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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, he will have to navigate an even smaller majority while President-elect Donald J. Trump looks to him for support in pushing through key agenda items.
Written by Catie Edmondson
Live coverage from the government building
The margin of Speaker Mike Johnson’s lead has decreased even further, making his majority even more precarious.
The final House race was declared on Tuesday evening when Representative John Duarte, a newly elected Republican from California, admitted defeat to Democrat Adam Gray. This victory solidified a narrow majority of 220-215 for the Republicans, which is even smaller than their current margin of 220-213.
The margins will decrease even more in January as Representatives Elise Stefanik from New York and Mike Waltz from Florida step down to join the Trump administration. Additionally, former Representative Matt Gaetz from Florida has announced that he will not be coming back.
With two vacancies, Republicans will have a slim 217-215 majority in the House, matching the smallest controlling margin in history. If all Democrats are present and united against a bill, Mr. Johnson cannot afford any defections on the House floor until the vacancies are filled. 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 situation and assured reporters on Capitol Hill that they are experienced in working with a narrow majority, as it is something they are used to.
He stated that they have no extra resources available. However, all their members are aware of this fact. They discussed this during their meeting today, as they always do, emphasizing the importance of teamwork and everyone working together towards the same goal.
He failed to acknowledge that a large part of his ability to successfully navigate a small majority in the past year was due to working with Democrats to pass important legislation that his own party did not support. This strategy may not be possible in the future with President-elect Donald J. Trump leading the country.
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