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Mike Johnson is facing a new challenge with the smallest House majority in history. Despite remaining the Republican speaker, he now has control over an even smaller majority. This comes at a crucial time when President-elect Donald J. Trump will require his support to push through key agenda items.
Written by Catie Edmondson
Providing updates from the government
The margin of victory for Speaker Mike Johnson has been reduced further, making his majority even more narrow.
The last House race was officially decided on Tuesday night when Representative John Duarte, a Republican from California, admitted defeat to Democrat Adam Gray. This solidified a narrow majority of 220-215 for Republicans, which is even tighter than their current majority of 220-213.
The margins will decrease even more in January when Representatives Elise Stefanik of New York and Mike Waltz of Florida step down from their positions to work in the Trump administration. Additionally, former Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida has announced that he will not be coming back.
With the departure of two Republican representatives, the Republicans will have a slim majority of 217-215 in the House, which is one of the smallest margins in history. If all Democrats oppose a measure, Mr. Johnson cannot afford any Republicans to defect on the House floor until the vacancies are filled. Even after the vacancies are filled, only three Republicans can break ranks without causing a bill to fail.
Mr. Johnson appeared unconcerned about the situation on Wednesday, stating to journalists at Capitol Hill that they are experienced in dealing with a small majority and it is something they are used to.
He mentioned that they don’t have any extra resources to offer, but all the members are aware of that. They discussed this today, as they always do, emphasizing the importance of working together as a team towards a common goal.
He didn’t talk about how he achieved success in managing a small majority by working with Democrats to pass necessary laws that his own party didn’t support. This strategy may not be possible in the upcoming Congress with President-elect Donald J. Trump in power.
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