Now that Republicans have won control of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, we can expect some dramatic changes. Some will be no surprise, because the Senate and Congress were already split, and so gridlock has been a way of life for the legislators: while the House proposes legislation, the Senate blocks it. Rarely is there any consensus across the aisle on any issue.
But while Republicans secured the 218th seat needed to flip the House from Democratic control, more than a week after Election Day we’re still not sure of the final count. Nevertheless, they are on track to cobble together what could be the party’s narrowest majority of the 21st century, rivaling 2001, when Republicans had just a nine-seat majority, 221-212 with two independents. That’s far short of the sweeping victory the GOP predicted going into this year’s midterm elections, when the party hoped to reset the agenda on Capitol Hill by capitalizing on economic challenges and Biden’s lagging popularity, but still enough to stymie the Democrats’ agenda.
McCarthy celebrated his party having “officially flipped” the House on Twitter on Wednesday night, writing, “Americans are ready for a new direction, and House Republicans are ready to deliver.”
Biden is putting a positive spin on the results, “Last week’s elections demonstrated the strength and resilience of American democracy. There was a strong rejection of election deniers, political violence, and intimidation” and he may be right—but only as far as that goes.
He added, that “the future is too promising to be trapped in political warfare,” but that’s probably exactly what he’s going to get. Republicans will take control of key committees, giving them the ability to shape legislation and launch probes of Biden, his family and his administration.
There’s particular interest in investigating the overseas business dealings of the president’s son Hunter Biden. Worse is that some of the most conservative lawmakers have raised the prospect of impeaching Biden, though that will be much harder for the party to accomplish with a tight majority. At the same time, Republicans will certainly try to shut down any investigation or probe into Trump’s activities.
The new majority will usher in a new group of leaders in Washington. Kevin McCarthy will lead what will likely be a rowdy conference of House Republicans, most of whom are aligned with Trump’s combative, all-out, brand of politics. Many Republicans in the incoming Congress rejected the results of the 2020 presidential election, even though claims of widespread fraud were refuted by courts, elections officials and Trump’s own attorney general.
According to The Hill, The House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol was set to dissolve no matter who would win the midterm elections — but a GOP takeover of the House leaves a zero chance it will be revived. The panel, like all other select committees established this Congress, will shut down with the start of the next Congress in January.
In a speech ahead of the committee’s summer slate of hearings, McCarthy dismissed the panel as “the most political and least legitimate committee in American history.”
In a sanctimonious condemnation of the January 6 panel, he added, “It has used congressional subpoenas to attack Republicans, violate due process and infringe on the political speech of private citizens…It has permanently damaged the House and divided the country. It’s a smokescreen for Democrats to push their radical agenda.” But does anyone believe that a Republican-led House will act any differently against the other side?
Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) put it best: “At the end of a Congress … our carriage turns into a pumpkin. So we’ve got no wheels after that. So we’ve got to make everything happen this year.”
Cinderella’s time at the ball is over, now it’s time for revenge.
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