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Mike Johnson is facing a challenge with the smallest House majority in history as the Republican speaker. Although he was able to maintain control of the House, he now has an even smaller majority. This comes at a crucial time when President-elect Donald J. Trump will require his assistance to push through important agenda items.
Written by Catie Edmondson
Reporting live from the government building
The speaker, Mike Johnson, now has an even smaller majority than before.
The last House race was decided on Tuesday evening when freshman Republican Representative John Duarte of California conceded to Democrat Adam Gray. This solidified a 220-215 majority for Republicans, which was even narrower than their current margin of 220-213.
In January, the margins will decrease even more as Representatives Elise Stefanik from New York and Mike Waltz from Florida step down to work for the Trump administration. Additionally, former Representative Matt Gaetz from Florida has announced that he will not be coming back.
The Republicans will have a slim majority of 217-215 in the House, which is tied for the smallest controlling margin in history. If all Democrats oppose a measure, Mr. Johnson cannot afford any Republicans to defect until vacancies are filled in the spring. Even after the vacancies are filled, only three Republicans can go against the party without causing a bill to fail.
On Wednesday, Mr. Johnson seemed unconcerned about the situation, stating to reporters that they are experienced in working with a small majority and it is something they are used to.
He stated that the organization has no extra resources to give. All members are aware of this and have discussed it multiple times, emphasizing the importance of working together as a team towards a common goal.
He didn’t talk about how he achieved success in leading a small majority over 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 when President-elect Donald J. Trump is in office.
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