Washington House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was re-elected to lead the chamber when the 117th Congress convened Sunday, with the California Democrat leading her party through a new Congress with the smallest majority in years.
Members cast their votes on the speaker ahead of their curse on Sunday evening, with Pelosi gaining support from 216 Democrats and clearing the 214 threshold to secure Parliament’s top position. The proceedings in the Capitol were marked by the corona pandemic, which led to a change in procedures to ensure that the new Congress could meet safely.
Two Democrats – Jared Golden of Maine and Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania – cast votes for Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of New York, respectively. Three members of the Democratic House voted “in attendance”. In particular, Congressman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, and other members of “The Squad” supported Pelosi in her bid to become the speaker. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy won 209 Republican votes.
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The new session comes days before lawmakers meet to count electoral college votes and finalize the results of the presidential election. Nearly a dozen GOP senators on Saturday said they were planning object to the results on Wednesday, citing false claims of widespread voter fraud pushed by President Trump and his allies.
Ahead of Sunday’s procedure, the house sergeant-at-arms and the Capitol’s attending physician sent guidelines to new and returning House members, Roll Call said. The traditional quorum call, the swearing-in of new members, and the election of speakers take place in seven groups, significantly extending the day’s events.
The House met at noon, with the election of a new speaker as the first order of business. Members will be sworn in after the election, which can last until Sunday evening. Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, nominated Pelosi as a speaker, calling her a “resilient leader.”
“Nancy Pelosi believes it is our sacred mission to continue America’s long, necessary and majestic march towards a more perfect union,” he said in a speech in the House before the vote began.
As a striking symbol of how the virus complicated the procedure, a special section of the House Chamber was enclosed in plexiglass so that three lawmakers in “quarantine status” could vote. Dr. Brian Monahan, Congress’s attending physician, said the “highest possible precautions have been implemented, including separate, enhanced ventilation in this room and separate storage facilities for members“ using the separate room. ”Members using the room had to be negative. tested for the virus.
The special accommodations also reflected the paper-thin margin in the vote for speaker. Democrats will start the 117th Congress with 222 members, just four above the 218 threshold needed for a majority, while one race in New York is still undecided.
Proxy voting, which allowed members to cast votes while not physically present at the Capitol, lapsed with the end of the last Congress. The new House will have to vote on whether or not to extend the voting by proxy. This means that anyone who is absent on Sunday cannot vote in the speaker elections.
In the Senate, which also met at noon for the start of the 117th Congress, Vice President Mike Pence took the oath of office to pairs of new and re-elected members, each yielding elbow crustaceans.
To say that the 117th Congress is meeting at a challenging time would indeed be an understatement, Senate Leader Mitch McConnell said after members were sworn in. “From political divisions to a deadly pandemic to adversaries around the world, the hurdles ahead and they are serious. But there is also plenty of reason for hope. An optimistic spirit of ability is one of our country’s most distinctive calling cards. since our very beginning, and with safe and effective vaccines being rolled out in our country every day, I’d say 2021 is already looking bright. ”
The Senate begins its new session with narrow-majority Republicans, but whether the GOP retains control will be determined by a few second elections in Georgia on Tuesday.
Ahead of the start of Sunday’s proceedings, Pelosi noted the challenges the new Congress will face in addressing the economic turmoil caused by the pandemic and the ongoing public health crisis, and thanked the Democratic caucus for nominate her to lead the House for another term.
“I am convinced that the election of the speaker today will lead to a united democratic caucus that is ready to face the challenges that lie ahead, and that we are ready to embark on a new course for our country. begin the electoral college meeting on Wednesday, ”she said in a letter to her Democratic colleagues.
The House and Senate will reconvene on January 6 to count the votes of the electoral college and reconfirm the president-elect Joe Biden‘s victory.