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Mike Johnson is facing a new challenge as the Republican speaker with the smallest House majority in history. Despite maintaining control of the House, he will be leading a significantly smaller majority. This comes at a crucial time when President-elect Donald J. Trump will be relying on his support to push through important agenda items.
Written by Catie Edmondson
Covering news from the government
The margin of victory for Speaker Mike Johnson has decreased even further.
The final House race was officially decided on Tuesday night when Representative John Duarte of California, a new Republican, accepted defeat to Democrat Adam Gray. This solidified a narrow Republican majority of 220-215 in the House, slightly smaller than their current margin of 220-213.
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 he will not be returning.
After the resignations, Republicans will hold a slim majority of 217-215 in the House, matching the smallest margin of control in history. If all Democrats are present and united against a proposal, Mr. Johnson will need every Republican to vote in favor until the vacant seats are filled. Even after the vacancies are filled, only three Republicans can vote against a bill before it fails to pass.
Mr. Johnson appeared unconcerned about the situation on Wednesday, stating to the media on Capitol Hill that his team is experienced in working with a narrow majority and it is something they are accustomed to.
He mentioned that they do not have any extra resources to offer, but all of their team members are aware of this. They discussed this today, as they always do, emphasizing the importance of teamwork and everyone working together towards the same goal.
He didn’t talk about how he achieved success in dealing with a small majority in the past year by working with Democrats to pass important laws that his own party didn’t support. This strategy may not work in the future when President-elect Donald J. Trump is in power.
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