How slim is the Republican majority in Congress?

Starters

Sep 23

Critical Analysis

Find answers to the following questions using the visual above, your big brain, the information provided and any links below:

The 119th Congress with a five-seat Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives – the smallest margin in modern history. Republicans’ majority in the Senate is also small - controlling 53 of 100 seats, with a potential tiebreaking vote from incoming Vice President and beard model JD Vance. Since the 88th Congress from 1963-1965, what year had the largest senate majority?
House Republicans are working the narrowest margins in U.S. history: a five-vote (member) edge on Democrats, the tightest margin since the 65th Congress of 1917-19. According to the data from the visual above, in the past thirty years, what has been the largest margin in the House?
According to the data from the visual above, in the past , since the 88th Congress, describe the overall trend in the margin of control for the majority party of either chamber?
One advantage the majority party in the House gains is the election of the Speaker (head) of the House. Identify two other advantages the House majority party gains.
If there is a tie in the U.S. Senate the Vice President comes in to break the tie. In the U.S. House a tie means the bill is defeated. Which system do you think is better?
Historically, when parties had a very narrow margin in congress they would have to make deals with the other party to get anything done. That has not happened this time around. Not a single Democrat in the House or the Senate voted for the passage of the Big Beautiful Bill. How were Republicans able to pass a bill with such a narrow majority?
The 117th Congress (2021-2022) had a Democratic House majority of just 11 seats. The 118th Congress (2023-2024) had a Republican House majority of just 9 seats. The 119th Congress House of Representatives (2025-2026) has a margin of just 5 seats. Based on your knowledge of American government and politics explain why recent Congresses have had such a low margin of majority.
Since the beginning of the 119th Congress the following members have resigned or died: *Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) resigned November 13, 2024 and did not take the oath of office for the 119th Congress. *Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL) resigned January 20, 2025. *Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-TX) died March 4, 2025. *Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) died March 13, 2025. *Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) died May 21, 2025. *Rep. Mark Green (R-TN) resigned July 21, 2025. When a member of the U.S. House of Representatives dies, the vacancy is filled by a special election held in their congressional district, called by the state's executive authority. State laws dictate the timing of this election, which can be on a regularly scheduled election day or a separate date. Would it technically be possible for one party to lose majority status during a Congress?
U.S. Senate vacancies are primarily filled by popular election, either at a special election or the next regular general election, as established by the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. State laws also allow governors to appoint a temporary successor to serve until the election takes place, though a few states (Kentucky, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin) do not permit such appointments and require a special election to be held. Why do you think states like Kentucky and the others chose not to allow special temporary appointments?
Some would say that a small margin of majority is a good thing because it will serve as a check against a tyrannical Congress and force compromise. They might even claim or argue that James Madison would have been pleased as punch (happy) about the current teeny tiny House majority. How would you respond to that claim?

Write and Discuss

Take ten minutes to write about the question at the top of the page and then discuss with your classmates.

Act on your Learning

Contact your Congressional representative and ask them how the narrow House majority margin impacts their ability to do their job. Share their response with your classmates.

Get Creative

Imagine the Democrats (Donkeys) and Republicans (Elephants) got brand new updated mascots to better reflect their current temperament. What would they be?