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President-elect Trump’s cabinet draws heavily from the House of Representatives — and the glacial pace of filling the seats could stymie his legislative agenda and make the famously ungovernable body even more chaotic, insiders said.
The picks– – New York Rep. Elise Stefanik and Florida Reps Mike Waltz and Matt Gaetz are in reliably red districts and can only be filled after a special election process which could leave them vacant for months. Gaetz’s nomination as attorney general collapsed this week — but he has already resigned from Congress and there does not appear to be a path for him to easily return to his former seat.
And that matters when the GOP is on track to control the House by only a three or four vote margin. The House currently stands at 219 Republicans to 213 Democrats with three seats still uncalled. The vacancies mean, at least temporarily, three fewer seats for the GOP.
Assuming a stopgap funding measure is passed in December, a large omnibus spending package could be on the table for early 2025.
“I think it was a concern once he started tapping people from the House and the California races haven’t even called yet. That could be two more seats the Dems flip,” said one GOP House insider. “When Trump spoke to the House Republican conference [last week] he said, I’d love to tap 15 of you but I have to wait,” the staffer adding, noting that Team Trump was aware of the issue.
“It will be panic time when the first spending bill happens in the new year,” said a second GOP House insider said.
Even reelecting Rep. Mike Johnson as speaker will be a heavier lift. Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie and Georgia Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene have both rumbled in recent months about ousting him from the job.
When Stefanik, nominated as the United States ambassador to the United Nations, resigns her seat, state law requires Gov. Hochul to declare a special election within 10 days and the election will take place 80 to 90 days after that declaration.
There would be no primary, with candidates instead being chosen by party bosses on both sides. Should Stefanik depart the day Trump takes office, her seat would remain vacant until April.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would be keen to fill his seats as quickly as possible to show he’s a team player — he too will be hamstrung by state laws on timing and procedure for special elections.
Florida law requires that military ballots have to be mailed out at least 45 days before the special election, and — unlike in New York — candidates looking to replace Waltz, the nominee for National Security Advisor, and Gaetz, will have to also win a special primary.
The official hemming and hawing also means it’s unlikely the seats will be filled until April.