Washington – Republicans have celebrated retaining their narrow majority in the House, adding to their flips of the Senate and the White House for a trifecta in Washington next year. But President-elect Donald Trump's selection of several House Republicans to fill top positions in his administration is pulling from an already shallow bench, temporarily further shrinking the GOP majority as Trump takes office in January.
Only one House race remains to be decided, nearly four weeks after Election Day, with 99% of votes counted in California's 13th Congressional District, where Democrat Adam Gray is leading GOP Rep. John Duarte. Last week, victories in another district in California along with one in Iowa led to balance of power in the chamber By 220-214.
Meanwhile, Trump has picked a handful of House Republicans for top positions in his administration. In the week after the election, the President-elect made two selections from the House as GOP convention chairmen. Elise Stefanik of New York as Ambassador to the United Nations, and representative. mike waltz As Florida's national security adviser.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, outlining the GOP agenda after the selection last month, said the president-elect “fully understands and appreciates the math here,” noting that he did not expect the convention to be as Trump-led. Will lose more members to the administration.
“Every single vote will count because if someone gets sick or their car crashes or their plane takes off late, it impacts the votes in the House,” Johnson said.
Then came Trump's former favorite Representative Matt Gaetz For Attorney General, setting up three vacancies early in the new Congress. Gaetz immediately resigned his seat just hours after Trump announced his intention to nominate him.
“I told President Trump, 'Enough is enough, you've got to give me some relief,'” Johnson Said on Fox News after Trump selected Gaetz for the role. “I have to maintain this majority.”
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However, after facing intense scrutiny in a House Ethics Committee investigation into alleged sexual misconduct and illegal drug use, Gaetz has withdrawn from consideration for the position, stating that he intends to serve in the 119th Congress. Not intended, leaving Johnson with another unwanted vacancy.
Johnson, citing the Florida state law process at the time of Gaetz's selection, expressed hope that with his immediate resignation from the chamber, his seat could be filled by the beginning of the new Congress. But Governor Ron DeSantis Schedule the primary election for January 28 and the general election for April 1, which he said is the earliest date for a special election to be held. Florida's Secretary of State said the election was being held “as quickly as legally possible.”
Waltz's seat is also up for election in Florida's April 1 general election. And a special election for Stefanik's seat could take up to 90 days after her resignation. The dynamic could mean that in the early days of a president-elect's second term, Republicans could have a majority that is one or two seats less, meaning that if all House members are present, Johnson would have to face every vote. May require the support of one Republican. If he has a three-seat majority, he can afford to lose to a Republican on a few votes.
The outcome could spell trouble for the GOP's ability to act on the mandate that Republicans have claimed since Trump's victory in the presidential election. (Although Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in both the electoral and popular votes did not get majority of American voters.) The House Republican leadership has struggled in recent years to keep the conference united on key priorities, with a credible group of opponents on its right. While conservatives, many of whom are Trump loyalists, may be more willing to stay in line under the Trump administration than during President Biden's time in office, Johnson may face opposition from moderates in his own party. .
House Republicans such as Representatives Don Bacon of Nebraska, David Valadao of California and Dan Newhouse of Washington have previously been critical of Trump and could break with the party on some issues, putting some early legislative action in jeopardy. Bacon declined to endorse the President-elect during the primaries, while Valadao and Newhouse are the two remaining House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in 2021. After the election, Representative Mike Lawler of New York told USA Today said he would be willing to speak out against Trump amid GOP control of Washington to work in the best interests of his constituents.
Lawler said, “When I agree with the president, I'll say that. If I disagree on something, I'll say that too.”
Still, the extremely narrow majority created by Trump's appointments is expected to be short-lived, as all three seats are in safe Republican districts. Johnson expressed confidence that Republicans would be able to work with a reduced majority for as long as necessary, while also promising to “be very aggressive” and move forward with Trump's agenda starting on day one.