What Republicans winning the House means for the US

As President Joe Biden’s Democratic Party retained control of the Senate, Republicans won a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday, resulting in two years of divided government.

Despite falling far short of the “red wave” the GOP had hoped for, the victory offers Republicans the ability to restrain Biden’s agenda and initiate inquiries into his family and administration that might have a negative impact on their political standing.

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Republicans will have some increased ability to set the agenda when they assume control of the chamber in January even if they won the majority in the House by a narrower margin than they had planned.

The majority of the House will have subpoena power, and Republicans will be in charge of influential committees. They intend to give investigations against the Biden administration primary priority.

Some legislative must-pass situations, like funding the government, will put Republicans’ and Democrats’ capacity to cooperate to the test.

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The messy withdrawal from Afghanistan, border policies overseen by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic, the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago, business ventures involving President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, and the bureaucratic judgement behind Covid-related school closures and vaccine mandates are just a few of the topics that House Republicans are considering looking into.

In an effort to divert responsibility away from former President Donald Trump after a violent mob of his supporters invaded the Capitol on January 6, 2021, House Republicans may potentially utilise their power to create a rebuttal surrounding the attack.

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The FBI deposition is one of several sought by the state Republican officials in a lawsuit accusing Biden officials of effectively enforcing government censorship by pushing social media companies to, among other things, police spoke about the origins of the virus that causes Covid-19, the efficacy of face masks and health care measures intended to curb the spread of the virus, as well as claims about election integrity and the security of voting by mail. 

The FBI court filing is one of several requested by state Republican officials in a lawsuit alleging Biden officials of successfully enforcing government censorship by pressuring social media companies to police speech regarding the origins of the virus that causes Covid-19, the effectiveness of face masks and healthcare indicators intended to curb the spread of the virus, as well as assertions about voter fraud and the security of voting by mail, among other topics.

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In regards to January 6 and the 2020 presidential election, House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy’s willingness to compromise is still unclear. Republicans also contend that postponing the 2020 election would be in the best interests of the party.

Another investigation suggestion being considered by House Republicans is the creation of a select committee on China, a long-standing goal of McCarthy’s. McCarthy was chosen as the GOP conference’s leader on Tuesday, putting him in a position to become the next speaker if he receives 218 votes, or a majority of the House, in the full chamber’s vote in January.

House Republicans will still be able to advance some message measures that showcase their agenda, even while the president has the ability to veto legislation.

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Two days before the midterm elections, McCarthy spoke on his plans for taking office, which include addressing inflation, growing crime, and border security – three problems that have evolved into the centrepiece of Republicans’ final argument to voters.

McCarthy also left open the possibility of starting further impeachment proceedings, which some of his supporters have already started to demand.

According to a source in the room, McCarthy pledged to deprive Democrats of their influence during a private intraparty meeting on Monday ahead of leadership elections. He specifically promised to remove Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee as well as California Representatives Eric Swalwell and Adam Schiff from the House Intelligence Committee, CNN reported.

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McCarthy remarked during the meeting on Monday, “They don’t give out gavels in small, medium, and large – we have the majority and we have the gavels.”

However, Republicans’ narrow majority in the chamber will prevent them from achieving the bulk of their objectives, if not all of them.

According to two sources familiar with the talks, McCarthy’s allies recently made an effort to persuade moderate Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas to switch parties in an effort to increase their tight majority. Cuellar outright rejected the notion, CNN reported.