Managing a Narrow Majority

The toughest part of being in congressional leadership -- among many-- is gathering enough votes when holding an extremely narrow majority, especially when those votes carry some political risk to policymakers.  The recent votes secured to pass the budget resolution (to set up the tax debate) and the continuing resolution (to extend government funding and avoid a shutdown) are significant wins for Republican leadership.  

This is especially notable given that, in the previous Congress, Republicans at one point struggled to elect their own Speaker and later had to withdraw several bills from floor consideration due to internal defections.

The ability to keep the team together, despite some politically sensitive votes, is an indication that the unified Republican approach may be working, at least for now.  

It is important to remember that an extension of funding or even a budget resolution does not bring the political risk that a tax and immigration-focused budget reconciliation bill is likely to bring.  Whether Republicans will stay together will depend on how the bill is structured, whose priorities were included, and how they will be able to message the bill and its impact back home. 

It is also a fact that the landscape will be different months from now than it is today - the 2026 election will be closer and Democratic messaging will be more focused.  It will be interesting to watch how that may or may not impact Republican unity going forward.