A surprise resignation and a sudden death have reduced the House Republican majority to the bare minimum of 218 seats, leaving Speaker Mike Johnson with almost no margin for leading the chamber. After the 2024 elections Republicans held 220 seats to the Democrats' 215 and could afford only two

Representative Doug LaMalfa, a Republican from California, died during an emergency surgery at 65, the sudden loss occurring on the first day of the new congressional session and on the same day Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene’s resignation took effect — leaving House Republicans with a bare minimum majority of 218