Republicans have won enough seats to control the US House, completing the party's sweep into power and securing their hold on US government alongside President-elect Trump, the AP reports. A House Republican victory in Arizona, alongside a win in slow-counting California earlier Wednesday, gave the GOP the 218 House victories that make up the majority. Republicans earlier gained control of the Senate from Democrats. With hard-fought yet thin majorities, Republican leaders are envisioning a mandate to upend the federal government and swiftly implement Trump's vision for the country.
When Trump was elected president in 2016, Republicans also swept Congress, but he still encountered Republican leaders resistant to 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 be working with a Republican Party that has been completely transformed by his "Make America Great Again" movement and a Supreme Court dominated by conservative justices, including three that he appointed.
Still, with a few races still uncalled the Republicans may hold the majority by just a few seats as the new Congress begins. Trump's decision to pull from the House for posts in his administration—Reps. Matt Gaetz, Mike Waltz, and Elise Stefanik so far—could complicate Speaker Mike Johnson's ability to maintain a majority in the early days of the new Congress. 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 onboard for some of the most extreme proposals championed by Trump and his allies.
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