Republicans have gained enough seats to take control of the US House, completing the party’s shift into power and solidifying their hold on government alongside President-elect Donald Trump.
A Republican victory in Arizona, along with an earlier win in California on Wednesday, provided the GOP with the 218 House seats needed for a majority. This follows the Republicans’ previous success in winning control of the Senate from Democrats.
With narrow but decisive majorities, Republican leaders see a mandate to reshape the federal government and rapidly advance Trump’s vision for the nation.
The incoming president has pledged to execute the largest deportation operation in US history, extend tax cuts, target his political opponents, and assert control over key federal powers to reshape the economy.
The Republican victories in Congress will ensure cooperation with Trump’s agenda, leaving Democrats with limited means to oppose it.
In 2016, Trump’s presidency began with a Republican Congress, but he faced opposition from party leaders and a Supreme Court with a liberal majority. Now, upon his return to the White House, Trump will be backed by a Republican Party reshaped by his “Make America Great Again” movement and a Supreme Court with a strong conservative majority, including three justices he appointed.
Trump rallied House Republicans at a Capitol Hill hotel Wednesday morning, marking his first appearance in Washington since the election.
“I suspect I won’t be running again unless you say, ‘He’s good, we got to figure something else,’” Trump said to a room full of lawmakers who responded with laughter.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, who won Trump’s endorsement to remain speaker next year, has vowed to take a “blowtorch” to federal government programs, exploring changes even to popular programmes backed by Democrats in recent years.
Johnson, a staunch conservative from Louisiana, has aligned the House Republican Conference closely with Trump during the campaign, preparing an “ambitious” 100-day agenda.
“Republicans in the House and Senate have a mandate,” Johnson said earlier this week. “The American people want us to implement and deliver that ‘America First’ agenda.”
Trump’s allies in the House are already indicating plans to seek retribution for the legal challenges Trump encountered while out of office. The president-elect announced Wednesday that he would nominate Rep. Matt Gaetz, a loyal supporter, as attorney general.
Meanwhile, Rep. Jim Jordan, chair of the influential House Judiciary Committee, has signalled that GOP lawmakers are prepared to investigate special counsel Jack Smith, despite Smith nearing completion of two federal investigations into Trump related to attempts to overturn the 2020 election results and retain classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.
With a few races yet to be decided, the Republican majority could be slim as the new Congress begins. Trump’s appointments from the House for his administration — including Reps. Gaetz, Mike Waltz, and Elise Stefanik so far — could pose early challenges for Johnson in maintaining a stable majority in Congress.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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