House Speaker Mike Johnson faces the most narrow majority in the lower chamber in nearly a century as he battles to keep his top leadership role.
Johnson’s fate will be determined in a vote on Friday, an important move needed to help President-elect Donald Trump push his agenda forward.
But the slim House majority puts Republicans’ ambitions at risk.
Republicans won 220 House seats in the November election, while Democrats secured 215 seats. That House majority will tighten even more with the recent resignation of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and even further when two GOP lawmakers, Reps. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) and Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) are confirmed to join Trump’s cabinet.
The House’s first order of business in the new Congress is to elect a leader and it cannot conduct any official business before doing so. Johnson needs to secure a simple majority to keep the speakership. That magic number has historically been 218 out of the 435 members of the House, but it’s possible to win with fewer votes as seen in January 2023 when Kevin McCarthy won the speakership with 216 votes.
Trump has already endorsed Johnson for House Speaker but some GOP holdouts remain uncertain about whether they will support him in the leadership role.
Johnson’s handling of major funding fights, including the passage of aid to Ukraine and the recent short-term spending bill, has prompted some Republicans to be hesitant of supporting him.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) expressed his opposition to Johnson earlier this week and outlined in detail why he believes Johnson should not keep his job.
Massie pointed out that Johnson routinely passes legislation “with only a minority of republicans, and relying on most democrats” and that he actually owes his current speakership to the democrats.
“Even if Mike’s entire goal is to do everything Trump wants without debate or question (which I would argue is not healthy for the institution of Congress), he’s not going to be good at it,” Massie said in a lengthy statement on X. “He already demonstrated this month that he won’t tell the President what is achievable and what is not achievable in the House, and he lacks the situational awareness himself to know what can pass and what cannot.”
But Johnson has also received public support from some GOP colleagues on Thursday.
“My friend has done an incredible job in the House, and I’m glad he’s at the helm there as Congress looks forward to growing our economy and safeguarding our communities in the new year,” Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) wrote in a post on X.
“I agree with President Trump that [Johnson] is the right man to lead,” Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) wrote in a post on X. “He’s a committed conservative and a man of integrity,” Cassidy said in his post.
For his part, Johnson urged Congress to rally behind the president and the nation.
“America has spoken. Congress MUST quickly deliver President Trump’s agenda,” Johnson wrote in a New Year’s Day post on X. “The American people cannot afford to wait for relief when their lives and livelihoods are at stake. Let’s get to work.”
The House is scheduled to vote on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, at noon.