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Mike Johnson is facing a new challenge as he holds onto his position as Republican speaker of the House. Despite maintaining control, he now has the smallest majority in history, which will make it more difficult for President-elect Donald J. Trump to accomplish his agenda without Johnson’s support.
Written by Catie Edmondson.
Updating from the seat of government
The margin of Speaker Mike Johnson’s lead has decreased.
The last House race was officially 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 in the House, which is even narrower than their current 220-213 majority.
In January, the margins will decrease even more as Elise Stefanik and Mike Waltz, representatives from New York and Florida, respectively, step down to work in the Trump administration. Additionally, former representative Matt Gaetz from Florida has announced 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 margins in history. If all Democrats are present and united against a proposal, Mr. Johnson cannot afford any defections on the House floor until vacancies are filled. Even after that, only three Republicans can go against the party without causing a bill to fail.
On Wednesday, Mr. Johnson seemed unconcerned about the situation and reassured reporters on Capitol Hill that they are experienced in working with a small majority, which is their usual practice.
He mentioned that there are no extra resources available. However, all members are already aware of this. They discussed this today and always emphasize the importance of working together as a team towards a common goal.
He didn’t say that a large part of his ability to work with a small majority over the past year came from collaborating with Democrats to pass important bills that his own party didn’t back. This strategy may not work as effectively in the upcoming Congress with President-elect Donald J. Trump leading the country.
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