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Mike Johnson is facing a new challenge as the Republican speaker with the smallest House majority in history. Despite maintaining control of the House, he will have to lead with an even slimmer majority during a time when President-elect Donald J. Trump will rely on his assistance to push through important agenda items.
Written by Catie Edmondson
Reporting live from the government building
The margin of victory for Speaker Mike Johnson has decreased, making his majority even more narrow.
The last House race was officially decided on Tuesday evening when Representative John Duarte, a new Republican member, accepted defeat to Democrat Adam Gray. This solidified a 220-215 majority for the Republicans, with a smaller margin compared to their current 220-213 majority.
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, Republicans will have a slim majority of 217-215 in the House, which is one of the closest margins in history. If all Democrats oppose a bill and stay united, Mr. Johnson will need every Republican vote until the vacant seats are filled. Even after that, only three Republicans can vote against a bill without it failing.
On Wednesday, Mr. Johnson appeared unbothered by the idea and assured reporters on Capitol Hill that they are experienced in working with a small majority and it is something they are used to.
He stated that they have no extra resources to spare, but all members are aware of this. They discussed the importance of teamwork and everyone working together towards the same goal.
He didn’t talk about how he achieved success in handling a small majority in the past year by working with Democrats to pass important bills that his own party didn’t support. This strategy may not be possible in the future Congress with President-elect Donald J. Trump as the President.
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