Kevin Kiley removed from House committee assignments after becoming Independent

Mathew Miranda, The Sacramento Bee on Mar 18, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley of California has been removed from all his House committee assignments, a consequence of his decision earlier this month to leave the Republican Party to become an Independent.

Kiley was formally taken off three committee assignments Wednesday in what his spokesperson John Pirsos said is a procedural move under House rules. Pirsos said Kiley expected the removal and has asked to be readmitted to the committees as an Independent, though that can’t happen until next week at the earliest.

The House GOP Steering Committee, which includes Speaker Mike Johnson, will need to approve Kiley regaining his seats on the Education and the Workforce, Transportation and Infrastructure and Judiciary committees. A spokesperson for Speaker Mike Johnson, who Kiley has repeatedly criticized in recent months, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The removal comes less than two weeks after Kiley announced he would become an Independent for the remainder of his House term and register as a “No Party Preference” to run in California’s newly drawn 6th Congressional District.

He attributed the changes to his frustration with “partisanship” and the ways it is “weakening the country.”

The decisions follow Prop 50, which redrew the state’s congressional map in an effort to gain Democratic seats in five districts currently held by Republicans. Kiley, who unsuccessfully pleaded with his party to stop mid-decade redistricting, was left with a district that will heavily favor Democrats.

Earlier this month, Kiley said he would run in District 6, in a race that features a crowded field of Democratic contenders. Several political experts have said Kiley must appeal to a broader base of voters to increase his slim chances of winning.

_____