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Mike Johnson is facing a new challenge as the Republican speaker of the House, with the smallest majority in history. Despite maintaining control of the House, Johnson will now lead an even smaller majority, just as President-elect Donald J. Trump will rely on his support to push through important agenda items.
Written by Catie Edmondson
Based on information gathered from the
The margin of Speaker Mike Johnson’s lead has decreased even further.
The last House race was concluded on Tuesday evening when Representative John Duarte of California, a new member of the Republican party, admitted defeat to Adam Gray, a member of the Democratic party. This solidified a 220-215 majority for the Republicans, which is even narrower than their current majority of 220-213.
In January, the margins will decrease even more as Representatives Elise Stefanik from New York and Mike Waltz from Florida step down to work in the Trump administration. Additionally, former Representative Matt Gaetz from Florida has announced that he will not be coming back.
After the special election, 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 are present and united against a proposal, Mr. Johnson cannot afford any Republicans to vote against it until the vacancies 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 seemed 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 continued by saying that they do not have any extra resources available. However, all members are aware of this and they discussed it during their meeting. They emphasize the importance of teamwork and everyone working together towards the same goal.
He didn’t say that a big part of his ability to manage a small majority in the past year was working with Democrats to pass important laws that his own party didn’t want to support. This might not be possible in the future when President-elect Donald J. Trump is in office.
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