House Republican leaders are preparing for temporary losses to their slim majority as President-elect Donald Trump recruits members to serve in his Cabinet, chipping away at the party’s already narrow margins in the lower chamber.
So far, Trump has nominated two House lawmakers to service in his administration: House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who accepted the position as the ambassador to the United Nations, and Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL), who was tapped as Trump’s national security adviser. However, if Trump nominates any more House Republicans, it could put the party’s majority in peril as it looks to implement the president-elect’s agenda in the next Congress.
“He’s already pulled a few really talented people out of the House. Hopefully, no more for a little while, until special elections can come,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), referring to some states that take weeks to hold special elections to fill vacant seats in the House. “But it shows you the talent that we have and the ability we have to get this country turned around quickly.”
Republicans have won 214 seats in the House so far compared to Democrats, who have won 205. Of the 16 remaining races, Republicans currently hold the lead in eight, while Democrats lead in the other eight.
If those margins hold, the projected House makeup in the next Congress would be 222-213, giving Republicans the same five-seat majority they won in the 2022 midterm elections.
However, with Stefanik and Waltz gone, that would bring Republicans to a temporary 220-213 majority, giving them the narrowest of margins to operate within in what has already been proven to be an unpredictable conference. Stefanik and Waltz’s seats would ultimately be filled by Republicans, but the vacancies could give Democrats an advantage, especially if Republicans have just one or two absences on any given day.
“Every single vote will count because if someone gets ill or has a car accident or a late flight on their plane, that affects the votes on the floor,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). “So I think he and the administration are well in tune to that.”
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It’s unclear whether Trump plans to nominate any other House Republicans for a Cabinet-level position, although many of their names have been swirled in conversations. However, Johnson and other House GOP leaders said they do not expect more lawmakers to be chosen.
“President Trump and I have talked about this multiple times a day for the last several days. We have an embarrassment of riches. We have a really talented Republican Conference. We’ve got really competent, capable people here,” Johnson told reporters Tuesday. “But President Trump fully understands and appreciates the math here, and it’s just a numbers game.”