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Mike Johnson is facing a new challenge with the smallest House majority ever recorded. As the Republican speaker, he was able to maintain control of the House, but now he will have to manage an even smaller majority. This comes at a crucial time, as President-elect Donald J. Trump will rely on his support to push through important agenda items.
Written by Catie Edmondson
Writing from the legislative building.
The margin of victory for Speaker Mike Johnson has decreased even further.
The final House race was decided on Tuesday evening when Representative John Duarte of California, a new Republican, admitted defeat to Adam Gray, a Democrat. This solidified a 220-215 majority for the Republicans, which is even narrower than their current 220-213 majority.
The margins will decrease more in January 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 he will not be coming back.
The Republicans will have a slim majority of 217-215, which is one of the smallest margins in House history. If all Democrats are present and united against a proposal, Mr. Johnson will not be able to have any Republicans vote against it until 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 calm and undisturbed by the situation, stating to reporters at Capitol Hill that they are familiar with managing a small majority and it is something they are used to.
He stated that there are no extra resources available. However, everyone in the group is aware of this. They discuss the importance of teamwork regularly and emphasize the need for everyone to work together towards the same goal.
He didn’t say that a significant part of his ability to lead with a small majority in the past year was due to working with Democrats to pass important bills that his own party didn’t support. This strategy may not be possible in the upcoming Congress with Donald J. Trump as President.
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