House and Senate Republicans will meet this week to select new leadership candidates for next year's Congress, the first step toward the Trump administration's looming legislation.
The move comes as Republicans are on the brink of securing a triumvirate in Washington. President Trump heads to the White House, Republicans have secured a majority in the Senate, and Republicans appear poised to maintain their majority in the House of Representatives. The next two years will be completely controlled by DC.
Republicans are just two seats away from maintaining their House majority. As of Sunday night, Republicans held 216 seats in the House, followed by Democrats with 209, according to Decision Desk Headquarters. A total of 10 races remain uncalled.
The Senate Republican Conference met on Wednesday, with lawmakers naming the next Republican leaders as Sens. John Thune (R-Texas), John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Rick Scott (R-Florida). You will have to choose from among the states. The current Senate Republican leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), will leave office this month, leaving a new face at the top of the chamber for the first time in nearly 20 years.
In the House, members of the Republican conference will also meet Wednesday for intraparty elections, during which they plan to nominate a candidate for speaker, even though they do not formally have a majority. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) is likely to take the position, although his chances of winning the House in January remain uncertain.
Senate Republicans to select McConnell's successor
Senate Republicans will choose a new leader for the conference in a secret vote Wednesday, the first time the group has done so since Mr. McConnell was elected in 2007.
Mr. Thune, Mr. Cornyn and Mr. Scott are all vying for the majority leader position, a position solidified last week when Republicans won the Senate majority.
The three-way campaign has been going on for months, with candidates working behind the scenes to rally support among their colleagues. However, the contest has intensified since last week's election, and all eyes are now on whether President Trump will join the leadership race.
Trump inched closer to committing to the campaign on Sunday. in social media postsThe president-elect said the next Republican leader “must agree” to move forward with the appointment over the weekend, a request that upends typical Senate procedure. All three candidates immediately supported the idea.
But questions remain about whether Trump will support him in the election.
Some senators, including Thune, say he shouldn't be involved. The Senate Republican whip said in an interview with CNBC last week. [the race]” His allies echo that sentiment.
Meanwhile, Scott's supporters have argued the opposite, publicly suggesting that Trump should support the Florida Republican in the race.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said, “Jesse, if you have any influence over President Trump, you should come out publicly to President Trump and ask someone of his caliber, like Rick Scott. I want them to say that they would like to work with them to accomplish their goals.” Scott, a supporter of Scott, said in an interview with conservative podcast host Jesse Kelly.
The views from the two respective camps are not surprising. Thune has a checkered past with Trump. Thune, a South Dakota Republican, opposed efforts to object to the certification of the 2020 election results in the wake of President Biden's victory and threatened Trump with ending his political career in the primary, which came true. I didn't. Mr. Thune also supported Sen. Tim Scott (R.S.C.) against Mr. Trump in the 2024 Republican primary.
However, Thun tried to mend the relationship. The two met earlier this year at Mar-a-Lago and spoke many times.
Mr. Cornyn similarly has a checkered history with Mr. Trump. For example, the Texas Republican negotiated bipartisan safe zones legislation in response to the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, a move Trump criticized.
But Mr. Cornyn's allies say their relationship is closer than Mr. Thun's. The former Republican Party official, who served in the job during the first two years of the first Trump administration, spent time with Trump on the campaign trail, attended a Trump Vance fundraiser in August as a special guest, and was a vocal supporter of the Republican campaign. raised a large amount of money for. ticket.
Scott, on the other hand, is seen as the candidate with the best relationship with Trump. Scott is from Florida, President Trump's current state of residence. He visited Mar-a-Lago in April 2021, when President Trump was still facing controversy from the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. He was the first senator to attend Trump's trial in Manhattan earlier this year.
House Republicans gather for leadership election
House Republicans will meet behind closed doors on Wednesday to nominate a candidate for speaker, beginning what could be a messy process of choosing the top lawmaker for the upcoming 119th Congress.
Mr. Johnson is currently the only candidate declared to be running for the House of Representatives. The Louisiana Republican, who was elevated to the top job last year following the ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), wrote in a letter to colleagues last week. I look forward to your continued support as I continue to lead this conference as Chair. ”
Johnson is expected to be nominated as speaker of the House of Commons, but he will need a simple majority in a secret vote on Wednesday. But his margin of victory will be noteworthy as the speaker prepares to make the nomination before the full House in January, when a majority vote on the floor is required to win the gavel.
Republicans are expected to win a slim majority again, and opposition to Johnson's candidacy could jeopardize their chances of taking back the gavel next year. In 2021, minority Republican resistance to McCarthy's bid for the speakership prevented him from winning the gavel until the 15th vote.
One prominent Republican said Mr. Johnson faces some opposition within the Republican conference.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), who has not been shy about criticizing Johnson in the past, said on Fox News this weekend that there are “many Republicans” who are concerned about Johnson's leadership efforts. This raised questions about how easy it would be to criticize Mr Johnson. A Louisiana lawmaker's path to the gavel.
“Mike Johnson is going to have to corral this Republican conference and prove that he can serve the American people and serve President Trump. That needs to happen in the coming weeks,” Roy said. said. “And this week, as I’m going to sit down with Mike and sit down with the rest of the conference, we have no choice but to deliver.”
“We have to deliver. There can be no more excuses. That's what I want to hear from the Speaker. But there are still a lot of Republicans who are concerned.” “We have to find a way to get everyone on the same page.”
Since last week's election, no Republicans have formally announced their opposition to Johnson, but several are keeping their cards close to their hearts.
House Republicans also plan to vote on other leadership positions. Representative Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana) is running for re-election as House Majority Leader, and Representative Tom Emmer (R-Minnesota) is also doing the same as House Majority Leader. , Congressman Richard Hudson (R-Calif.) is also seeking re-election as House Majority Leader. ) is vying for re-election as chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).
House holds hearing on UAP
Two subcommittees of the House Oversight Committee are scheduled to hold a joint hearing on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) this week, the committee's second on the agenda.
The hearing, scheduled for Wednesday at 11:30 p.m., is titled “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon: Exposing the Truth.”
Congresswoman Nancy Mace (R.S.C.), Chair of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation, and Congressman Glenn Grossman, Chair of the Subcommittee on National Security, Borders, and Foreign Affairs. said this at the public hearing. It will “further attempt to unravel the secret U.S. government research program” and investigate the Pentagon's “reluctance to adequately declassify related materials.” UAP. ”
Four witnesses are lined up to testify. Tim Gallaudet is a retired Navy Rear Admiral and CEO of Ocean STL Consulting LLC. Luis Elizondo, author and former Pentagon official. Michael Gold, Chief Growth Officer at Redwire Corporation and former Deputy Administrator at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Michael Shellenberger is the founder of the online news media “Public''.
Elizondo claimed that the Pentagon has a spacecraft crash recovery program and has recovered non-human specimens.
“We want greater accountability on this issue,” Mace and Grossman said in a statement.
“The American people have a right to understand what the government has learned about drone sightings and the nature of the potential threat these phenomena pose,” they added. “Only by providing consistent and systematic transparency can we ensure understanding.”
