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Mike Johnson is facing a new challenge with the smallest House majority in history. Despite keeping control of the House as a Republican speaker, he will now lead an even smaller majority while President-elect Donald J. Trump seeks his support to push through key agenda items.
Authored by Catie Edmondson
Reporting live from the seat of
Speaker Mike Johnson’s narrow lead has now become even narrower.
The outcome of the last House race was determined on Tuesday night when Representative John Duarte from California, a new Republican member, accepted defeat to Adam Gray, a Democrat. This victory solidified a 220-215 majority for the Republicans, which is even narrower than their current 220-213 majority.
In January, there will be further reductions in the margins as Representatives Elise Stefanik and Mike Waltz from New York and Florida respectively, resign to join the Trump administration. Additionally, former Representative Matt Gaetz from Florida has announced that he will not be returning.
The Republicans will have a slim majority of 217-215 in the House, which is similar to the smallest margin ever seen in its history. If all Democrats stand together against a proposal, Mr. Johnson cannot afford to lose any support on the House floor until the vacant positions are filled in the spring. Even after that, only three Republicans can go against the party without causing a bill to fail.
On Wednesday, Mr. Johnson appeared unconcerned about the situation and assured reporters on Capitol Hill that they are experienced in working with a small majority, as it is something they are used to.
He stated that they do not have any extra resources to spare, but all members are aware of this fact. They discussed the importance of teamwork and consistently emphasize the need for everyone to work together towards a common goal.
He didn’t talk about how he achieved success in passing important laws with a slim majority by working with Democrats, since his own party didn’t support those laws. This strategy may not work in the future when President-elect Donald J. Trump is in office.
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