Republicans wins US House majority, sets stage for government

• The victory gives Republicans the ability to limit Biden’s agenda and launch potentially damaging investigations.
• But it falls far short of the “red wave” that the party had hoped for.
• The loss reduces Biden’s power in Washington, but he says he will work across the aisle to deliver results.

Republicans were expected to win a majority in the United States House of Representatives on Wednesday, ushering in two years of divided government while President Joe Biden’s Democratic Party controlled the Senate.

The victory gives Republicans the ability to limit Biden’s agenda and launch potentially politically damaging investigations into his administration and family, though it falls far short of the “red wave” that the party had hoped for.

After more than a week of ballot counting, Edison Research predicted Republicans would win the 218 seats needed to control the House. The Republican victory in California’s 27th Congressional District was decisive for the party.

Kevin McCarthy, the party’s current House leader, may face a difficult road ahead because he will need his restive caucus to hold together on critical votes, such as funding the government and military, at a time when former President Donald Trump has launched another run for the White House.

“Americans are ready for a new direction, and House Republicans are ready to deliver,” McCarthy said on Twitter.

The loss reduces Biden’s power in Washington, but he congratulated McCarthy and said he would work across the aisle to deliver results on Wednesday.

“The American people want us to get things done for them,” Biden said in a statement House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement House Democrats “will continue to play a leading role in supporting President Biden’s agenda – with strong leverage over a scant Republican majority.”

Democrats have benefited from voters’ rejection of a slew of far-right Republican candidates, the majority of whom were Trump supporters, including Mehmet Oz and Doug Mastriano in Pennsylvania’s Senate and governor’s races, respectively, and Blake Masters in Arizona’s Senate race.

Even though the anticipated “red wave” of House Republicans never arrived, conservatives remain committed to their agenda.

Democrats are preparing to investigate Biden administration officials and the president’s son Hunter’s past business dealings with China and other countries – and even Biden himself – in retaliation for two impeachment efforts against Trump.

On the international front, Republicans may seek to limit US military and economic assistance to Ukraine as it fights Russian forces.

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