The 119th Congress gets to work on Friday and the first matter of business is one that could provide some political drama: A vote on whether House Speaker Mike Johnson will keep his job.
Republicans control the House and Senate for the first time since 2019, but it is not entirely clear whether House GOP lawmakers will reelect Johnson as speaker soon after lawmakers convene at noon.
With the departure of former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, Republicans only have a 219-215 margin.
Gaetz left the House when he was nominated to be President-elect Donald Trump’s U.S. attorney general, but withdrew his nomination shortly before the House Ethics Committee released a report that outlined sexual misconduct.
The razor-thin Republican majority means Johnson can only afford to lose two GOP House members. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-KY, has already said he won’t vote for Johnson.
If another Republican decides to vote for someone else, and there is full attendance, Johnson cannot be reelected speaker.
Heading into the vote, Johnson has tried to remain confident in his public statements. He noted this week that he has the endorsement of Trump, whose support will help him as he tries to corral the necessary votes.
“We’re going to get this done,” Johnson said on Fox, noting it’s important that Republicans quickly get to work on Trump’s agenda.
But, just two years ago, it took Republicans 15 votes over five days before they finally elected Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House.
He was later ousted by the GOP, which ultimately settled on Johnson, after a series of votes and weeks in which the House was in chaos.
This time, Republicans don’t have that kind of time for dysfunction. If they fail to choose a speaker in the coming days, it’s possible the House won’t be able to certify the results of the presidential election on Jan. 6 to return Trump to the White House.
A speaker must be in place before any business is carried out by Congress.
It would also be an embarrassing start for Republicans, who now control the White House, the House and the Senate.
Things in motion
Trump has made it clear he wants to get off to a quick start, once he’s sworn in on Jan. 20.
In the Senate, South Dakota Sen. John Thune will take over as Senate majority leader, taking over for the GOP’s longtime leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-KY.
A flurry of activity will also be taking place on Capitol Hill in the coming days.
In addition to the convening of Congress, preparations are underway for the state funeral of former President Jimmy Carter, who died last week at the age of 100.
Carter’s body will be flown to Washington and the 39th president will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda, starting on Tuesday evening. A funeral will be held on Thursday at the Washington National Cathedral.
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