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Mike Johnson is facing a new challenge with the smallest House majority in history. Despite remaining as the Republican speaker, he will lead a House with an even smaller majority. This comes at a crucial time when President-elect Donald J. Trump will rely on his support to push forward his key policy goals.
Written by Catie Edmondson
Updating from the government building.
The margin of victory for Speaker Mike Johnson has decreased, making his majority even more precarious.
The last House race was decided on Tuesday night when Representative John Duarte of California, a new member of the Republican party, accepted defeat to Adam Gray, a Democrat. This solidifies a narrow 220-215 majority for Republicans, which is even smaller than their current majority of 220-213.
The margins will decrease more in January as Representatives Elise Stefanik from New York and Mike Waltz from Florida step down to work in the Trump administration. Additionally, former Representative Matt Gaetz from Florida has announced he will not be coming back.
After the special election, Republicans will have a slim majority of 217-215 in the House, tying the record for the smallest controlling margin. If all Democrats oppose a measure, Mr. Johnson will need every Republican on board until the vacancies 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 and reassured reporters at Capitol Hill that they are experienced in operating with a small majority. He stated that this is their usual practice.
He stated that there is no extra resources available, but all members are aware of this. They discussed this during their meeting today, as they always do, emphasizing the importance of teamwork and working together towards a common goal.
He didn’t talk about how he achieved success in passing important laws in the past year with a slim majority by working with Democrats, since his own party didn’t support the legislation. This strategy may not be possible in the future when President-elect Donald J. Trump is in office.
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