House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., will need a fully unified Republican conference to pass legislation indicative of President-elect Donald Trump's agenda shortly after the new Congress takes over in January.
That is because Republicans will hold a razor-thin 217-215 majority after the expected departures of Reps. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., and Mike Waltz, R-Fla., who have been nominated to fill positions at the United Nations and with national security, respectively.
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., already resigned after Trump selected him to be the next attorney general. Gaetz later stepped aside from the nomination process.
If all Democrats are present and united in opposition to a bill, Johnson cannot afford a single GOP defection on the House floor until those vacancies are filled later in the spring.
The Republicans' current 220-215 seat advantage is one of the smallest cushions in history. Still, it could be worse.
During 1917-19, the GOP held a 215-213 edge – but that included one "independent Republican" and a self-described "independent Progressive Republican," according to Pew Research Center. Since neither party had a majority, the balance of power was held by four representatives from minor parties – two Progressives, a Socialist, and a Prohibitionist – and Democrats retained control of the House.
"Do the math. We have nothing to spare," Johnson said Wednesday during the House Republicans' weekly news conference.
"But all of our members know that. We talked about that today, as we do constantly, that this is a team effort, that we've all got to row in the same direction."
House and Senate GOP leaders have been discussing what policies to address initially and how to move forward. Border security and an economic package to reauthorize Trump's 2017 tax law are considered priorities.
"If you take a look at the priorities of one end of the spectrum for the House caucus and the other end on border, there's some reconciliation — pun intended — that needs to be done before reconciliation," said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said, The New York Times reported.
Some of the members who often blocked their majority from passing legislation – Gaetz, former House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good, R-Va., and Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont. – no longer are in the House.
"It's about to be more cohesive," Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., said, The Washington Post reported. "There are now more team players, not the 'it's my way or the highway' type of mentality that a small number had last cycle."
Although some Republicans hope Trump will able to persuade members to back certain legislation, others hopes the speaker can help convince the president-elect to go easy at times.
"Trump and the speaker speak a lot: I think [Trump] understands that we need to protect the majority-makers," Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez, R-Fla., the Post reported.
"Yes, we need to be bold. We need to do things that he promised," he continued, "but those things can be accomplished without hurting the majority-makers."
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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