Election Update: Republicans Projected to Add House Majority to White House, Senate Control

The latest election results show that Republicans will very likely have a small majority in the House of Representatives at the start of the next session of Congress as well as President Trump in the White House and a majority in the Senate. Read NCSHA’s November 14 election update here.

How much control this small majority gives House Republicans will be determined over time, but it will at least likely give them the ability to elect a Republican Speaker and elect committee chairs and other key leadership positions that set the agenda and write legislation. Perhaps most importantly for affordable housing, it gives them stronger footing to enact budget and tax legislation through the reconciliation process, which enables the Senate to pass legislation with a simple majority instead of having to overcome a filibuster with at least 60 votes.

Though several House election outcomes are still uncertain, the Republicans’ majority there will be precariously thin, especially considering the potential impact of Republican House member resignations for Presidential appointments or other reasons, illnesses, and other absences. The ability of the Republicans to work their will legislatively will depend upon maintaining a numerical advantage and extraordinary party unity (which was not evident during the last two sessions of Congress).

This update includes what we know now about how the election results will affect the House and updates our previous analysis of how the election will affect the Senate.