Incoming House majority squeezed by Trump's planned appointments

Washington — Republicans have celebrated holding onto their narrow majority in the House, adding to their flip of the Senate and the White House for a trifecta in Washington next year. But President-elect Donald Trump's selection of a number of House Republicans to fill top posts in his administration is pulling from an already shallow bench, temporarily whittling the GOP majority down further as Trump takes office in January. 

Just one House race remains to be decided nearly four weeks after Election Day, with 99% of the vote counted in California's 13th Congressional District, where Democrat Adam Gray is leading GOP Rep. John Duarte. Last week, victories in another California district, along with one in Iowa brought the balance of power in the chamber to 220-214. 

Meanwhile, Trump has tapped a handful of House Republicans for top positions in his administration. In the week following the election, the president-elect made two selections from the House, with GOP conference chair Elise Stefanik of New York as ambassador to the U.N., and Rep. Mike Waltz of Florida as national security adviser.