Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and other Democratic Party leaders have managed to squeak out the ability to halt incoming President Donald Trump’s ambitious agenda.
After Pelosi, the media, and the political establishment spent four years undermining Trump’s plans throughout his first term, voters responded forcefully in the 2024 election and gave Republicans control of all three branches of government.
Still, Democrats think they’re on the brink again of stopping Trump and the “America First” agenda.
The Republican House majority faces unprecedented challenges as multiple members depart for Trump administration posts and Indiana Rep. Victoria Spartz sudden announcement that she’ll no longer participate in the GOP caucus, potentially reducing their effective majority to the narrowest margin possible.
With Democrat Adam Gray’s last-minute victory in California’s 13th district, Republicans officially hold a razor-thin 220-215 majority, the narrowest since the Hoover administration.
But this margin has become even more narrow after a number of departures including Reps. Matt Gaetz’s resignation, Mike Waltz’s move to national security adviser, and Elise Stefanik’s expected UN ambassadorship.
Spartz’s surprise announcement significantly complicates the math.
While remaining a registered Republican, Spartz said she’ll no longer caucus with the GOP and will abandon committee assignments to work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“I will not sit on committees or participate in the caucus until I see that Republican leadership in Congress is governing,” Spartz wrote on X. Her decision reportedly followed being denied a Ways and Means Committee post.
That could leave the Republicans with just one vote out of hundreds to forward Trump’s ambitious agenda. Not one Republican can get sick or be stuck in traffic, or Pelosi will get her way.
“Every single vote will count because if someone gets ill or has a car accident or a late flight on their plane then it affects the votes on the floor,” Speaker Mike Johnson warned. “I told President Trump, ‘enough already, you’ve got to give me some relief.'”
The difficulty could last months. It also leads to a wide open door for one or two moderate Republicans to be won over by Pelosi and the Democratic Party leadership. That could halt most of Trump’s plans during the first few critical months of the new administration.
Special elections to fill the vacancies won’t conclude until April 1 for the Florida seats, while Stefanik’s New York district could take up to 90 days after her resignation.
Pelosi and Jefferies are expected to target moderate Republican Reps. Don Bacon, David Valadao, and Dan Newhouse — all of whom have previously criticized Trump — to oppose “America First” initiatives.
“When I agree with the president, I’ll say it. If I disagree on something, I will say that, too,” New York Rep. Mike Lawler recently told USA Today.
Johnson’s pledge to voters to “be very aggressive” with Trump’s agenda could have already unraveled. The House Speaker was criticized for relying on Democratic votes last year to avoid a government shutdown in exchange for more aid to Ukraine, for example.
With an even thinner majority, Johnson’s ability to advance “America First” legislation past Pelosi and Jeffries scheming could be halted — defying the will of the voters in the 2024 election.
That sounds like sweet revenge if you’re Pelosi.