The race to win 218 seats in the House of Representatives is everyone’s focus in Washington, DC. With Republicans securing the majority in the Senate with 53 seats (which may grow in the days ahead) and the White House, the House of Representatives is the last hope for Democrats to control a legislative body and solidify their influence and impact on next year’s agenda. Republicans and Democrats have both outlined a path to win as votes continue to be counted. Here are the factors that are driving the importance of control of the House of Representatives given the new Senate and White House landscape:
Committee Gavels: Whoever wins the House will control all committees and have the ability to develop and implement their own policy agendas. Maybe even more important, they will also have oversight authority on the new Administration. If Democrats win the majority in the House, this will be their opportunity to conduct oversight into the White House and agencies and they will do so aggressively, while a Republican win would translate to a much smaller and narrower oversight agenda.
Leadership: While elected by the full House, the Speaker of the House will be from the majority party. He or she will set the entire agenda for the 119th Congress and will have the most influence around how the House operates and what they will prioritize. Most strategic decisions will be made by the Speaker, so control of the House is crucial.
Rules Package: The rules passed at the start of the 119th Congress will be drafted and passed by the majority. This will include changes to how operations, floor procedure, and the overall legislative process functions. This package will define how the House will proceed for the next two years and could set new guidelines around spending, regulation, and earmarks.
Seat at the Table: The House majority has a seat at the table and the minority is often triangulated out of the discussion, especially if everything is controlled by one party. When negotiating with the White House or Senate, having a position of influence over those conversations is vital; being left out of the room massively limits a party’s ability to have impact.
Legislative Success: Unlike the Senate, the House minority has very little impact on legislation. The Majority determines what legislation will move, how many amendments (if any) will be allowed, how much time will be allowed for debate, what the actual legislative language will be, and the timing around any legislative movement.
Without question, the impact of having the majority in the House of Representatives is significant. For Democrats, it would be an enormous win and a real power shift. For Republicans, it would ensure ownership over the entre policy landscape – something that is not easy, even with single party control.
Nonetheless, the majority (whoever wins) will be fairly narrow, so neither party can be ignored and moderates from both sides that are willing to cross the aisle to work together will be the real power players.
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