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Mike Johnson is facing a new challenge with the smallest House majority in history. As the Republican speaker, he managed to maintain control of the House, but now he will lead an even smaller majority. This comes at a crucial time when President-elect Donald J. Trump will rely on his support to push forward key agenda items.
Written by Catie Edmondson.
Providing coverage from the government
The margin of victory for Speaker Mike Johnson has decreased.
The last House race was officially decided on Tuesday evening when John Duarte, a newly elected Republican representative from California, accepted defeat to Democrat Adam Gray. This solidified a narrow 220-215 majority for the Republican party, which is even smaller than their current majority of 220-213.
In January, the margins will decrease even more as 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 resignation of a Republican congressman, the GOP will have a slim majority of 217-215 in the House, which is one of the smallest margins in history. If all Democrats stand together against a bill, Mr. Johnson will need every Republican vote to pass it until the vacant seats are filled. Even after that, only three Republicans can vote against the party without risking the bill’s failure.
On Wednesday, Mr. Johnson appeared calm and unaffected by the situation, stating to journalists at Capitol Hill that they are experienced in working with a small majority and it is something they are accustomed to.
He further stated that there is no extra resources available. However, all members are aware of this. It was discussed today, as it is always emphasized, that everyone needs to work together towards a common goal.
He didn’t talk about how a lot of his ability to work with a small majority and get important laws passed in the past year came from teaming up with Democrats, since his own party didn’t support those laws. This strategy probably won’t work as well in the future, now that President-elect Donald J. Trump will be in charge.
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