The atmosphere will be very aggressive from the start.
House Speaker Mike Johnson says he is loaded to the teeth to implement Donald Trump's so-called Maga agenda.
The mood is high among congressional Republicans. We have a new president, a new day is dawning in America, he said in mid-December, according to The Hill.
Then the budget crisis broke out. Donald Trump and entrepreneur Elon Musk torpedoed the compromise agreement Johnson had negotiated with great difficulty with the Democrats. The US held its breath before a temporary agreement was pushed through on the third attempt.
Learning to Find
As the 119th parliamentary two-year term now opens, the speaker election is one of the first items on the agenda. The post is crucial for Johnson, but the public dispute with Trump has eroded his political capital.
Then come busy days. During the approximately 100-day "honeymoon" after taking office, Trump will try to get as much legislation as possible through. Tax cuts and deportations of undocumented immigrants are two areas expected to be prioritized, according to media.
But before that, around 60 new House members and a dozen newly elected senators will be installed in Washington DC. They will have to get settled in their offices and learn to navigate the corridors of the Capitol. And on January 6, the ceremonial counting of electoral votes awaits, when Donald Trump's victory in the presidential election will be confirmed.
Four years ago, the counting was dramatic. Joe Biden had won over Trump, who claimed electoral fraud and urged his supporters to go to Congress and "fight like hell". The violent scenes that followed, where angry Trump loyalists with Maga flags stormed into the Capitol building, are historic and have left psychological scars on many who were there.
I'm always ready to flee, a congressional staffer testifies to Time, showing the gym shoes under the desk.
New Leader
Immediately after the ceremony, the Senate is expected to begin confirmation hearings for Trump's nominated ministers and high-ranking officials. This is to enable them to be approved as quickly as possible when Trump takes office, which will happen on January 20.
Some of the more controversial names have spent weeks in Washington DC to lobby skeptical senators. Among them is vaccine skeptic Robert F Kennedy, whom Trump wants to see as health minister.
In the Senate, too, a change of leadership awaits. Republican leader Mitch McConnell will hand over the reins to conservative South Dakota Senator John Thune.
Tina Magnergård Bjers/TT
Facts: The US Congress
TT
The Congress is the federal legislative assembly in the USA, based in the Capitol in the capital Washington DC. Its work runs in two-year periods – the 119th congressional session will start on January 3, 2025.
Congress consists of the Senate with 100 members, two from each state, and the House of Representatives with 435 seats distributed in relation to the states' population.
In the Senate, Republicans will hold 53 seats. South Dakota Senator John Thune will take over as majority leader, and New York Democrat Chuck Schumer will become minority leader.
In the House of Representatives, Republicans will have a narrow majority, partly because Donald Trump has picked several people from there for his administration. But Mike Johnson, who is expected to be re-elected as Republican speaker, has at least 217 party colleagues on his team. Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries will gather 215 Democrats.
Congress passes federal laws, decides on taxes and appropriations, and approves ministers and other high-ranking officials. It can also impeach federal officials, including the president and judges, through impeachment.
Sources: The US Congress, Real Clear Politics, House Press Gallery
