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Mike Johnson is facing a new challenge with the smallest majority in history as the Republican speaker. Despite maintaining control of the House, he will now lead with an even smaller majority, which comes at a crucial time when President-elect Donald J. Trump will rely on his support to push through important agenda items.
Written by Catie Edmondson
Covering news from the legislative
The margin of victory for Speaker Mike Johnson has decreased further, making his majority even more fragile.
The last House race was decided on Tuesday evening when Representative John Duarte from California, a new Republican member, admitted defeat to Democrat Adam Gray. This solidified a 220-215 majority for the Republicans, which is even narrower than their current 220-213 majority.
The margins will decrease even more in January when Representatives Elise Stefanik from New York and Mike Waltz from Florida leave their positions to work in the Trump administration. Additionally, former Representative Matt Gaetz from Florida has announced that he will not be coming back.
With the removal of two Republicans, the majority held by the party in the House will decrease to 217-215, which is the smallest majority ever seen in the House. If all Democrats come together to oppose a proposal, Mr. Johnson will not be able to have any of his party members defect until the vacancies are filled. Even after that, only three Republicans can go against the party line before a bill fails to pass.
On Wednesday, Mr. Johnson appeared unconcerned about the situation and reassured reporters on Capitol Hill that working with a small majority is something they are experienced with and can handle effectively.
He stated that they have no extra resources to share and that 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 getting important legislation passed with a small majority by working with Democrats, as his own party didn’t support the bills. This strategy may not work in the future with President-elect Donald J. Trump in office.
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