised to skip the party’s annual issues conference later this week, posing a challenge to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) as he seeks to wrangle his often unruly conference ahead of the 2024 election. 

A large number of GOP lawmakers told the Washington Examiner they do not plan on attending the conference, which was set to begin Wednesday evening at the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Republicans cited different reasons for their absences, with many noting they wanted to use the recess period to be with family.