The constitution requires Congress to meet on January 3 at noon ET – the reason for Sunday’s rare session. The newly elected and returning members will take the oath of office and the entire House of Representatives will vote to elect a new president. Nancy Pelosi, who served as mayor at the 116th Congress, is in the process of remaining in office.
House Democrats retained control of the House in the November elections, but will now have a smaller majority after suffering a series of defeats, despite projections that they would win more seats. Meanwhile, House Republicans have exceeded expectations and are now ready to add a significant number of Republican women to their ranks at the new Congress.
In the Senate, the balance of power has yet to be decided with all eyes in two second-round Senate elections that will take place in Georgia on January 5, which will determine which party controls the chamber.
The new freshman class includes high-profile Democrats and Republicans who have gained national attention before they even set foot in Congress.
In the House, a list of progressive Democrats who toppled the incumbents in the first races will be part of the new Congress, including Cori Bush, from Missouri, who ousted Congressman Lacy Clay in a big turn and Jamaal Bowman, from New York, who defeated the president of the Chamber’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Eliot Engel.
Other incoming members who already have a national profile include Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who became widely known for her history of incendiary rhetoric and ties to the groundless conspiracy theory QAnon, and Ronny Jackson of Texas, former chief physician of the President Donald Trump.
In the Senate, former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper will serve as a new Democratic senator for Colorado and former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville will become a new Republican senator for Alabama.
Alex Padilla will be another new senator in the new Congress after California Governor Gavin Newsom appointed him to serve as Senate Chair for Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. Harris and President-elect Joe Biden will swear an oath on January 20 during the presidential inauguration.
Mark Kelly, retired Navy captain and NASA astronaut, a new Democratic senator from Arizona, was sworn in during the month of December after winning a special election.
The first day of the new Congress will look a little different this year, with security precautions in place to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.
The number of installed senators at a time will be less to minimize crowding and it is expected that senators will take their oaths in groups of two to allow social distance.
The representatives will also be sworn in by groups, although the size is much larger, given the number of members in the Chamber, with the elected members taking office first.
Newly elected lawmakers often bring in several family members to witness their oath and take part in photos commemorating the occasion. This year, however, elected members will be allowed to have only one family member in the Chamber gallery to attend the proceedings.
After voting to elect a mayor, the new president will administer the oath to members.
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