On Sunday, the 117th Congress was called into order on Capitol Hill, with both the COVID-19 pandemic raging across the country and a looming conflict with a group of Congressional Republicans planning to object to the results of the presidential election this week.
Rather than small groups, as previously planned, most House members were sworn in en masse.
As specified in the Constitution, both chambers convened at noon on Sunday, though with more business to carry out and more members, the events in the House are expected to last for several hours, and some will carry over to Monday.
The first order of business in the House was the vote for Speaker, a spot held by Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for 17 years and for which she’s running unopposed once again this year.
Pelosi faced a narrower path, but ultimately won reelection over House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). Pelosi will serve her fourth non-consecutive term as speaker, and is the only woman to hold the role. She has led House Democrats since 2003.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) formally nominated Pelosi for the job, calling her “a notorious negotiator and a legendary legislator for such a time as this.”
Jeffries, a member of House leadership who’s expected to contend for the speakership whenever Pelosi steps aside, said that as Pelosi prepares to work with Democratic President-elect Joe Biden, “Brighter days are ahead in the United States of America. This is the day of great renewal in the House of Representatives.”
House lawmakers will be sworn in in groups, starting with the first-term members. New members are allowed just one guest ticket for their swearing-in this year, while current members aren’t allowed any.
Some members of Congress participated in House business through a "secure enclosure," according to Congress' attending physician Brian Monahan.
"Upon the direction of the Office of Attending Physician and the House Sergeant at Arms, a secure enclosure has been erected ... to allow Members who are in quarantine status to fulfill their Constitutional duties," Monahan said in a statement.
Monahan said members could participate "to ensure continuity of operations of essential functions," and "are permitted to continue work following potential exposure to COVID-19 provided they remain asymptomatic and additional precautions are implemented”
Another critical aspect of the opening session, a vote to affirm House rules, was pushed to Monday, since Sunday’s business-by-groups was likely to stretch on for hours longer than usual.
The Senate began its day with Vice President Mike Pence swearing in the individual Senators two-by-two, offering elbow bumps to each member after they took their oath.
“To say the new Congress convenes at a challenging time would be an understatement,” Majorty Leader Mitch McConnell said as the chamber opened.
Still, McConnell said with the start of a new year there are reasons for optimism, “let’s make the American people proud.”
Still, the balance of power in the Senate won’t be determined until Jan. 5 or the days after, following Georgia’s runoff election.
It's worth noting that David Perdue's term as a United States Senator expired at noon on Sunday. Perdue is currently running for re-election against Democrat Jon Ossoff in a runoff election on Tuesday. The current makeup of the Senate is 50-48, pending the results of the Georgia runoffs.
In the new year, the House and Senate will first hold a joint session on Jan. 6 to count electoral college votes and formalize President-elect Joe Biden as the election’s winner.
A number of Republican Senators, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), and Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) announced Saturday that they will object to the results, joining Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley’s announcement that he will object, but the move will not sway the outcome.
Democratic lawmakers, along with Biden, have also promised to push for additional economic relief in the new year, especially after a call for larger $2,000 stimulus checks lapsed in the Senate this week and funding for state and local governments, a Democratic priority, fell out of the relief deal negotiated this month.
“This has been a moment of great challenge in the United States of America filled with trials and tribulations, but help is on the way,” Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., the chairman of the House Democratic caucus, said in an interview.
“America is a resilient nation, filled with resilient people,” he said. “We will continue to rise to the occasion, emerge from this pandemic and continue to march toward our more perfect union.”
Among the House Republican newcomers are Trump-aligned Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who has given nod to conspiracy Q-Anon theories, and gun rights advocate Lauren Boebert of Colorado, who circulated a letter of support to retain the right of lawmakers to carry firearms in the Capitol.
Greene was among a group of House Republicans led by Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama who visited with Trump at the White House during the holiday season about their effort to undo the election.
The “Jan. 6 challenge is on,” Taylor Greene said in a tweet pinned to the top of her social media account. Boebert also tweeted support for those challenging Biden’s victory.
House Republicans boosted their ranks in the November election, electing a handful of women and minorities, more than ever. Some of the new GOP lawmakers are being called the “Freedom Force,” and a counter to the “squad” — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and other liberal Democratic women who swept to office in the last session.
In a statement Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., the minority leader, said the new Republican members “are a strong representation of who America is and where we come from.”
Progressive Democrats bolstered their ranks with newcomers aligned with more liberal priorities.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.