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Mike Johnson is facing a new challenge as he leads the Republican party with the smallest majority in history in the House of Representatives. Despite maintaining control, this small majority poses a challenge as President-elect Donald J. Trump will rely on Johnson’s support to push through important agenda items.
Written by Catie Edmondson.
Reporting from the government building.
The margin of victory for Speaker Mike Johnson has decreased.
The final House race was concluded on Tuesday evening when Representative John Duarte, a first-term Republican from California, admitted defeat to Democrat Adam Gray. This solidified a 220-215 majority for the Republicans, which is even narrower than their current 220-213 margin.
In January, the margins will decrease even more as Representatives Elise Stefanik of New York and Mike Waltz of Florida step down to join the Trump administration. Additionally, former Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida has announced that he will not be coming back.
After this change, the Republicans will have a slim majority of 217-215 in the House, which is one of the smallest margins in history. If all Democrats are present and voting against a proposal, Mr. Johnson will need every single Republican to support it until the vacant seats are filled. Even after that, only three Republicans can vote against a bill without it failing.
On Wednesday, Mr. Johnson appeared unconcerned about the situation, stating to reporters on Capitol Hill that they are familiar with working with a small majority and it is something they are accustomed to.
He mentioned that they do not have any extra resources to spare, but all of their members are aware of this. They discussed this today, as they always do, emphasizing the importance of working together as a team towards a common goal.
He didn’t talk about how he achieved success in managing a small majority by working with Democrats to pass important laws that his own party didn’t support. This strategy may not work in the future when Donald J. Trump becomes President and the next Congress convenes.
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