Trump’s Republicans complete Congress takeover, Gaetz AG pick stuns
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The news: Republicans secured control of the US House with a victory in Arizona and an earlier California win, achieving a 218-seat majority.
The numbers: With votes still being counted and some races still too close to call, Democrats have 208 seats. House majority is achieved in the 435-seat chamber when a party wins 218 seats.
With that, President-elect Donald Trump’s Republican party completes its control of Congress alongside a 53-47 majority in the Senate.
Trump will also be presiding with a Supreme Court dominated 6 to 3 by conservative justices, including three that he appointed.
The context: This positions Trump and the GOP to advance an aggressive agenda that includes mass deportation of illegal immigrants, a sweeping package of tax cuts and loosening of regulations for the oil and gas industry.
House Speaker Mike Johnson won the Republican Conference’s nomination to stay on a speaker next year. Johnson, who was endorsed by Trump, has spoken of taking a “blowtorch” to the federal government and its programs, and overhauling even popular ones championed by the Democrats.
Meanwhile, Trump named House Representative from Florida Matt Gaetz as Attorney General, a stunning move seen in line with his promise to build an administration fuelled by retribution and setting the stage for confirmation hearings that could be contentious, if the process isn’t sidestepped altogether.
Gaetz resigned from Congress immediately after the announcement, ending a House investigation into accusations of sexual misconduct, drug use, using campaign funds for personal use, accepting bribes, misuse of state identification records and sharing inappropriate images or videos on the House floor.
What they said: Gaetz appointment drew criticism even from Republicans, including Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, who said Gaetz is “not a serious candidate”.
On Wednesday, Trump also named Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman with sympathetic views on autocrats like Russia’s Vladimir Putin, for director of national intelligence; Pete Hegseth, a military veteran known for defending Trump on Fox News, for defence secretary; and Senator Marco Rubio, for secretary of state.
Defending Trump’s right to choose his cabinet, Rubio said, “Presidents deserve great deference."
The sources: Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times
