Prom
Backed by
Mike Johnson is facing a new challenge with the smallest House majority in history. Despite remaining the Republican speaker, he will have to lead with an even smaller majority while President-elect Donald J. Trump relies on him to push through key agenda items.
Written by Catie Edmondson
Covering news from the government
Mike Johnson, the speaker, now has an even smaller margin of majority.
Tuesday night marked the end of the final House race when Representative John Duarte of California, a first-term Republican, acknowledged defeat to Democrat Adam Gray. This solidified a 220-215 majority for the Republicans, with a narrower margin compared to their current 220-213 majority.
In January, the margins will decrease even more as Representatives Elise Stefanik of New York and Mike Waltz of Florida leave their positions to work in the Trump administration. Additionally, former Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida has announced he will not be returning.
After losing two seats, Republicans will have a slim majority of 217-215 in the House, which is one of the smallest margins of control in history. If all Democrats oppose a bill and unite, Mr. Johnson will need every Republican to support it in order for it to pass. Even after the vacancies are filled, only three Republicans can vote against a bill without it failing.
On Wednesday, Mr. Johnson appeared unconcerned about the idea and reassured reporters on Capitol Hill that his team is experienced in working with a slim majority. He stated that this is something they are used to.
He stated that they don’t have anything extra to give but all members are aware of that. They discussed this today and regularly emphasize the importance of teamwork and everyone working together towards the same goal.
He achieved a lot of success in leading a small majority by working with Democrats to pass important laws that his own party didn’t support. However, this strategy may not work in the future Congress with Donald J. Trump as President.
We are experiencing difficulties in accessing the content of the article.
Please activate JavaScript in the settings of your web browser.
We appreciate your patience as we confirm your access. If you are currently using Reader mode, please log out and sign in to your Times account, or consider subscribing for full access to The Times.
We appreciate your understanding as we confirm access.
Are you currently a member? Please sign in.
Interested in accessing all content from The Times? Subscribe now to gain
Prom
Index of Website
Navigation to Information on the Website