A new Congress takes over in Washington. Republicans will control the House, while the Democrats will control the Senate.
Even though each legislative session always brings a round of retirements, the departure of experienced politicians this year will be felt immediately as Washington braces for a new House Republican majority that has expressed little interest in striking deals with President Biden and a Democratic majority in the Senate.
According to the New York Times, without the legislative savvy of senators like Patrick J. Leahy, Democrat of Vermont, or Roy Blunt, Republican of Missouri, lawmakers and aides fear that even the basics of governing will be unattainable.
That does not bode well for any bills involving trillion-dollar spending packages or overhauls of outdated legislation. The 118th Congress is the most diverse in American history.
One hundred forty-nine women will serve in the 118th Congress. That’s a record. And of that number, one hundred twenty-four women will serve in the House — a record too. There are 18 Latina congresswomen: Another record, and 27 Black congresswomen serving in the house, yet another record.
One order of business to be taken care of in the House is the job of Speaker of the House, held by Democrat Nancy Pelosi, who has held that position since 2019 and previously from 2007 to 2011.
California Republican Congressman Kevin McCarthy has led Republicans in the House since 2019 and wants to succeed Rep. Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House. However, to get that job he needs 218 votes on the House floor Tuesday.
The new Congress begins with 222 Republicans and 212 Democrats and one Democratic vacancy, and no Democrats are expected to back McCarthy. The big problem is that at least five Republicans have said they won’t support him.
If McCarthy can’t secure enough votes, another Republican may be nominated for the job instead. Should McCarthy get the needed votes to become speaker, he has already warned the country that with a new congress will come new priorities, a series of investigations, and partisan gridlock that could bring President Joe Biden’s agenda to a crawl, if not a full stop.
“In 11 days, the new House GOP majority will change the direction of our country,” he said on the House floor on Dec. 23 before voting against a $1.7 trillion spending bill. Earlier in December, McCarthy noted Democrats would lose one-party rule “in 17 days.”
Here is a tidbit of trivia – The Constitution says you don’t need to be a member of Congress actually to be Speaker of the House. However, that scenario has never happened.
But it is an extremely important job. The Speaker of the House is second-in-line to the presidency, and the job dictates what bills can come up for a vote in the House.
