House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has taken away Vice President Mike Pence’s office space in the House amid a real estate reshuffle by the new Democratic majority.
Pence was given the office space in early 2017 in a symbolic gesture by former Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan after President Trump’s inauguration. Before becoming vice president, and Indiana governor, Pence served 12 years in the House and was close with Ryan and fellow GOP leaders.
Now Ryan’s successor as House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has rescinded the move.
In recent weeks, the placard in the House identifying the space as Pence’s office has been removed. Pence rarely visited the office, as the vice president is tasked with presiding over the Senate. Pence has an office in the Senate chamber he typically uses while on Capitol Hill. Pence has one formal Senate role, to break a tie vote. Pence has used his Senate office more broadly to lobby Republican lawmakers on Trump administration priorities.
Though Pence won’t have his own office on the House side, the aide said that Pelosi would provide new space for the White House legislative affairs team, who did not have an office under the previous Congress’ House Republican majority.
The House speaker has the authority to determine and organize office space. Neither Pelosi nor Pence’s office responded immediately to a request for comment.
