What’s the Impact of Republican Control of Both Chambers of Congress?

The Republican Party has once again kept control of the House of Representatives, according to American media, which will strengthen its control over both chambers of Congress, and give the president-elect Donald Trump a comfortable margin for maneuver, especially since he also won the decisive vote in each of the seven swing states.

Republican sweep means that they are in a position to impose plans and help Trump fulfill his promises, at least for two years, until the midterm elections in 2026.

Trump had promised to implement the largest deportation operation from the country ever, expand the scope of tax exemptions and punish his political opponents, control the most powerful tools of the federal government and reshape the US economy.

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 that was ideologically divided.

But 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.

Republican Trifecta

With their official House majority, Republicans now have complete control of the US legislative and executive branches, effectively allowing the president-elect to push his right-wing agenda through without much opposition.

The Republicans’ wins in Arizona, along with their California victory over the past week, have given the GOP 218 seats in the 435-member House, compared to 212 for the Democrats.

Although the final numbers are still being counted, Decision Desk HQ predicts that the Republican majority will expand in the coming days to 223 seats.

Trump won by a wide margin over his Democratic rival Kamala Harris in the November 5 presidential election, while his fellow Republicans managed to regain the Senate majority with 53 members to 47 for the Democrats.

“It was a decisive victory across the nation. People want us to implement the 'America First' program,” said Republican Representative Mike Johnson, who is expected to remain Speaker of the House.

While the Senate approves agreements, treaties and some of the president's appointments, such as ambassadors, cabinet members and the Supreme Court, all laws involving money must begin discussion in the House of Representatives.

Observers believe that controlling the Senate will give Trump a major boost in implementing his campaign promises, as well as appointing senior government officials and new judges to the powerful US Supreme Court.

They also believe that controlling the House means that the president-elect will be able to control the country's general budget in the way he wants.

The Republican sweep, as CNN and NBC News have described it, sharply diminishes any hope Democrats have of limiting Trump’s influence on major battles next year, particularly those over trillions of dollars in expiring tax cuts.

Trump wants to extend the cuts passed during his first term and add new ones he promised during the campaign.

He also seeks to enact immigration controls, reduce restrictions on Wall Street and the energy industry, and roll back the Affordable Care Act.

The Republican victory also removes the opportunity for Democrats to launch a congressional investigation into Trump’s actions.

During his first term, the House of Representatives impeached him twice, though he was not convicted by the Senate.

A Republican majority in the House will have far-reaching implications for foreign policy, potentially casting further doubt on continued U.S. aid to Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s war.

It is noteworthy that many House Republicans have opposed additional military aid to Ukraine.

Slim Majority

Despite Republicans taking a majority in the House, their slim majority over Democrats will force them to work with the minority party.

The Republican Party is expected to lose at least two faces in the next Congress in a fragile balance. Their seats will be filled by special elections in their states.

The two Reps. are Elise Stefanik from New York, who was chosen to be the United Nations ambassador, and Mike Waltz from Florida, who was chosen to be the national security adviser.

Given that the Republican majority in the House will be so slim that party divisions will threaten most unifying measures.

The current slim majority has already been plagued by ideological squabbling that few Republicans have been able to link the defeat of legislation to any hint of compromise with Democrats.

In the end, these actions have often forced party leaders to make greater concessions to Democrats in order to win the votes of rebel Republican lawmakers.

Trump may have more leverage with rebel Republicans, especially on measures that are a priority for his administration.

But the current Republican-led House has been plagued by conflict. Rep. Mike Johnson from Louisiana was elected House speaker in October 2023, after a handful of rebel lawmakers ousted his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy.

Although Johnson has angered some Republican lawmakers by relying on Democratic votes to avoid a government shutdown, his fellow reelection campaigns have benefited from the money he has raised for them.

Republican dominance of Capitol Hill is just one aspect of Trump’s formidable new power base. 

A president-elect who already believed that he had all-but-limitless power will be emboldened by last summer’s Supreme Court ruling offering substantial immunity to the commander-in-chief for official acts taken in office.

Trump may also have the chance in the next four years to replace older members of the court, potentially extending until the middle of the century the conservative majority he built in his first term.

As Trump unveils his team of Cabinet members and top West Wing staff, made up largely of ultra loyalists, it’s already clear that the 47th president will face few of the restraints that experienced career officials tried to impose on some of his most outlandish schemes when he was the 45th president.

Democratic Preparations

Many Democrats fear that full GOP control of both chambers of Congress will allow Trump to roll back many of the gains they made under the Biden administration.

Axios reported that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is already telling allies how he is preparing to lead the resistance to Trump.

“We as Democrats have to roll up our sleeves and get into defense and protection mode,” Rep. Delia Ramirez told Axios.

Democratic lawmakers are working on getting funds from the Inflation Reduction Act, bipartisan infrastructure law, and CHIPS Act out the door as quickly as possible.

Democrats also plan to lean on the Biden administration to fast-track citizenship and residency paperwork for immigrants.

In another context, Senate Democrats are seeking to confirm as many of President Biden’s judicial nominations as possible before Republicans take control of the next session.

Democrats had hoped to hold onto the Senate and the White House, allowing them to continue their drive to counterbalance the 234 conservative-leaning judges — including three Supreme Court justices — who were confirmed during the first Trump administration. 

But with the re-election of Trump and Republicans winning control of the Senate, that possibility is now gone, according to the New York Times.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, the New York Democrat and majority leader who has prioritized judicial confirmations, indicated a willingness to devote significant Senate floor time to seating more judges in the post-election session that begins next week. 

There are 47 current openings on the federal bench and Democrats have 17 nominees ready to fill them pending on the floor. There are around nine other Biden nominees who could still come through the committee.

With time running out, some liberal activists are even agitating for Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who at 70 is the senior Democratic-nominated member of the Supreme Court, to step aside and allow Democrats to rush through her replacement.

That would be reminiscent of what Republicans did in 2020, when they moved quickly after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to speed through Trump’s nominee to replace her, Amy Coney Barrett, in the weeks before the election. 

But there is no indication that Justice Sotomayor would leave the court, and no guarantee that Democrats could succeed in swiftly replacing her if she did.

Before senators left town in September for this year’s election, they confirmed the 213th judge of Biden’s tenure. 

But Democrats could confront logistical problems if they try to move forward rapidly with dozens more.

Republicans are unlikely to cooperate because they want to hold open as many seats as possible for Trump to fill.