Congress: The Senate & The House

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Congress Clocks In

The 119th Congress resumed yesterday for the first time since last week’s wave of Democratic victories (see latest). Republicans have five scheduled legislative weeks left before losing control of both houses in January.  Chief among Republican priorities is to pass a funding bill ahead of a Dec. 11 government shutdown deadline. Garnering support for the Pentagon’s annual policy bill amid an unpopular Iran war is also a priority. It also comes as outgoing Rep. Thomas Massie (R, KY-4) reintroduced a resolution yesterday to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on eight counts, including over his handling of the Iran war; a House vote could come as soon as this week. Massie separately predicts he will amass the 218 signatures necessary to force floor action on the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein files.  Separately, the Senate voted 73-25 yesterday to advance a measure to speed up approval of data center development. Americans voted overwhelmingly last week to restrict data center construction through dozens of ballot initiatives (see the one place that didn't).

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GOP chooses leaders

House Republicans picked Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio as their minority leader for the new Congress, signaling they’re ready for all-out battle against Democrats in 2027. John Thune of South Dakota was reelected as Senate leader. Follow live updates.

🐘 Who is Jim Jordan? New leader has history as combative Trump defender

+ Analysis: A deep dive into the articles of impeachment against Pete Hegseth ps:I can't believe that the GOP could get any stupider, but they did just that!!!!! Dreams, desks and selfies: Newly elected members of Congress learn their way around Rep.-elect LaKesha Womack, a community organizer who stunned her own Democratic Party by defeating a well-known North Carolina Republican on her shoestring $56,000 campaign budget, said she's excited to arrive in Washington and show what's possible. Read More.   Pete Hegseth impeachment effort blocked by House Republicans WASHINGTON (AP) — The House on Tuesday turned aside a resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, halting an effort to remove the Pentagon chief for his conduct in office and his handling of the war in Iran. https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-impeachment-briefing-trump-massie-87a78193502f716e6fb8eee5aef06ac0?

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🏛️ House GOP's power struggle

House Republicans will choose a new leader this morning after last week's devastating election losses, Axios' Kate Santaliz writes.

• Why it matters: Majority Leader Steve Scalise (La.) and Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (Ohio) will headline the battle for control of what's left of the Republican conference — with every other top position also up for grabs.

Scalise is pitching himself as the steady hand who can lead Republicans back to the majority, leaning on his decade of experience in leadership.

• Jordan is casting himself as the candidate for change, tapping into frustration among Republicans who believe last week's devastating losses demand a shake-up at the top.

👂 What we're hearing: Scalise allies are increasingly confident heading into today's vote, with Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) arguing that calls to delay the leadership elections are a sign that Jordan's supporters don't have the votes.

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Bernie Sanders won’t support Schumer for Senate Democratic leader, saying it’s time for change  Sen. Bernie Sanders said Tuesday he would not be supporting Sen. Chuck Schumer as the Democratic majority leader in the new Congress, setting up a seismic confrontation after the party’s sweep to power in the midterm elections. Read more.

What to know: Sanders was joined by Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan at a news conference at the Capitol, and together they said there needs to be a new generation of leadership and a vigorous debate about the party's direction and future. A number of incoming Democratic senators have echoed the call, signaling that they would support another candidate over Schumer.   Democrats, particularly in the party’s progressive wing, have been bombarding congressional offices with phone calls saying it’s time for new leadership. Michigan Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed and other progressives have pushed for Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland as a potential contender. Schumer, 75, has shown few signs of stepping aside.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ WATCH: Hear from Sanders, Slotkin and Schumer Judge weighs lawsuit brought by Peltola campaign over absentee ballots in Alaska’s US Senate race More than a dozen key races remain too early to call House Oversight Committee criticizes Trump administration over release of Epstein records WATCH: Art group installs statue satirizing Trump’s lack of military service ahead of Veteran’s Day How Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s extramarital affair could cause collateral damage in Washington A note to ‘46’: Donald Trump’s private message to Joe Biden emerges in new White House memoir, by Meg Kinnard. Sign up to our politics newsletter Ground Game here where Meg breaks down the latest developments from Washington every weekday.

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🥊 House GOP bets on MAGA "fighter"

House Republicans are turning to one of their fiercest fighters to lead their diminished conference after one of their biggest drubbings in decades, Axios' Kate Santaliz writes.

• Why it matters: Jim Jordan, 62, a founding member of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus, has completed a stunning insurgent-to-establishment turn after spending much of his nearly 20 years in Congress battling Republican leaders from the right.

Jordan's 106-73 win over House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) is a bet by Republicans that they shouldn't move away from President Trump to claw their way back to power.

• "I think when you take a beating like we took, you need to make some changes, and I also think we're gearing up for war," Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.), who backed Jordan, told us.

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🏛️ The new Washington

Washington's newest senators got their first taste of life on Capitol Hill this week as Democrats prepare to take control of Congress:

• Above: Sens.-elect Annie Andrews (D-S.C.), James Talarico (D-Texas) and Troy Jackson (D-Maine) walk together as they arrive for orientation.
• Below: Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed (D-Mich.) and his wife, Sarah Jukaku, ride the Senate Subway from the Capitol to the Hart Senate Office Building.

🐘 Republicans in both the House and Senate chose leaders for their next two years in the minority:

• House Minority Leader: Jim Jordan (Ohio)
• House Minority Whip: Tom Emmer (Minn.)
• House Conference Chair: Lisa McClain (Mich.)
• NRCC Chair (House campaign chief): Brian Jack (Ga.), replacing Richard Hudson, who lost his reelection bid.
• Senate Minority Leader: John Thune (S.D.)
• Senate Minority Whip: John Barrasso (Wyo.)
• Senate Conference Chair: Tom Cotton (Ark.)
• NRSC Chair (Senate campaign chief): Bernie Moreno (Ohio), replacing Tim Scott.

More on the Senate ... House.