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Republican Matt Van Epps of Tennessee was sworn in on the House floor Thursday morning by Speaker Mike Johnson, giving the GOP slightly more breathing room as they hold on to a razor-thin majority in the lower chamber of Congress.

Van Epps was sworn in less than 48 hours after winning a hotly contested special election for a vacant GOP-held seat in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District that was viewed as a must-win for Republicans, who will defend their House majority in next year’s midterm elections.

He vowed in a floor speech to “work every day with President Trump and my colleagues in this House to deliver on the America First agenda.”

Van Epps’ swearing in brings the balance of power in the House to 220 Republicans and 213 Democrats.

WH

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