The 119th Congress opened Friday with a packed first day as lawmakers returned to Washington with a long to-do list for January.
Confirmation hearings for President-elect Trump's Cabinet nominees are expected to begin in the coming weeks, and Trump himself is expected to be sworn in within three weeks.
But first, House Republicans have some work to do: choose a speaker.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) is once again leading the House, but hard-line conservatives have set up roadblocks that give him little margin for error and the challenges he faces in getting there. The road is difficult.
Here's a quick look at what to expect on Congress' first working day in 2025.
Selection of speakers
The first votes of the year in either chamber will take place in the House of Commons to elect a new speaker. It is scheduled to take place at noon ET.
Simply put, no business can take place in the House of Commons unless we elect a Speaker. Members cannot take the oath and are not paid. Rules packages cannot be adopted and committees cannot be established.
This has become even more evident after multiple battles over the past two years for the presidency. It took 15 votes over five days for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to take the gavel, during which no business was conducted.
Similarly, the House of Representatives stalled for about three weeks after McCarthy was removed from the top job, unable to take up any particular legislation until Republicans elected Johnson.
At this point, it is unclear whether Mr Johnson will be able to secure the 218 votes needed to take the gavel. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has insisted he will vote for someone other than Mr. Johnson, meaning the speaker cannot lose other Republican votes. There are 219 Republicans and 215 Democrats scheduled, with one vacancy.
President Trump said he supported the speaker and would reach out to conservatives individually “if necessary.”
What is noteworthy is that it is in President Trump's interest to end the chairman election.
why? That's because a joint session of Congress will convene next Monday to certify the results of the presidential election, but it cannot be held without the speaker.
Oath of members, adoption of rules package
Members of the House of Representatives will be sworn in en masse on the House floor, but not until a speaker is elected.
In all, 65 new members will be sworn in.
Lawmakers will then need to pass a set of rules governing the operation of the House. This will enable committees to be established and bills to be debated and examined on the floor.
The rules package for the 119th Congress also includes some notable changes. The highlight is that the threshold for a motion to vacate the House of Commons will be raised from one to nine people, giving Mr Johnson some breathing room if he secures the gavel.
Additionally, there are changes to the commission's name and wording pair that would authorize the panel to create electronic voting rules.
What does the Senate schedule look like?
The 119th Congress will also begin in the Senate, but there will be no major uproar in the House.
The Senate will formally adjourn the 118th Congress in the morning, then quickly reverse course and open a new session at noon.
The highlight of the day was the members' oath. It will formally take place on the Senate floor with Vice President Harris, and it will be done as a group.
Afterwards, the oath-taking ceremony for each member will be held in the old Senate chamber with their families. The Vice President also implements them.
The Senate could adopt an organizational resolution as soon as Friday setting out committee assignments and establishing other procedures for the chamber over the next two years.
Unlike the House, Senate leadership elections are held away from the chamber. All of this has been settled, and Sen. John Thune (R.S.D.) will assume the role of majority leader.
But the only changes that take effect on the floor concern the Senate pro tempore, which is typically held by the most senior member of the majority party. This is achieved through a simple solution.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) will reprise his role from 2019 to 2021. He has served as a senator since 1981.
When will confirmation hearings begin for the Trump administration's picks?
The bigger issue on the Senate side is when will Trump's Cabinet picks be announced in a hearing, as the House of Representatives looks to gather confirmation votes soon after President-elect Trump takes the oath of office on January 20th. It means that it is.
These are scheduled to begin the week of January 13th, with one week's notice of public hearings.
Pete Hegseth was chosen by President Trump to head the Department of Defense. expected to appear at the Senate Armed Services Committee starting January 14th.
