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Mike Johnson is facing a new challenge: the smallest House majority in history. As the Republican speaker, he managed to keep control of the House, but now he will lead an even smaller majority. This comes at a crucial time when President-elect Donald J. Trump will rely on his support to push through important agenda items.
Written by Catie Edmondson
Covering news from the government
Mike Johnson’s slim lead in the speaker election has now been reduced even further.
The last House race was officially decided on Tuesday evening when Representative John Duarte, a new Republican member, admitted defeat to Democrat Adam Gray. This victory secured a 220-215 majority for the Republicans, which is only slightly larger than their current 220-213 majority.
In January, the margins will decrease even more 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 that he will not be coming back.
After the special election, Republicans will have a slim majority of 217-215 in the House, matching the smallest controlling margin in history. If all Democrats are present and united against a proposal, Mr. Johnson cannot afford any defections on the House floor until the vacancies are filled in the coming months. Even after that, only up to three Republicans can vote against a bill without causing it to fail.
On Wednesday, Mr. Johnson appeared calm and confident when discussing the possibility of having a small majority. He reassured reporters on Capitol Hill that they are experienced in working with such situations, as it is something they are used to.
He mentioned that they have no extra resources to share, but all members are aware of that. They discussed this today and regularly emphasize the importance of everyone working together towards the same 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 may not be possible in the future Congress with President-elect Donald J. Trump in power.
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