Almost everyone in Washington knows that you need 218 votes to pass a bill in the House — that number is a bare majority of the 435 members who normally serve in the lower chamber.
But a wave of lawmakers have retired, including four who just joined the Trump administration in senior positions. That means, as Republicans are looking to pass their bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, they will only need 216 votes to pass legislation.
Here’s why. Five lawmakers have just left the House for greener pastures:
- Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., left to become President Trump’s director of the Office of Management and Budget.
- Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan., is Trump’s new CIA director.
- Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., is now Trump’s health and human services secretary.
- Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., is Trump’s interior secretary.
- A fifth lawmaker, California Democrat Xavier Becerra, left to become the attorney general of California.
Normally there are 435 members of the House, but with those retirements, there are just 430. Half of that is 215, add one more to get a majority with 216 votes.
That’s the number Republicans will be shooting for as they try to finally pass legislation to repeal Obamacare in the coming weeks.
Under the current math, there are 237 Republicans in the House, which means they can lose 21 of those and still pass legislation with 216 votes.
