PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Republicans are now projected to hold onto a slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, according to several news organizations, as President-elect Donald Trump's party takes full control of Washington.
The way it appears to be playing out, Republicans now have at least 218 seats after edging out Democrats in several closely contested districts. That's the magic number for majority control; Democrats are projected to have at least 211 seats. The Associated Press has yet to call all the House races.
Last week, Republicans flipped two, maybe three Democratic seats, to get to at least 52 seats in the Senate, with incumbent Pennsylvania Democrat Bob Casey trailing Republican Dave McCormick in a tight race that the AP has already called for McCormick. Now, it's headed to an automatic recount, and while Casey trails McCormick by just over 29,000 votes, it's still within the 0.5% margin that triggers a mandatory recount under state law.
Democrats will have virtually no check on Trump, a man they warned on the campaign trail is a threat to democracy, an extremist and a fascist. And now he has signaled to Senate Republicans that he fully expects them to let every one of his appointments sail through confirmation without hearings or votes.
CBS News congressional correspondent Scott MacFarlane joined KYW's Michelle Durham live, as he does each week, to discuss the latest news from Capitol Hill.
Michelle Durham: Scott, good afternoon. So much to discuss. Let's start with the House.
Scott MacFarlane: You ever feel like you're wearing roller skates when you're on the job? That's what it's like being a Washington, D.C., journalist. Over the past few hours, things are sliding and shifting in ways you wouldn't expect.
Let's start with the U.S. House, where Republicans have now been projected to hold the majority. Officially, it was expected they are electing leadership this afternoon. We expect it will be a Speaker Mike Johnson, yet again; it will be Majority Leader Steve Scalise, yet again; and President-elect Trump, showed up at a House Republican meeting today to talk to the troops, champion his own victory, and say that they have big plans they're going to get to very quick when the inauguration happens here.
Another history-making appointment with the choice of Marco Rubio as Secretary of State.
That's a confirmation that appears to be destined for success. It's premature always to say those things before the president-elect takes office, but Marco Rubio would need to have very strong relationships with U.S. senators to confirm this appointment. He would need to have credibility on issues of foreign matters.
Well, he has uniquely good relationships in the Senate. He's been here for 14 years. What's more, he has steered the Senate Intelligence Committee for many of those years, and that has all kinds of knowledge of foreign affairs and issues of state. This would seem to be about as smooth a confirmation process as Donald Trump could have, if he does, in fact, formally nominate Marco Rubio when he takes office in January.
And let's talk about the confirmation hearings. The president-elect wants his appointments without confirmation hearings.
He's pushing for something called "recess appointments" — which is a real Washington term, right? Recess appointments would be the Senate allowing, when it's out of town for break, confirmations to just sail through without hearings, without votes.
The Senate hasn't done that in quite a while. It's been more than a decade since they allowed that luxury, and it seems disinclined to surrender its power unilaterally, to allow a president to do that. If it did, that would embolden Donald Trump to put in anybody at any post, without confirmation, without votes, without scrutiny. It's hard to see them doing that. But with some of the more controversial picks that have surfaced, that may be the only way to get them confirmed.
And of course, Sen. John Thune won the internal election today among the Republican senators.
Not a surprise. But that is not the choice of some of Trump's allies. Some of Trump's allies wanted it to be the wild card, dark horse candidate, Rick Scott of Florida, who's indicated he might be okay with recess appointments and surrendering some of what Trump would like to surrender to the White House.
John Thune is an institutionalist. He's been here since 2005. He was the lieutenant of [Speaker of the House] Mitch McConnell, and he is now the successor of Mitch McConnell, who's stepping back from leadership to be a rank-and-file senator.
And we go from Congress and the commander in chief to the Commanders — and the Eagles are hosting them on Thursday. Your projections?
It's hard to stay focused when we play Thursday night games that are the game of the season. Let's put that out there. This could be Sunday, and it would all get through the work week easier.
Last week, the Steelers showed a game plan for how to slow down this superstar rookie quarterback in Washington and the Eagles showed what they could do offensively when they are healthy. I am bullish on the birds. Hope others are too.