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Mike Johnson is facing a new challenge as the Republican speaker with the smallest House majority in history. Despite retaining control of the House, he will now lead an even smaller majority during a crucial time when President-elect Donald J. Trump will rely on his support to push through important agenda items.
Written by Catie Edmondson.
Providing updates from the legislative
The slight majority of Speaker Mike Johnson has recently decreased even more.
The last House race was decided on Tuesday night when Representative John Duarte, a new Republican, admitted defeat to Democrat Adam Gray. This solidified a 220-215 majority for the Republicans, which is even tighter than their current lead 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 join 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 one of the smallest in history. If all Democrats oppose a bill, Mr. Johnson cannot afford any Republican defections until vacancies are filled. Even after vacancies are filled, only three Republicans can break ranks without causing a bill to fail.
On Wednesday, Mr. Johnson appeared calm and unbothered about the situation, stating to reporters on Capitol Hill that they are experienced in working with a small majority and it is something they are used to.
He further stated that they have no extra resources to offer, but all the members are aware of this. They discussed this today and regularly emphasize the importance of teamwork and unity in working towards a common goal.
He didn’t say that a lot of his success in managing a small majority in the past year came from working with Democrats to get important laws passed that his own party didn’t support. This strategy may not work in the next Congress with President-elect Donald J. Trump in office.
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