Trump’s choices complicate the Republican majority in the House of Representatives and could make the government body even more chaotic: ‘panic time’

President-elect Trump’s Cabinet relies heavily on the House of Representatives — and the glacial pace to fill seats could thwart 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 that could leave them vacant for months. Gaetz’s nomination for attorney general collapsed this week — but he’s already resigned from Congress and there doesn’t appear to be any way for him to easily return to his old seat.

And that matters when the Republican Party is on pace to control the House by a margin of just three or four votes. The House currently has 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 passes in December, a massive omnibus spending package could be on the table for early 2025.

“I think that was a concern once he started calling people in the House and the California races haven’t even called yet. That could be two more seats that Democrats would flip,” a GOP House insider said. “When Trump addressed the House Republican conference (last week), he said, I would love to call on 15 of you but I have to wait,” the staffer added, noting that Team Trump was aware of the problem.

“It will be a panicky time when the first spending bill comes in the new year,” a second GOP House insider said.

Even re-electing Rep. Mike Johnson as president will be a bigger task. Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene have both grumbled in recent months about his ouster from office.

When Stefanik, appointed U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, resigns her seat, state law requires Governor Hochul to declare a special election within 10 days and the election will be held 80 to 90 days after that declaration .

There would be no primaries, with candidates chosen by party leaders on both sides. If Stefanik were to leave on Trump’s inauguration day, his seat would remain vacant until April.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reportedly eager to fill his seats as quickly as possible to show he’s a team player — he, too, will be hamstrung by state laws on election timing and procedure special.

Florida law requires military ballots to be mailed at least 45 days before the special election and, unlike New York, candidates seeking to replace Waltz, the nominee for national security adviser, and Gaetz, will also have to win a special election. primary.

The official hemlines also mean the seats are unlikely to be filled before April.