Congress returns to Washington as GOP prepares to take control

Washington — Lawmakers are returning to Washington Tuesday for a lame duck session after Republicans flipped the Senate and appear poised to hold onto control of the House after last week’s elections.

The new Congress will be seated in January, and President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda is expected to be its central focus. Until then, Senate Democrats may make a push to approve their priorities with their remaining days in control of the upper chamber. 

Lawmakers are also facing deadlines on other must-pass legislation, including funding the government, as they lay the groundwork for the new Congress with new-member orientation and leadership elections this week and next. 

The new Congress

House Republicans reveled in their victories last week, expressing confidence that they would retain control of the lower chamber in the new year with just a handful of seats to go. Speaker Mike Johnson wrote a letter to colleagues asking for their continued support for his leadership, now that the election has delivered a “mandate” for a unified Republican government. 

“If we meet this historic moment together, the next two years can result in the most consequential Congress of the modern era,” Johnson continued, noting that “to truly make America great again, we will need to begin delivering for the people on day one.”

Meanwhile, Democrats continued to hold onto some hopes of flipping the House, to be the only check on Republican political power in Washington. Still, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, who leads the Progressive Caucus, acknowledged Monday that Democrats have a “very slim path to the majority.”

“We are going to do our work to help rebuild and to come back from this loss and recalibrate,” Jayapal said at a news conference to introduce the newly elected progressives. 

On the other side of the Capitol, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell praised the quality of Republican candidates in Senate races this cycle, saying the day after the election that he’s “never seen a better performance.” With the new majority of at least 52 seats, the outgoing leader argued that Republicans did “pretty well” with narrow majorities during the last administration, citing three new Supreme Court justices and tax reform. 

“It’s harder, but I think we were successful before with a narrow majority and I think we will be again,” McConnell said. 

Republicans to hold leadership elections

In the Senate, Republicans will vote Wednesday to elect a new leader, since McConnell announced he would step aside earlier this year. A high-stakes race to replace the longest-serving leader in the chamber’s history has been taking place behind the scenes. 

GOP Whip John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, and Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, are considered the front-runners in the race to replace McConnell. But Sen. Rick Scott, a Florida Republican, has seen a surge of support from members of Trump’s orbit — from Tucker Carlson to Elon Musk — that has drawn more attention to the race.  

How the outside input weighs on the race remains to be seen. Senate Republicans will meet behind closed doors and cast secret ballots to elect a new leader, making them less likely to be swayed by outside pressures. But an endorsement of a candidate from Trump himself could change the dynamic. He has already weighed in with a demand about recess appointments.  

Meanwhile, House Republicans are also set to conduct leadership elections this week. With a stronger-than-expected showing across the House races, the current leadership slate is expected to enjoy widespread support to remain at the helm of the chamber. But Trump’s selection of GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik to serve as ambassador to the U.N. created another opening in the leadership races. 

Lame duck to-do list: funding government, Biden’s judicial nominations

Congress is returning to pressure to avert a government shutdown after lawmakers approved a continuing resolution to keep the government funded through Dec. 20 earlier this year. 

The pre-holiday deadline to prevent a shutdown is commonplace for Congress, though it frustrates some House Republicans looking to avoid a vote on a massive spending bill known as an “omnibus.” Johnson said in September that he opposes an omnibus funding package around the holidays, suggesting that he would work to approve the12 full-year spending bills individually after the election. But the new balance of power in Washington next year almost certainly changes the calculus.

House Republicans have so far approved a handful of the full-year spending bills, although they’ve done so on a partisan basis that makes them nonstarters in the Senate. And the upper chamber has yet to vote on any individual spending bills this year. The reality makes another stopgap measure punting a broader funding fight into the new year likely.

Lawmakers may also address funding for disaster relief following the devastation caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton in the southeastern U.S. earlier this year. And an annual defense policy bill is also a top priority before the year’s end.

Meanwhile, Senate Democrats are expected to vote on judicial nominations, as President Biden has sought to match or even surpass the total number of judicial confirmations in Trump’s first term. The issue takes on heightened importance for Democrats with another Trump term on the horizon.

Caitlin Yilek

contributed to this report.