WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans have won enough seats to control the U.S. House of Representatives, completing the party’s power grab and securing their hold on the U.S. government along with the newly elected president Donald Trump.
A Republican victory of the House of Representatives in Arizona, in addition to a victory in slow-counting California earlier Wednesday, gave the Republican Party the 218 House victories that constitute the majority. Republicans previously took control of the Senate from Democrats.
With hard-won but slim majorities, Republican leaders envision a mandate to overthrow the federal government and quickly implement Trump’s vision for the country.
The new president has promised to carry out the country’s largest operation ever deportation operationextend tax breaks, punish his political enemies, take control of the federal government the most powerful instruments of government and reshaping the American economy. The Republican Party’s electoral victories ensure that Congress will back that agenda, and Democrats will be virtually powerless to control it.
President-elect Donald Trump shakes hands with House Speaker Mike Johnson of La., as he arrives to speak at a meeting with the House GOP conference, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)(AP)
When Trump was elected president in 2016, Republicans also captured Congress, but he still encountered Republican leaders who opposed his policy ideas, as well as a Supreme Court with a liberal majority. Not this time.
When he returns to the White House, Trump will work with a Republican Party completely transformed by his “Make America Great Again” movement and a Supreme Court dominated by conservative justices, including three he appointed.
Trump gathered House Republicans at a Capitol Hill hotel on Wednesday morning, marking his first return to Washington since the election.
“I guess I’m not going to run again unless you say, ‘He’s good, we have to figure something else out,’” Trump told the room full of lawmakers who laughed in response.
Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson, with Trump’s support won the Republican Conference nomination to stay on as speaker next year, has talked about taking a “blowtorch” on the federal government and its programs, looking at ways to overhaul even popular programs championed by Democrats in recent years. The Louisiana Republican, a staunch conservative, has brought the House Republican Conference closer to Trump during the campaign season as they prepare an “ambitious” 100-day agenda.
“Republicans in the House of Representatives and the Senate have a mandate,” Johnson said earlier this week. “The American people want us to implement and achieve that ‘America First’ agenda.”
Trump’s allies in the House of Representatives are already signaling they will seek retribution for the legal troubles Trump faced in his absence. The new president said Wednesday he would do so nominated Rep. Matt Gaetza fierce loyalist, for attorney general.
Meanwhile, Rep. Jim Jordan, the chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee, has said Republican lawmakers are “taking nothing off the table” in their plans to investigate special counsel Jack Smith, even as Smith wraps up two federal investigations into Trump to complete. for making plans to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election And hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Still, with a few races still uncalled, Republicans may retain the majority with just a few seats when the new Congress begins. Trump’s decision to withdraw from the House of Representatives for posts in his administration – Rep. Gaetz, Mike Waltz And Elise Stefanik so far – could complicate Johnson’s ability to maintain a majority in the early days of the new Congress.
Gaetz submitted his resignation on Wednesday, effective immediately. Johnson said he hoped the seat could be filled by the time the new Congress convenes on January 3. Replacing members of the House of Representatives requires special elections, and the congressional districts of the three outgoing members have been Republican-held for years.
With the narrow majority, a well-functioning House is far from guaranteed. The past two years of Republican House control have been defined by infighting while hardline conservative factions sought to gain influence and power by openly defying their party leadership. While Johnson – sometimes with Trump’s help – largely open rebellions tamed Contrary to his leadership, the right wing of the party is rising and ambitious, following Trump’s election victory.
The Republican majority also depends on a small group of lawmakers who won tough elections by running as moderates. It remains to be seen whether they will stay on board with some of the most extreme proposals championed by Trump and his allies.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, meanwhile, is trying to keep Democrats relevant on any legislation passed by Congress, an effort that will depend on whether Democratic leaders can unite more than 200 members even now the party undergoes a post-mortem of its election losses.
In the Senate, Republican leaders, who have just won a convincing majority, are already working with Trump to confirm his cabinet choices. Sen. John Thune of South Dakota won Wednesday’s internal elections to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell, the longest-serving party leader in Senate history.
Thune has been critical of Trump in the past but praised the new president during his leadership election.
“This Republican team is united. We are on one team,” Thune said. “We are excited to regain the majority and work with our colleagues in the House of Representatives to implement President Trump’s agenda.”
The 53-seat Republican Senate majority also means Republicans will have breathing room when it comes to confirming Cabinet posts, or Supreme Court justices if there is a vacancy. Not all of these confirmations are guaranteed. Republicans were in disbelief Wednesday when news reached Capitol Hill that Trump would appoint Gaetz as his attorney general. Even close allies of Trump in the Senate distanced themselves from supporting Gaetz, who had faced a Investigation by the House of Representatives Ethics Committee to allegations of sexual misconduct and illegal drug use.
Still Trump on Sunday demanded that every Republican leader should allow him to make appointments to the government without a vote while the Senate is in recess. Such a move would represent a notable shift in power away from the Senate, yet all candidates for leadership quickly agreed to the idea. Democrats could potentially fight such a maneuver.
Meanwhile, Trump’s social media supporters, including Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, railed against choosing a traditional Republican to lead the Senate chamber. Thune worked as a top lieutenant to McConnell, who once called the former president a “despicable human being.” in his private notes.
However, McConnell made it clear that on Capitol Hill the days of Republican resistance to Trump are over.
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