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Mike Johnson is facing a new challenge as the Republican speaker, as he now has the smallest majority in the history of the House. Despite maintaining control, this smaller majority comes at a crucial time when President-elect Donald J. Trump will require his support to push forward key agenda items.
Written by Catie Edmondson
Covering news from the government
The already small majority of Speaker Mike Johnson has decreased even further.
The final House race was determined on Tuesday night when Representative John Duarte, a new Republican member, admitted defeat to Democrat Adam Gray in California. This solidified a narrow 220-215 majority for Republicans, even tighter than their current margin of 220-213.
The margins will decrease more in January because Representatives Elise Stefanik from New York and Mike Waltz from Florida are resigning to work in the Trump administration. Additionally, Former Representative Matt Gaetz from Florida has announced he will not be coming back.
After the special election, Republicans will have a slim majority of 217-215 in the House, which is one of the smallest margins ever. If all Democrats are present and voting against a bill, Mr. Johnson cannot afford to have any Republicans vote against it until the vacant seats are filled. Even after the vacancies are filled, only three Republicans can vote against a bill without it failing to pass.
On Wednesday, Mr. Johnson appeared unconcerned about the situation and expressed confidence in working with a small majority. He assured reporters on Capitol Hill that handling a small majority was something they were familiar with and adept at.
He stated that they do not have any extra resources available, but all of their team members are aware of this. They discussed this during their meeting today and emphasize the importance of everyone working together towards the same goal.
He didn’t talk about how he was able to successfully work with Democrats to pass important legislation over the past year, despite his own party not supporting it. However, this may not be possible in the future with President-elect Donald J. Trump in office.
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