November 14th 2024.
The recent US House election results have been a major win for the Republican party, as they have secured enough seats to gain control of the House. This victory, combined with their earlier gain of control in the Senate, solidifies their position in the US government alongside President-elect Donald Trump.
The Republicans' success in Arizona and California today, where they won a slow-counting race, pushed them past the 218 House victories needed for a majority. This, along with their previous takeover of the Senate, has given them a strong mandate to enact their agenda and make significant changes to the federal government.
With their hard-fought yet narrow majorities, Republican leaders are already envisioning a major overhaul of the government and swift implementation of Trump's vision for the country. The incoming president has promised to carry out the largest deportation operation in US history, extend tax breaks, punish his political enemies, take control of powerful government tools, and reshape the economy.
Thanks to their election victories, the GOP now has the support of Congress to carry out this agenda, and Democrats will have little power to oppose it. Unlike when Trump was first elected in 2016, he now has a Republican-controlled Congress and a conservative-dominated Supreme Court, with three justices appointed by him.
During his first visit back to Washington since the election, Trump rallied House Republicans and joked that he may not run for re-election unless they ask him to. House Speaker Mike Johnson, who won the nomination to stay on as speaker with Trump's endorsement, has talked about using a "blowtorch" to overhaul government programs and implement an "ambitious" 100-day agenda.
"The American people have given Republicans in the House and Senate a mandate," Johnson said earlier this week. "They want us to deliver on Trump's 'America First' agenda."
Trump's allies in the House are already showing signs of seeking retribution for the legal troubles he faced while out of office. The president has nominated Matt Gaetz, a strong supporter, as his attorney general. Meanwhile, Jim Jordan, the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, has said that Republicans are not ruling out investigating Special Counsel Jack Smith, even as he wraps up two federal investigations into Trump for allegedly plotting to overturn the 2020 election and illegally holding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
However, with some races still undecided, the Republicans' majority in the House may only be by a few seats. Also, Trump's decision to appoint House members to his administration, including Gaetz, Mike Waltz, and Elise Stefanik, could complicate Johnson's ability to maintain a majority in the early days of the new Congress.
Johnson hopes to fill the vacant seats before Congress reconvenes on January 3, but special elections are needed for House replacements. The three departing members held their seats for years, and their districts have been consistently Republican.
Despite their majority, a highly functional House is not guaranteed for the Republicans. The past two years of their control were marked by infighting, as conservative factions openly defied party leadership in an attempt to gain more influence. While Johnson has largely tamed these rebellions, the right wing of the party is now emboldened after Trump's election victory.
The majority also relies on a small group of moderate lawmakers who won tough elections. It remains to be seen if they will support some of the extreme proposals championed by Trump and his allies.
In the Senate, GOP leaders are already working with Trump to confirm his cabinet picks after winning a convincing majority. Senator John Thune, who won an internal election to replace the longest-serving party leader in Senate history, Mitch McConnell, has been critical of Trump in the past but praised him during his leadership bid.
"We are on one team," Thune said of the united Republicans. "We are excited to work with our colleagues in the House to enact President Trump's agenda."
The Senate's 53-seat majority also gives the Republicans some breathing room when it comes to confirming cabinet members and potentially even Supreme Court justices, should a vacancy arise. However, not all confirmations are guaranteed.
When news broke that Trump planned to nominate Gaetz as attorney general, even Republicans were taken aback. Many of Trump's allies in the Senate distanced themselves from supporting Gaetz, who was facing an ethics investigation for allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use.
Despite this, Trump demanded on Sunday that any Republican leader must allow him to make appointments without a vote while the Senate is in recess. This would be a significant shift in power away from the Senate, but all of the leadership contenders quickly agreed to the idea. Democrats may try to fight this maneuver.
Meanwhile, Trump's social media supporters, including Elon Musk, the world's richest man, are pushing for a non-traditional Republican to lead the Senate chamber. Thune, who worked closely with McConnell, once called Trump a "despicable human being" in private notes. However, McConnell has made it clear that the days of Republican resistance to Trump are over on Capitol Hill.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
