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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 now lead an even smaller majority as President-elect Donald J. Trump looks to him for support in advancing his agenda.
Written by Catie Edmondson
Coverage from the government building.
The margin of victory for Speaker Mike Johnson has decreased even further.
The last House race was decided on Tuesday night when Representative John Duarte, a new Republican, admitted defeat to Democrat Adam Gray. This solidified a 220-215 majority for Republicans, which is even narrower than 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 step down to work in the Trump administration. Former Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida has also announced that he will not be coming back.
After the special election, Republicans will only have a slight majority of 217-215 in the House, which is one of the smallest margins in history. If all Democrats work together against a proposal, Mr. Johnson cannot afford any Republicans to vote against it until the vacant seats are filled. Even after the seats are filled, only three Republicans can vote against a bill before it fails.
On Wednesday, Mr. Johnson appeared unconcerned about the situation and assured reporters on Capitol Hill that his team is experienced in working with a small majority, as it is something they are accustomed to.
He mentioned that there are no extra resources available. However, everyone in the group is aware of this. They discussed this today, as they always do, emphasizing the importance of working together as a team and moving in the same direction.
He didn’t talk about how he achieved success in managing a small majority by working with Democrats to pass important bills that his own party didn’t support. This strategy may not be possible in the future with President-elect Donald J. Trump in office.
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