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Fate of House Speaker Mike Johnson Uncertain as 119th Congress Is Sworn In

HeadlineJan 03, 2025

On Capitol Hill, the 119th U.S. Congress is opening today with Republicans in control of both the House and Senate. For the first time ever, the U.S. Senate will have two Black women serving at the same time: Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland and Lisa Blunt Rochester from Delaware — both Democrats. Republicans will hold 53 Senate seats, and Democrats 47.

The U.S. House will swear in its first-ever openly transgender lawmaker, Sarah McBride, a Democrat from Delaware. But the fate of the House speakership remained uncertain as of late Thursday, as Speaker Mike Johnson can only afford to lose one Republican vote as his party holds a slim 219-215 majority in the chamber. Some Republicans fear a protracted battle for House speaker could delay the certification of Donald Trump’s Electoral College victory, which is scheduled for Monday.

Meanwhile, House Democrats are accusing Republicans of “doubling down on their extremism” as they introduced a new rule that would allow only Republican lawmakers to force a vote on removing the House speaker. Other proposals in the Republican Party’s rules package include fast-tracking crackdowns on transgender rights, immigrants’ rights and abortion rights; dissolving the congressional Diversity and Inclusion Office; renaming the Office of Congressional Ethics to the Office of Congressional Conduct; and a bill that would sanction the International Criminal Court.

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