There were many Radical Republicans in Congress. They were able to pass a lot of their plans during 1865 and early 1866. But President Johnson put off many of their plans until after the congressional elections of 1866. During 1866, the Radical Republicans got a larger majority in Congress, and so they had enough votes to override presidential vetoes. The Republicans needed this power — President Johnson vetoed every piece of Reconstruction legislation they passed, but every veto was overridden by the Republican majority.