Republicans win the House of Representatives and secure the coveted government trifecta

Republicans have won enough seats to control the US House of Representatives, securing the party’s grip on the US government together with newly elected President Donald Trump.

A Republican from the House of Representatives victory in Arizona, in addition to a victory in slow-counting California on Wednesday, the Republican party delivered the 218 victories in the House of Representatives that form the majority. Republicans previously took control of the Senate from Democrats.

With hard-fought but slim majorities, Republican leaders are envisioning a mandate to upend the federal government and quickly implement Trump’s vision for the country.

The next president has pledged to carry out the nation’s largest deportation operation ever, extend tax breaks, punish its political enemies, take control of the most powerful tools of the federal government and reshape 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.

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.

But when he returns to the White House, Trump will work with a Republican party that has already done just that 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 think of something else,’” Trump told the room full of lawmakers, who laughed in response.

‘Blowtorch’ for the federal government

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who with Trump’s support won the Republican Conference nomination to remain as speaker next year, has spoken of taking a “blowtorch” to the federal government and its programs, and is looking for 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 Mr. Trump during the campaign season as they prepared 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.”

With a few more races called, Republicans could retain the majority with just a few seats when the new Congress begins.

But a well-functioning House is also far from guaranteed. The past two years of Republican House control have been marked by infighting, as hardline conservative factions sought to gain influence and power by openly defying their party leadership.

While Johnson – sometimes with Trump’s help – largely tamed open rebellions against his leadership, the party’s right wing is on the rise and ambitious after 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 continue to back 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.

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.