January 3, 2023 Latest on the new Congress and House speaker vote

Rep. Steve Scalise, left, shakes hands with Rep. Kevin McCarthy after nominating him for House speaker before Tuesday's third round of voting.

House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy said he is not giving up his fight for speaker despite the fact 19 Republican members voted against him.

A third round of voting is underway after McCarthy was nominated by Rep. Steve Scalise.

Pushed further, he told CNN, “I know the path.”

Lawmakers are poised to cast their votes for the third time after House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy failed to secure enough votes twice.

Ahead of the expected historic third ballot, here are things to look out for:

Change in votes. CNN Capitol Hill reporter Melanie Zanona says to watch if any of the 19 lawmakers who voted against McCarthy in the second ballot will change their votes the third time around.

Any additional votes for Rep. Jim Jordan. Republicans have told CNN’s Manu Raju that they plan on standing down on their vote for Rep. Jim Jordan, who was nominated during the second ballot. GOP Rep. Bob Good told Raju that some voters are “dead set” in their opposition to McCarthy, and plan on voting for Jordan again in the third ballot.

Jordan earlier today urged voters to “rally around” McCarthy, but Raju said conservatives are “essentially ignoring it” and Good told CNN he expects votes for Jordan to grow.

“Beyond the 19 or so Republicans who voted for Jim Jordan, how many will vote for him on the third ballot? That’s going to be the big test,” Raju said.

Nineteen GOP lawmakers who voted against Rep. Kevin McCarthy for House speaker in the first round voted for Rep. Jim Jordan in the second round.

Here are the lawmakers:

No one received enough votes to become House speaker after a historic second vote. 

GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy failed to lock down the votes needed for speaker again as the House concluded voting for a second round. The final vote was 212 votes for Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, 203 votes for McCarthy and 19 votes for GOP Rep. Jim Jordan.

All 19 GOP lawmakers who voted against McCarthy in the first round voted for Jordan in the second round. 

But Jordan, to show that he is not vying for the job, nominated McCarthy ahead of the vote on the second ballot. Six GOP lawmakers voted for Jordan in the first round. 

Here’s a look at the second-vote tally:

GOP Rep. Byron Donalds, who has supported Rep. Kevin McCarthy in his bid for House speaker in the last two ballots, says he is now open to a nominee who can close the deal.

“The one thing that’s clear is he doesn’t have the votes. And so at some point as a conference we’ll have to figure out who does and so I think every member is having that thought process right now,” Donalds told CNN’s Jake Tapper.

He continued, “There’s members who are thinking about this right now because at the end of the day, we do have a responsibility to get the House organized in order to move with the 118th Congress.”

Donalds added that he’s now open to considering a stronger candidate who can get to the 218 threshold.

See his comments:

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00:57 - Source: CNN

Rep. Chip Roy voted for Rep. Byron Donalds on the first ballot and Rep. Jim Jordan on the second.

GOP Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s supporters and detractors remain at an impasse as the second ballot wraps up. 

Republican Rep. Chip Roy, who voted for Rep. Byron Donalds on the first ballot and Rep. Jim Jordan on the second, railed against McCarthy as part of the establishment. 

He also vented about the conference meeting this morning. 

Rep.-elect Mike Lawler, a McCarthy supporter, pushed back and said that they would stick by McCarthy, even if it went to 50 ballots. “We’ll keep voting, and if they want to say ‘We’re not giving in,’ well guess what, neither are we. And the vast majority of us far outweigh them.” 

Watch more here:

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02:03 - Source: CNN

Representatives gather in the House chamber on Tuesday.

A stalemate in the House to elect a speaker continues, after Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy appears to have failed to get the majority of votes needed on the second ballot.

It’s a holding patten that might not end any time soon, CNN analysts say.

Lawmakers will continue voting until someone wins the majority. They can take successive votes and they also have the option to adjourn to negotiate among themselves — but the House does not kick off the new Congress until a speaker is elected.

The major opposition to McCarthy is coming in the form of a handful of conservative lawmakers, many members of the Freedom Caucus. Nineteen Republicans who didn’t want to vote for McCarthy instead voted for Rep. Jim Jordan on the second ballot, who was nominated by Rep. Matt Gaetz.

Those lawmakers plan to vote again for Jordan on the third ballot, Republican Rep. Bob Good told CNN.

The problem is when this happens, it takes away votes from McCarthy — blocking anyone from winning the majority.

CNN correspondents say that might be exactly the point.

“This is a group who wants to burn it down. Kevin offered them everything, and they said no. They don’t want it,” Jamie Gangel, CNN special correspondent said in her analysis, referring to negotiations between the conservative lawmakers and McCarthy before Congress convened Tuesday.

“The hallmark of this group of 19 and the folks who are kind of leading this charge is that it’s all about throwing a wrench in the machine but not actually solving any problems,” CNN anchor and political correspondent Abby Phillip said.

What happens next? No one really knows.

McCarthy made it clear at the beginning of voting that he plans to continue to endure ballot after ballot and will not back down, sources said.

CNN’s Manu Raju contributed reporting to this post.

Rep. Jim Jordan nominates Rep. Kevin McCarthy for House speaker on Tuesday.

Conservatives will vote for Rep. Jim Jordan on the third ballot too, according to GOP Rep. Bob Good.

Good told CNN that he expects Jordan’s support to grow.

He said the fact that Jordan doesn’t want the gavel is “exactly” why they want him.

A GOP lawmaker who is supporting House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy says members are already hearing from Republican donors and constituents who think the party “looks stupid” for not being able to elect a speaker.  

Another Republican who is backing McCarthy predicted there will be pressure after three or four rounds of votes to either adjourn or start thinking about another strategy.  

As the vote drags on, a third Republican and McCarthy supporter described the frustration with the opposition within the party:

While many Republicans predicted it would go to multiple ballots, many are still in disbelief, and angry over how the drama is overshadowing their new majority. 

President Joe Biden has no plans to interject in the messy process underway on Capitol Hill of electing a new House speaker, the White House says.

House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy has so far failed to garner enough votes to win the speakership, leading to uncertainty about the outcome. 

The White House has watched that process intently as the administration works to discern who will lead the chamber over the next two years.

As the chaos was unfolding, however, Biden remains hopeful of working with both parties in the coming months.

“We are looking forward to working with congressional colleagues, including Democrats, Republicans and independents this year in the new Congress, to continue to move the country forward for the American people,” Jean-Pierre said.

A second ballot for House speaker is underway after Rep. Kevin McCarthy fell short on votes in the first ballot – something that hasn’t happened since 1923.

McCarthy has already lost more votes than he can afford in the second round of the speaker vote.

At least 218 votes are needed, but the number required could change if members withhold their votes.

Rep. Matt Gaetz nominated Rep. Jim Jordan to be the House speaker. Jordan, in an effort to show unity, had earlier nominated McCarthy ahead of the second round of voting. 

Rep. Kevin McCarthy critic GOP Rep. Bob Good said he thought his allies would get 10-15 “no” votes against McCarthy on the first ballot and was pleased to get 19. 

He said he expects more “no” votes on the second ballot.

He said he will vote for Rep. Jim Jordan on the next ballot and expects Jordan and others to get more votes going forward.  

Rep. Matt Gaetz nominates Rep. Jim Jordan to be House speaker.

Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz just nominated Rep. Jim Jordan to be House speaker.

Jordan, in an effort to show unity, nominated McCarthy in this second round of voting. 

Gaetz supported Rep. Andy Biggs in the first round of voting.

Rep. Jim Jordan delivers remarks from the House floor on Tuesday.

Republican Rep. Jim Jordan called on his party to “rally around” Rep. Kevin McCarthy who failed to receive a majority of the vote for House speaker on the first ballot.

Six GOP lawmakers voted for Jordan for House speaker, drawing some votes away from McCarthy.

Now, there is a second round of voting – and Jordan is a candidate after he was nominated by Rep. Matt Gaetz.

The 19 total Republicans who voted against McCarthy in the first ballot are considering all voting for Jordan on the second ballot, sources tell CNN.

“I like his fight, I like his tenacity,” he added, saying, “We need to rally around him”

The Ohio lawmaker said the differences among Republicans “pale in comparison” to the differences the party has “between us and the left.”

“So we had better come together” and fight, he said, naming several GOP agenda items including legislative priorities and oversight.

Members can vote for anyone, and they can protest by skipping the vote or voting “present.” If enough people skip the vote or vote “present,” the number of votes required for a majority can drop below 218.

CNN’s Annie Grayer, Melanie Zanona and Manu Raju contributed reporting to this post.

House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy failed to secure the votes needed to win on the first ballot in the speaker election on Tuesday, setting in motion a messy once-in-a-century floor fight. 

Since McCarthy did not win a majority of those present and voting for a candidate in the initial round of voting, the House moved to a second ballot. And members can keep voting until someone wins the majority. The tally of the first vote for McCarthy was 203. Another 19 Republicans voted for other candidates (see list below).

Republican lawmakers who voted for Rep. Andy Biggs:

Bob Good, Scott Perry, Matt Rosendale, Paul Gosar, Ralph Norman, Andy Biggs, Dan Bishop, Andrew Clyde, Phil Crane and Matt Gaetz

Republican lawmakers who voted for Rep. Jim Jordan:

Andy Ogles, Lauren Boebert, Michael Cloud, Anna Paulina Luna, Mary Miller and Keith Self 

Republican lawmakers who voted for former Rep. Lee Zeldin: Andy Harris 

Republican lawmakers who voted for Jim Banks: Josh Brecheen

Republican lawmakers who voted for Rep. Byron Donalds: Chip Roy

Kevin McCarthy, left, listens as votes are cast for House speaker on Tuesday.

Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy failed to win a majority for the House speakership on the first ballot amid opposition from his own party. The vote is poised to go to a second ballot for the first time in 100 years.

The tally of the first vote for McCarthy was 203. Another 19 Republicans voted for other candidates 

“Vote again,” that’s the plan, according to a source familiar with the next steps.

If another ballot is needed after that, it is not clear if Congress will recess the chamber or if members will continue voting.

Remember: McCarthy does not technically need 218 votes to become speaker. A majority of those present and voting is required to get the speakership, which is usually 218 lawmakers. But if enough people skip the vote or vote “present,” the number of votes required for a majority can drop. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was elected with 216 votes in 2021.

Here is a look at the first ballot vote:

CNN’s Manu Raju contributed reporting to this post.

Republicans seem to be lying to themselves in thinking that “nurturing and feeding the MAGA wing” is helping grow the party, CNN’s Abby Phillip said.

“What’s striking to me is he has not really taken them on and if you listen to Elise Stefanik’s nominating speech for Kevin McCarthy she was touting that they had grown their majority — yeah they grew their majority probably, mostly, because of redistricting. They were supposed to have done so much better,” Phillip explained.

Republicans now only hold a narrow majority in the House and that is the main reason why today’s House leadership vote is relying on margins, she said.

Watch the moment here:

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00:47 - Source: CNN

Kevin McCarthy, left, talks on the House floor on Tuesday.

The vote for House speaker has not officially been gaveled yet.

House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy briefly went to the cloakroom when members were done voting and now is back on the floor talking to members.

Members he spoke to included Tom Cole, Tim Burchett and Mike Turner.

Charile Dent, a former Republican congressman, said that he doesn’t see a clear path for Rep. Kevin McCarthy to win the House speakership as he appears to suffer a defeat on the first speaker ballot.

“What can he give these folks that he hasn’t already tried to give them? I don’t think there’s anything he can give them. It will never be enough. It seems so personal. They don’t — they just don’t want him so I don’t think there’s anything he can do. No concession he can make. There’s no more appeasement that he can do to win some of these folks over.”

A GOP source who is not in the Freedom Caucus told CNN: “I just don’t know how he gets there. They (Freedom Caucus) smell blood. He gave in to demand after demand, none of it was enough. In fact, he lost votes. These folks don’t want to get to yes.” 

CNN’s Jamie Gangel contributed reporting to this post.

Watch the video:

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01:04 - Source: CNN

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell celebrated becoming the longest serving party leader — of either party — in Senate history on Tuesday.

He has now surpassed former Sen. Mike Mansfield, a Democrat from Montana, who was the record holder.  

This comes as the 118th Congress across both chambers is being sworn in on Tuesday.

Kevin McCarthy heads to the House floor before the speaker vote on Tuesday.

Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy remains defiant in the face of opposition, with people close to him summing up his mentality as he vies for the House speakership as: “We’re going to war,” a senior GOP source tells CNN.

After McCarthy made concession after concession to the right flank, he is done negotiating— now his strategy is to grind down his opponents by staying in the race for as many ballots as it take, the source added. 

If McCarthy does not secure enough votes the first ballot, lawmakers will continue voting until someone wins the majority. They can take successive votes, but the House does not kick off the new Congress until a speaker is elected.

The feeling in McCarthy’s camp is that this fight with the Freedom Caucus — which forced him to drop out of speaker’s race in 2015 before it went to a vote — has been a long time coming, and now it’s time for everyone to put their cards on the table. 

For the first time in 100 years, the vote for House speaker is going to a second ballot.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy didn’t get the votes he needed on the first vote Tuesday afternoon, and fellow Republican Andy Biggs was nominated in opposition.

Meanwhile, Democrats nominated New York’s Hakeem Jeffries to lead the party’s minority in the chamber. He will become the first Black lawmaker to lead a party in Congress.

The House of Representatives votes on the next speaker Tuesday.

US Rep. Andy Biggs tallies votes on a piece of paper during Tuesday's first vote.

US Rep. Paul Gosar, a Republican from Arizona, nominated Biggs for speaker.

Kevin McCarthy acknowledges applause from Republican members after he was officially nominated for speaker on Tuesday.

Outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi holds the gavel as she calls the House to order on Tuesday.

Democrat Hakeem Jeffries hugs US Rep. Pete Aguilar after being nominated for speaker.

Kevin McCarthy had promised to restore committee assignments for Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar, seen here.

No matter how they resolve Tuesday’s vote choosing the next speaker of the House, Republicans appear poised to double down on the hard-edged politics that most swing state voters rejected in last November’s midterm election.

Stubborn conservative resistance to House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy has put the party at risk of precipitating the first speakership election that extends to more than a single ballot since 1923 – and only the second since the Civil War.

But even if McCarthy ultimately prevails after another round, the show of strength from the GOP’s conservative vanguard has ensured it enormous leverage in shaping the party’s legislative and investigative agenda. And that could reinforce the image of extremism that hurt Republicans in the midterm election, especially in the key swing states likely to decide the next presidential contest – Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia and Arizona.

Whoever Republicans ultimately select as speaker “will be subject to the whims and the never-ending leveraging of a small group of members who want to wield power,” said former GOP Rep. Charlie Dent, a CNN political commentator. “You’re going to have this group on the far right that is going to continue to push the leadership to go further right on issues.”

Tuesday’s vote may create a kind of drama that was common in the House during the 19th century but has virtually disappeared since. Before the Civil War, when party allegiances were more fluid, the House failed to elect a speaker on the first ballot 13 times, according to the House historian’s office. The most arduous struggles occurred in roughly the decade before the Civil War, as the existing party system crumbled under the pressure of the escalating conflict between the North and South, and the newly formed Republican Party supplanted the Whigs as the major competitor to the Democrats, then the dominant party. One speakership election during that tumultuous decade required 133 ballots (and two months of balloting) to resolve; the final speaker selection before the Civil War began took 44 ballots.

Read the full analysis here.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy is on track to fall short of a majority to win House leadership on a first ballot, and the speaker vote is poised to go to a second ballot for the first time in 100 years.

The roll call vote is still underway.

To be elected speaker, a candidate needs to win a majority of members who vote for a specific person on the House floor. That amounts to 218 votes if no member skips the vote or votes “present.”

CNN’s Clare Foran, Melanie Zanona, Annie Grayer and Kristin Wilson contributed reporting to this post. 

The Senate has now been sworn in. This includes all senators who were elected and reelected during the midterm elections in November.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday that “today marks the beginning of the 118th Congress. It’s the start of a new chapter.”

Schumer celebrated that he’s now the longest serving senator from New York. He also congratulated GOP Leader Mitch McConnell on “now becoming the longest serving party leader in the history of this chamber.” 

Democrats secured a slim 51-49 majority over Republicans in the chamber in the midterms.

Vice President Kamala Harris became the first woman to preside over the opening day of the US Senate when she swore in 35 either newly elected or reelected senators on Tuesday.

As president of the Senate, Harris administered the oath of office to four senators at a time. She greeted most who approached the desk with a handshake before prompting the lawmakers to raise their right hand —including Democrat John Fetterman who flipped his Pennsylvania seat in November.

Harris’ mic was audible several times during small talk with the clerk and lawmakers in between the oaths. At one point, she told Sens. Eric Schmitt, Chuck Schumer, Tim Scott and John Thune, “You all belong, that’s the beauty of our democracy.”

In another exchange, she jokingly told senators to “take this seriously,” after she incorrectly prompted the group to repeat after her.

The House of Representatives casts votes on House speaker on Tuesday.

The House is voting now on a new speaker. Democrats placed their party leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries’ name into nomination, and Republicans placed Kevin McCarthy’s name.

Republican Rep. Andy Biggs is also expected to garner several votes in the first round. 

How the vote works: Each member, when their name is called, will state the name of the person they are voting for. It can be one of the names in nomination, their own name, someone else’s name, or present, which is not a vote at all. 

The tellers will tally up the votes. The winner must have a majority of those voting for a person. Present votes subtract from that total, thus lowering the threshold for a majority of votes. 

If no one amasses a majority of votes cast, it goes to a second ballot, and on and on. If it goes to multiple ballots, other candidates may have their names put in for nomination. 

What could happen next: If McCarthy doesn’t get the votes on the first ballot, there is the option to make a motion to adjourn, but it would take 218 votes to do that and Democrats likely not inclined to help Republicans out in any way.

There is no playbook for what the chamber will do if the speaker isn’t elected on the first ballot. The 1923 vote was decided on the ninth ballot, where they kept voting until a speaker was decided. The 1869 speaker vote lasted through 60 ballots over two months.

This Congress may recess the chamber or they could continue voting. 

But no other House business can be done until this vote is finished, including swearing in of the rest of the members. Until the speaker’s vote is decided, the clerk of the House is in charge of the chamber.

Sen. Patty Murray was elected on Tuesday to be President Pro Tempore, which puts her third in line of presidential succession after the vice president and speaker of the House.

Murray, a Democrat from Washington, made history as the first woman to hold this position.  

The position is typically occupied by the senior most member of the majority party. California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who has more seniority to Murray, passed on the job. 

Vice President Kamala Harris swore the Washington Democrat into the role on Tuesday.

US Rep.-elect George Santos sits in the House chamber on Tuesday.

While most members of Congress were socializing with one another on the first day of the new Congress, Rep.-elect George Santos sat alone looking at his phone on the House floor. 

This comes as the embattled New York Republican faces a federal probe into his finances and mounting scrutiny and condemnation over lies about his biography. 

Some Democrats have called on Santos to step aside after the Republican admitted to fabricating parts of his resume, including his work experience and education. A few Republicans have also rebuked Santos, and at least one of his fellow incoming House Republicans from New York called for him to face an ethics investigation.

Santos faces questions about other key parts of his biography – including a claim that has been contradicted that his grandparents survived the Holocaust — and over loans totaling more than $700,000 that he made to his 2022 campaign.

The federal probe into his finances, which CNN reported on last week, is being undertaken by the US attorney’s office in the Eastern District of New York.

From left, US Reps. Bob Good, Andy Biggs and Matt Gaetz sit together on Tuesday.

Hard-right Republican Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona has also been nominated for House speaker.

GOP Rep. Paul Gosar nominated Biggs.

As a challenger to Rep. Kevin McCarthy, Biggs is expected to receive several votes in the first round. This could take some votes away from McCarthy — who is working with a very slim margin to be elected.

Much of the opposition to McCarthy has come from a handful of conservative lawmakers, many who are members of the Freedom Caucus. They don’t trust McCarthy and have not yet been convinced that he will appropriately stand up to Democrats and President Joe Biden.

Outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi acknowledges applause on Tuesday.

As Democratic Rep. Pete Aguilar nominated Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, saying “Democrats are united,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sat near the back of the chamber in the crowd, allowing the next generation of leadership to shine.

As Democrats gave Jeffries a standing ovation, Pelosi motioned his direction, saying “stand up, stand up.”

US Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, center, is applauded after he was nominated for House Speaker on Tuesday.

Democratic Rep. Pete Aguilar nominated Rep. Hakeem Jeffries for House leadership to a thunderous round of applause, noting that he is a Latino nominating the first Black man to the position.

In his nomination remarks, Aguilar rebuked Republican nominee Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s alignment with former President Donald Trump and his lack of clarity on right-wing extremism.

Kevin McCarthy receives applause after being nominated as House Speaker.

GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik rose to nominate House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy for House speaker, as practice.

The majority of the Republican conference rose for a standing ovation for McCarthy. But, notably, a small group of GOP lawmakers who have voiced opposition to McCarthy are all sitting near each other and did not rise.  

Republican Rep. Tim Burchett tried to get GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert to stand up during the standing ovation, but she stayed in her seat.

A quorum call of the House of Representatives has completed and there are 434 members who stated they are here. That means House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy needs to get 218 votes to be able to become speaker — a majority of members voting.  

One important caveat: The number of votes that McCarthy needs to clinch to become speaker could change depending on how many lawmakers vote present in the vote for speaker, which will begin soon. That’s because present votes don’t count towards the total and would instead lower the threshold needed to reach a majority. 

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy just walked onto the House floor as the chamber is still taking a quorum.

The next order of business is the election of the House speaker. Democrats will place their party leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries’ name into nomination, and Republicans will place McCarthy’s name. Republican Rep. Andy Biggs is also expected to garner several votes in the first round. Then the House will call the roll.

Inside the House chamber, a group of hardliners who have voiced opposition to Kevin McCarthy’s bid for House speaker are sitting near one another. 

Reps. Lauren Boebert, Scott Perry, Chip Roy and Ralph Norman are sitting close to each other as the chamber prepares for this afternoon’s vote.

Members of the 118th Congress stand for the Pledge of Allegiance on Tuesday.

The clerk of the House – Cheryl Johnson — has gaveled the 118th Congress. They’ll do a prayer and the pledge, and then she will announce the certifications of the election of the 118th Congress have been received. 

Then they will have a quorum call. This is the first vote of the Congress. It’s a roll call vote. Members will vote present, they have to be in the chamber.

Then she will announce the vacancy of Virginia’s 4th Congressional District due to the death of Don McEachin.

The speaker election: The next order of business is the election of the House speaker. Democrats will place their party leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries’ name into nomination, and Republicans will place Kevin McCarthy’s name.

Republican Rep. Andy Biggs is also expected to garner several votes in the first round. 

Then they’ll call the roll. Each member, when their name is called, will state the name of the person they are voting for. Can be one of the names in nomination, their own name, someone else’s name, or PRESENT, which is not a vote at all. 

The tellers will tally up the votes. The winner must have a majority of those voting for a person. Present votes subtract from that total, thus lowering the threshold for a majority of votes. 

If no one amasses a majority of votes cast, it goes to a second ballot, and on and on. 

What could happen next: If McCarthy doesn’t get the votes on the first ballot, there is the option to make a motion to adjourn, but it would take 218 votes to do that and Democrats are not likely inclined to help Republicans out in any way.

There is no playbook for what the chamber will do if the speaker isn’t elected on the first ballot. The 1923 vote was decided on the ninth ballot, where they kept voting until a speaker was decided. The 1869 speaker vote lasted through 60 ballots over the course of two months.

This Congress may recess the chamber, or they could continue voting. 

But no other House business can be done until this vote is finished, including swearing in of the rest of the members. Until the speaker’s vote is decided, the clerk of the House is in charge of the chamber.

Watch what to expect here:

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02:58 - Source: CNN

In the first sign of the new GOP majority, House officials removed the metal detectors that Nancy Pelosi had installed after the Jan. 6 insurrection.

The removal came at noon ET when the 118th Congress convened.

Former President Donald Trump urged GOP leader Kevin McCarthy to accept the deal offered to him Monday night by hardline House Republicans who are vowing to block his path to the speakership, a source familiar tells CNN.

But McCarthy declined.

Trump has privately said he will remain the sidelines of the fight today, though it’s doubtful that will last.

The House meets on Tuesday.

The House is taking a roll call vote to determine how many members are physically present in the chamber, known as a quorum. 

The total number of members present will determine the number of votes needed to become speaker.

CNN expects the roll call will be 434 members, down from the full membership by one following the death of Virginia Democratic Rep. Donald McEachin.

Some GOP congressional sources tell CNN they don’t think that Leader Kevin McCarthy will have it on the first ballot — last time that happened was 100 years ago — and some GOP sources don’t think he will ever pull it off. 

Those who think he will eventually get there — maybe with members voting present — note that he will start out as an extremely weakened speaker. 

if McCarthy makes it, sources say that every day, he will be held hostage by what former House Speaker John Boehner called the “chaos caucus” — and that was the polite term he used.  

One GOP source who has tried to be a go-between between McCarthy and the Never-Kevin Five said, “Kevin has made concession after concession, but he still doesn’t have the votes to show for it. What does he have left to concede? If there was a deal to be made, it should have been made by this time.”

George Santos sits inside the House Chamber on Tuesday.

Republican Rep.-elect George Santos said Tuesday he is supporting Rep. Kevin McCarthy for speaker of the House. 

“Yes, I am,” Santos said when asked if he was supporting McCarthy for speaker. 

Santos ignored questions from CNN about the federal probe into his finances, whether he has spoken to House GOP leadership, the fraud charges in Brazil, what his legal name is and lies about his biography. 

Santos is set to be sworn in with the other incoming members at the US Capitol following the vote for speaker that is set to begin at noon. 

Nancy Pelosi gavels to end the 117th Congress on Tuesday.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi just adjourned the 117th Congress. She stood at the dais and received a standing ovation from both sides of the aisle.

Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, is in the gallery overlooking the House floor.

After announcing her decision to not run as House speaker, Pelosi was designated the status “Speaker Emerita” in December 2022. She won reelection during the midterm election and will still serve another term in Congress.

Emerging from his office after a discussion with other GOP members opposed to Rep. Kevin McCarthy as speaker, Rep. Andy Biggs told CNN that he thinks McCarthy still doesn’t have 218 votes. 

Biggs said he’s still running as a challenger to McCarthy but his guess is that “somebody else will emerge” who could get a consensus of votes. 

Asked who that might be or if perhaps Rep. Steve Scalise, Biggs replied:” I do have an idea” but said he would not share who. 

He predicted that the speaker vote will “go awhile.”

Reps. Matt Gaetz, Lauren Boebert and Chip Roy also left Biggs’ office shortly before Biggs. 

Gaetz would only told CNN that McCarthy doesn’t have the votes. He did not answer my other questions. 

Kevin McCarthy speaks after Tuesday's closed-door meeting with House Republicans.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy emerged from the closed door GOP conference meeting and acknowledged it was “intense,” but added that it was “intense for a purpose.”

Speaking about the list of demands he got last night, McCarthy said, “I was presented the only way to have 218 votes — if I provided certain members with certain positions certain gavels to take over certain committee to have certain budgets. And they even came to the position where one Matt Gaetz said, ‘I don’t care if we go to plurality and we elect Hakeem Jeffries,’ and it hurts the new frontline members not to get reelected.”

“Well, that’s not about America, and I will always fight to put the American people first,” McCarthy added. “Not a few individuals that want something for themselves. So we may have a battle on the floor. But the battle is for the conference and the country and that’s fine with me.”

Pressed on what he will do if it goes to multiple votes McCarthy said, “I have the record for the longest speech ever on the floor. I don’t have a problem getting a record for the most votes for speaker.”

US Rep. Andy Biggs arrives for a closed-door meeting with the GOP Conference on Tuesday.

The heated conference meeting among Republican lawmakers didn’t change GOP leader Kevin McCarthy’s math problem: He doesn’t have 218 votes and the hardliners aren’t moving.

Republican Rep. Bob Good said, “nothing has changed” after the meeting, adding that he is still a “NO,” no matter what. “I don’t think he won anybody over that he didn’t have already,” adding that they feel even more strongly that their “cause is just.”

Republican Rep. Andy Biggs says he is still running as an alternative and won’t drop out. That will siphon votes away from McCarthy.

Republican Matt Rosendale told CNN McCarthy “lied” in his remarks at the meeting. He made clear he’s still opposed to McCarthy and said the meeting further inflamed tensions. 

Rep. Chip Roy wouldn’t say whether he will support McCarthy as speaker, adding that he wants “someone who will fight for the American people as much as fighting to be Speaker, and that’s what I’m trying to work for.”

Reps. Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert, both opposed to McCarthy as speaker, went into Rep. Andy Biggs’ office. Boebert told reporters that she “will not be voting for Kevin McCarthy”

Rep. Dan Bishop also came out in opposition to McCarthy after the meeting. He is one of the nine GOP lawmakers who wrote the Sunday letter saying concessions so far were not good enough.

But McCarthy told members he’s not dropping out.

“He says he’s not going anywhere,” Republican Brett Guthrie said of McCarthy. “I think Kevin should stay however long it takes.”

One GOP lawmaker says Freedom Caucus members couldn’t say what they wanted from McCarthy. “When asked point blank what more they wanted HFC couldn’t answer. Says a lot.”

Another source says House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy pressed GOP Rep. Scott Perry on that and he wouldn’t say. 

Votes are tallied during the first session of the 116th Congress in 2019.

Republicans will only have a slim majority – 222 Republicans compared with 212 Democrats – which means Rep. Kevin McCarthy can’t afford many defections if he is to find the 218 votes needed to make him speaker of the House.

But McCarthy does not technically need 218 votes to become speaker. A majority of those present and voting is required to get the speakership, which is usually 218 lawmakers. But if enough people skip the vote or vote “present,” the number of votes required for a majority can drop.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was elected with 216 votes in 2021.

Former Speaker John Boehner won reelection to the post with 216 votes in 2015 after beating back a conservative rebellion like the one McCarthy is dealing with now.

Most of the negotiation and arm-twisting happens long before the floor vote. Pelosi got 220 votes in 2019 after turning most of the fellow Democrats who opposed her. She did so by agreeing to serve only another few years as speaker, a pledge she kept by announcing her decision in November to not seek reelection for leadership.

US Rep.-elect George Santos is seen on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.

Embattled Congressman-elect George Santos did not answer any questions from reporters as he entered his office Tuesday morning before being sworn into Congress.  

The New York Republican saw reporters outside of his office from down the hall and immediately turned around and quickly walked away. 

Santos is facing mounting scrutiny and condemnation over lies about his biography and amid an investigation by federal prosecutors into his finances.

Just this morning, CNN reported that law enforcement officials in Brazil will reinstate fraud charges against Santos.

Kevin McCarthy attends a news conference at the US Capitol on December 14.

As House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy struggles to lock down the votes to become speaker, his top deputy has kept his head down.

Rep. Steve Scalise, the No. 2 in the House GOP leadership, has made clear he supports McCarthy, and GOP sources say he has rejected pleas by hardliners to mount a challenge to the California Republican – all while taking steps to avoid being seen as plotting McCarthy’s demise.

But what is less clear: What Scalise will do if the race continues to drag out on Tuesday and goes to multiple ballots – and whether the Louisiana Republican will seek to maneuver his way into the speaker’s office if the stalemate persists. If McCarthy drops out of the race, Scalise is widely expected to run for the job, though sources close to the GOP leader say he plans to stay in the race as long as it takes to get the votes.

Yet another complicating factor: It is far from clear whether Scalise himself could get the 218 votes to win the speakership, underscoring the prospects that Tuesday could devolve into a long and drawn-out floor fight the chamber has not experienced in 100 years and one that could undercut Republicans’ ability to govern just as they come into power in the 118th Congress.

Others privately fault Scalise for not being more forceful in his support for McCarthy or insisting he would stick with the California Republican no matter how long it takes. And some Republican members say that will only hurt Scalise if he tries to become speaker now.

“I think Steve Scalise is going to have some problems,” one GOP member told CNN on Monday, adding: “If Kevin McCarthy doesn’t become speaker, then Steve Scalise has faint fingerprints on the dagger.”

To read more, click here.

US Rep. Ralph Norman talks to reporters on Tuesday.

Rep. Ralph Norman, one of at least five lawmakers against House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s speakership, announced in a closed-door meeting of Republican lawmakers that he will be voting for GOP Rep. Andy Biggs on the first ballot, a source tells CNN. 

Norman did not say what he would do after the first ballot, the source added.

If Republicans had won the House by a bigger margin, McCarthy wouldn’t be in this position, Norman added.

Remember: This GOP meeting is happening ahead of the high-stakes House speaker vote, and CNN has reported that it is getting heated, with McCarthy, his supporters and opponents exchanging arguments.

McCarthy is facing a longshot challenge in the race from Biggs. McCarthy has defeated the Arizona congressman before – by a resounding vote of 188 to 31 in November when the House Republican conference voted for McCarthy to be its leader.

No other House business can be done until the speaker vote is finished, including swearing-in of the rest of the members. Until the speaker’s vote is decided, the clerk of the House is in charge of the chamber. 

At noon on Tuesday, the Clerk of the House – Cheryl Johnson — will gavel in the 118th Congress. They’ll do a prayer and the pledge, and then she will announce the certifications of the election of the 118th Congress have been received. 

Then they will have a quorum call. This is the first vote of the Congress. It’s a roll call vote. Members will vote present, they have to be in the chamber.

Then she will announce the vacancy of Virginia’s 4th Congressional District due to the death of Don McEachin.

The next order of business is the election of the House speaker. Democrats will place their party leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries’ name into nomination, and Republicans are expected to place Kevin McCarthy’s name. Rep. Andy Biggs is also expected to garner several votes in the first round. 

Then they’ll call the roll. Each member, when their name is called, will state the name of the person they are voting for. Can be one of the names in nomination, their own name, someone else’s name, or present, which is not a vote at all. 

The tellers will tally up the votes. The winner must have a majority of those voting for a person. Present votes subtract from that total, thus lowering the threshold for a majority of votes.

If no one amasses a majority of votes cast, it goes to a second ballot, and on and on. If it goes to multiple ballots, other candidates may have their names put in for nomination. 

If McCarthy doesn’t get the votes on the first ballot, there is the option to make a motion to adjourn, but it would take 218 votes to do that and Democrats are likely not inclined to help Republicans out in any way.

Historic context: There is no playbook for what the chamber will do if the speaker isn’t elected on the first ballot. The 1923 vote was decided on the ninth ballot, where they kept voting until a speaker was decided. The 1869 speaker vote lasted through 60 ballots over two months. This Congress may recess the chamber or they could continue voting. 

Kevin McCarthy, center right, walks to his meeting with House Republicans on Tuesday.

A closed-door meeting among Republican lawmakers ahead of the vote for House speaker is heating up.

As GOP leader Kevin McCarthy entered the room, he received a standing ovation from most people before he went over the rules package, sources tell CNN.

McCarthy raised his voice in the meeting as he animatedly teed off on his opponents, detailed all the concessions he has made and said that it hasn’t been good enough, two sources said.

A source called it a fiery speech and said McCarthy made clear he would negotiate no more. Another source told CNN that McCarthy took his opponents “to the woodshed like I’ve never seen.”

McCarthy said opponents came to him with “personal asks” on Monday night, such as committee assignments and special assignments. 

Rep. Lauren Boebert yelled “bullsh*t” in response to his speech, according to a source.  

GOP Rep. Mike Rogers, a McCarthy ally and incoming Chair of the House Armed Services, said in the meeting that anyone who votes against McCarthy won’t get a committee, two sources tell CNN.  

CNN previously reported this was a threat McCarthy allies were considering.

As an aide left the meeting, a CNN reporter was able to observe through the open door that GOP members packed the room, listening quietly. Maybe a dozen members were waiting to speak on the microphone that stood in the center hallway.

Rep. Chip Roy addressed Rogers’ comments at the open microphone and was upset, a source said. He got into a heated back and forth with the GOP leader, with McCarthy teeing off on Roy, yet acknowledging he won’t have the votes on first ballot, and then Roy responding: “All you’re doing is guaranteeing the vote.” 

The conference cheered on McCarthy as he took his detractors head on.

Rep. Ryan Zinke spoke up in favor of McCarthy, saying: “I’ll use the words of Teddy Roosevelt. You’re either with us or against us. The stakes are too high. I’m with you Kevin.”

GOP Rep. Scott Perry got in a heated back-and-forth with McCarthy, even raising their voices in the closed door meeting, multiple sources tell CNN. 

Perry accused McCarthy of not having a track record on spending bills. McCarthy asked Perry what is left for him to give, and questioned what he is still fighting for the sources added.

CNN’s Manu Raju reports the latest from Capitol Hill:

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Hakeem Jeffries speaks to reporters after a Democratic Caucus meeting in February.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the incoming House Minority Leader, told reporters he does not expect any absences among Democrats and he is not aware of any of his members planning to vote “present” — two scenarios that would have lowered the threshold Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy needs to become speaker.

Jeffries declined to say whether Democrats would help McCarthy in any way or support a motion to adjourn Tuesday’s proceedings.

“We’re focused right now on making sure that every single Democrat is present and voting, and I hope to be able to earn everyone’s vote,” Jefferies said Monday ahead of the convening of the new Congress. 

He did reflect on the uncertainty of the moment. 

Remember: McCarthy does not technically need 218 votes to become speaker. A majority of those present and voting is required to get the speakership, which is usually 218 lawmakers. But if enough people skip the vote or vote “present,” the number of votes required for a majority can drop.

The House chamber in February.

When the new Congress assembles Tuesday, it will establish a quorum, and then its first action will be a roll call vote to elect a new speaker. Not until after this election does the House get down to business.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy has the support of a majority of Republicans to be the GOP leader but has so far not secured enough votes to become House speaker.

When House members require multiple ballots, or votes, to elect their speaker, that is referred to as a “floor fight.”

In the 200-plus years since the first two-year Congress met in 1789, such floor fights have occurred just 14 times, according to the House historian.

All but one of those multi-ballot speaker elections took place before the Civil War as the two-party system was evolving. Back then, floor fights were routine.

A floor fight has only taken place once since the Civil War, exactly 100 years ago, when it took nine ballots for Rep. Frederick Gillett of Massachusetts to be elected speaker in 1923.

The epic record for a floor fight: In 1855 and 1856, it took 133 separate votes for Rep. Nathaniel Banks of Massachusetts to be elected, again by a plurality and not a majority.

The process stretched over more than a month and included a sort of inquisition on the House floor of the three contenders. They answered questions about their view of the expansion of slavery. Read more from the House historian’s website.

It’s also interesting to read about Banks; his official House biography notes he was elected to office as a Republican, an independent, a member of the America Party and as a Democrat.

There is some mystery in the process: Politico notes it’s been so long that the exact procedure if no one has a majority is a smidge unclear. A Congressional Research Service brief on electing the speaker simply says that if no one gets a majority, the vote is repeated.

Way back in 1849, the House had been in session so long without being able to elect a speaker – 19 days – that members voted to elect their speaker with a plurality rather than a majority. Members ultimately confirmed the plurality election with a majority vote.

It doesn’t always require 218 votes: A majority of those present and voting is required to get the speakership, which is usually 218 lawmakers. But if enough people skip the vote or vote “present,” the number of votes required for a majority can drop.

Kevin McCarthy speaks to reporters as he arrives to a meeting with House Republicans on Tuesday morning.

House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy walked into the party’s conference meeting Tuesday morning ahead of the speaker’s race.

When asked what his goals were in meeting with his conference, McCarthy said, “Explain what we went through. We went out to the American public with a commitment to American to fight for them, not for a few members to fight for own personal. This is about the country and it will have to show the difference.”

McCarthy is facing a make-or-break moment on Tuesday, as he seeks to lock down the support necessary to become the next speaker.

Ahead of the meeting, GOP Rep. Ralph Norman predicts more than 15 no votes on McCarthy on the first ballot, and said he is personally still a no vote “on the first” ballot but declined to say what will happen after that or if there is anything McCarthy can do to earn his vote at this point.  

And Rep. Scott Perry said he made an offer to McCarthy last night that he claimed could get McCarthy to 218 votes, but McCarthy rejected it. 

“Does he want to get to 218 or doesn’t he?” Perry said.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, left, speaks with House Minority Whip Steve Scalise during a news conference on December 14.

Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, the No. 2 House Republican, has been floated as a potential candidate for speaker if GOP leader Kevin McCarthy is unable to secure the 218 votes needed to clinch the gavel.

CNN reported Monday that Scalise has made clear he backs McCarthy for the top job and GOP sources say he has rejected pleas by hardliners to mount a challenge to the California Republican. It remains unclear whether Scalise could even capture the support to win the speakership if McCarthy falters.

Still, Scalise is widely expected to run for the job should McCarthy drop out of the race.

Scalise, who most recently was House minority whip, has long been a deputy to McCarthy and is poised to inherit his former role of majority leader once the new Congress is seated.

A New Orleans native, Scalise was a computer systems engineer before he was elected to serve as a state representative from 1995 until 2007 and as a state senator briefly afterward. He was elected to the House in a special election in May 2008 after Bobby Jindal was elected Louisiana governor and resigned from the House seat. He has cruised to reelection in his conservative district every election cycle since.

In 2014, just as he was about to become the House whip for Republicans, Scalise faced intense blowback for having given a speech in 2002 to a White supremacist group founded by former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke. Scalise apologized and said in a statement that speaking to the group “was a mistake I regret, and I emphatically oppose the divisive racial and religious views groups like these hold.”

Scalise was shot in the hip by a gunman who opened fire as congressional Republicans were practicing for an annual charity baseball game in June 2017. After months-long recovery process, he spoke at the Capitol Hill on Sept. 28, 2017, saying the said the incident “strengthened my faith in God.”

CNN’s Manu Raju, Melanie Zanona and Lauren Fox contributed to this report.

US Rep.-elect George Santos speaks at a news conference in November.

GOP Rep.-elect George Santos of New York is scheduled to be sworn in to Congress on Tuesday as he faces mounting scrutiny and condemnation over lies about his biography and amid an investigation by federal prosecutors into his finances.

Law enforcement officials in Brazil will reinstate fraud charges against Santos as he officially assumes his role in the US House Tuesday under a cloud of suspicion over his dubious resume, the Rio de Janeiro prosecutor’s office told CNN.

It was first reported by The New York Times Monday.

Prosecutors said they will seek a “formal response” from Santos related to a stolen checkbook in 2008, after police suspended an investigation into him because they were unable to find him for nearly a decade.

Authorities, having verified Santos’ location, will make a formal request to the US Justice Department to notify him of the charges, Maristela Pereira, a spokeswoman for the Rio de Janeiro prosecutor’s office, told CNN. The prosecutor’s office told CNN the request will be filed upon reopening on Jan. 6.

CNN previously confirmed that Santos was charged with embezzlement in a Brazilian court in 2011, according to case records from the Rio de Janeiro Court of Justice. However, court records from 2013 state that the charge was archived after court summons went unanswered and they were unable to locate Santos.

In the US, some Democrats have called on Santos to step aside after he admitted to fabricating parts of his resume, including his work experience and education. A few Republicans have also rebuked Santos, and at least one of his fellow incoming House Republicans from New York called for him to face an ethics investigation.

Santos faces questions about other key parts of his biography – including a claim that has been contradicted that his grandparents survived the Holocaust – and over loans totaling more than $700,000 that he made to his 2022 campaign. The federal probe into his finances, which CNN reported on last week, is being undertaken by the US attorney’s office in the Eastern District of New York.

Read more here.

Marcia Reverdosa contributed reporting to this post.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy leaves the House chamber on December 23.

House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy is hoping all’s well that ends well when it comes to becoming speaker of the chamber. The current minority leader and former majority leader may have thought he’d have the speakership locked up by now, but, ahead of the new Congress that begins on Tuesday, he doesn’t.

McCarthy’s problems in securing the top spot in the House are more easily understood when you realize the hand he’s been dealt. He has a historically small majority for a potential first-time speaker, and McCarthy, himself, is historically unpopular compared with other House members who have tried to become speaker.

McCarthy’s Republican Party secured only 222 seats in the 2022 midterms, leaving him little room for error to get to 218 votes – the number needed to achieve the speakership assuming all members vote. McCarthy can only afford to lose the support of four Republicans, and the list of GOP lawmakers who’ve said they will vote against him is longer than that.

A historic problem: No potential first-time House speaker has had such a small majority since Democrat John Nance Garner in 1931. The only first-time speaker in recent times who comes close to McCarthy’s current situation is former Illinois Rep. Dennis Hastert, whose Republican Party entered 1999 with 223 seats. Hastert had the advantage of being a compromise choice after Newt Gingrich stepped down after the 1998 midterms and his would-be successor Bob Livingston resigned following revelations of an extramarital affair.

Indeed, all other potential first-time House speakers in the last 90 years had at least 230 seats in their majority. Speakers whose party held fewer seats than that all had the power of incumbency (i.e., having been elected to the position at least once before).

Remember that McCarthy has been close to the speakership before. He was next in line to become speaker when Republican John Boehner resigned in 2015. But the California Republican couldn’t get his caucus to rally around him enough to win a majority of House votes, and Paul Ryan went on to become speaker instead.

Read the full analysis here.

US Rep. Hakeem Jeffries speaks at a news conference on December 13.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries is poised to make history as the first Black lawmaker to lead a party in Congress when the 118th Congress convenes on Tuesday.

The New York congressman will lead Democrats in the House, succeeding Nancy Pelosi, who served as speaker in the prior session of Congress. In addition to being the first Black lawmaker to attain such a position, he is also the first leader of the House Democrats to be born after the end of World War II. 

When the 118th Congress convenes on Tuesday, Jan. 3, the House will hold a vote to elect a new speaker. Republicans will nominate GOP leader Kevin McCarthy, and Democrats will nominate Jeffries, their incoming leader.

Once the Speaker is elected and lawmakers are sworn in, a formal announcement of party leaders takes place – with Jeffries poised to become minority leader at that time since Republicans will control the House majority in the new Congress.

Jeffries, at 52, marks the end of an era – and the start of a new one – for Democrats as he takes up his new position.  

House Democrats selected Jeffries to helm their party during a closed-door election in November. He ran unopposed. Now, Jeffries will be at the forefront of the House Democratic minority for the next two years with Republicans holding a slim majority in the chamber.

“I just look forward to the opportunity to do the most good for the greatest number of people possible for as long as I have the opportunity to do so and can operate at the highest level,” he previously told CNN. 

The House select committee released its final report in late December.

The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol is set to expire this week, but its work will remain accessible to the public.

The House select committee will end with the conclusion of the current Congress on Jan. 3, but the Government Publishing Office has created an online repository to house what the committee produced.

The site currently features the committee’s final report, a variety of video exhibits and a detailed timeline of how the violence unfolded at the US Capitol on Jan. 6. Broken up into seven geographic locations around the Capitol, the nearly minute-by-minute timeline encapsulates how rioters broke into the building that day.

The site is expected to include all of the records the committee has made public and some material that has not yet been publicly released, including documents that may have been referenced in footnotes in the committee’s final report.

The report and other materials produced by the committee are already being transmitted to the National Archives and Records Administration, but congressional records do not become available via the archives for years. The GPO website stands as a way to make the records public in the meantime.

With the House majority set to change hands from Democrats to Republicans this week, the committee in recent days has been winding down its work, including releasing a steady stream of interview transcripts that complement the panel’s sweeping 845-page report and shed new light on how it conducted its investigation of the Capitol riot.

President Joe Biden inside the Oval Office on December 19.

Shortly after winning the House majority, Republicans made it very clear what their priority will be: Investigating President Biden and his administration on a variety of fronts.

So, what, exactly are they planning to investigate? Well, a whole lot of things. Here’s a list of some areas:

This is far from a complete list of the investigations various Republican-led committees will embark on over the next two years. But it does give you a sense of the breadth which they plan to investigate the Biden administration, and how that will complicate efforts to get anything done on a bipartisan basis.

US Rep. Mary Peltola reacts during her election night party in Anchorage, Alaska.

The 149 women who will serve in the US House and Senate in the 118th Congress will expand the ranks of female representation by just two members above the record set by this Congress.

Alaska carried women across that threshold when the state determined through its ranked-choice voting system that Rep. Mary Peltola, a Democrat, will represent the state’s at-large House seat for a full term after winning the special election earlier this year, while Sen. Lisa Murkowski will win reelection.

Women will break an overall record in the House, with 124 taking office in January.

And not only will women of color break records in the 118th Congress, but within the House alone, there will also be a record number of both Latinas and Black women. There will be four more Latinas in the House for a total of 18 – the most ever – and one more Black woman, bringing their total from 26 to 27.

More than half of the incoming class of 22 freshman women in the House will be women of color, showing the increasing diversity of that chamber.

The US Capitol on December 23.

Most Americans don’t expect Washington to accomplish much in the next two years, a recent poll found. At the same time, another new survey finds a broad public consensus in support of some congressional actions – particularly to lower the costs of prescription drugs.

A 65% majority of US adults say they think President Joe Biden will be unsuccessful in getting his programs passed into law over the next two years, according to a Pew Research Center survey released on Dec. 1, with 61% saying they expect Republican leaders in Congress to be similarly unsuccessful. Republicans won control of the US House in the recent midterm elections, while Democrats retained their narrow majority in the US Senate. Americans had similarly low expectations following the 2018 midterms, which also resulted in divided government – 63% expected President Donald Trump to be unsuccessful in seeing his proposals enacted, the same survey found four years ago, with 61% saying the same of Democratic congressional leaders.

Just 8% of Americans in the latest Pew poll say they expect relations between Republicans and Democrats to improve in the coming year, similar to surveys conducted following the previous two midterm elections.

About half (48%) of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents expect Biden to be successful over the next two years, Pew found, with 44% of Republicans and Republican leaners saying they expect GOP leaders in Congress to get their programs passed into law.

And while most partisans remain optimistic about the future of their parties overall, a significant minority in each party take a dimmer view. One-third of Republicans and Republican leaners say they’re pessimistic about the future of the Republican Party, higher than following the 2020 election, when 25% felt that way, and also higher than the shares expressing pessimism following the 2016 and 2018 elections. Across the aisle, 28% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say they’re pessimistic about their party’s future – higher than in 2018 and 2020, but lower than the 38% who said the same following Trump’s victory in 2016.

Americans have reasons to suspect Washington could face gridlock in the coming months. In addition to divided government, both Democrats’ control of the Senate and the Republican majority in the House rest on narrow margins, and the parties are already clashing on spending. House Republicans have also pledged to launch multiple investigations into the Biden administration.

Nancy Pelosi walks to the House chamber at the US Capitol on December 23.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has penned her final “Dear Colleague” letter to fellow Democrats as her speakership officially ends. 

In it, she wrote, “In the 118th Congress, I am confident that the new House Democratic Leadership – led by Hakeem, Katherine and Pete – will do even better, remaining always faithful to our shared mission to safeguard our treasured Democracy For The People.”

House Democrats chose caucus chair Hakeem Jeffries of New York to succeed Pelosi as leader of the Democrats in the chamber next year, a historic move that will make him the first Black person to lead one of the two major parties in either chamber of Congress.

Massachusetts Rep. Katherine Clark will serve as minority whip and California Rep. Peter Aguilar will lead the caucus.

Republicans have the majority in the next Congress, so Jeffries, Clark and Aguilar will all lead in a Democratic minority, the first in two terms.

Kevin McCarthy sits in the House chamber on December 21 before an address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy was in negotiations with his detractors Monday as he struggles to lock down the votes to become speaker, according to a source with knowledge of the matter.

The source said “all sides” were talking Monday ahead of the convening of Congress Tuesday.

The source added that unlike 2015 when McCarthy dropped out of the speaker’s race when it was clear he lacked the votes, he won’t do that this time. Instead, he plans to take the fight to the floor and will let the vote continue onto multiple ballots if he has to, the source said, something that hasn’t happened in 100 years. 

How the process will work: Lawmakers will continue voting until someone wins the majority. They can take successive votes. It is also an option for the chamber to adjourn to horse trade and deal among themselves.

However, according to the source, lawmakers have no plans to recess the House Tuesday if McCarthy doesn’t get 218 votes on the first ballot. Instead, they plan to keep voting until someone gets 218 votes.

McCarthy has no plans to step aside and let another candidate emerge if it goes to multiple ballots of voting, the source added. The source said a growing number of members have privately indicated they will only support McCarthy for speaker, giving him confidence that he will win the speakership.

A look inside the House chamber in February.

The 118th Congress will begin on Tuesday, bringing in a new era of Republican control of the House and a high-stakes leadership fight that will determine who controls the speaker’s gavel.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy has the support of a majority of Republicans to be the GOP leader but has so far not secured enough votes to become House speaker.

Republicans will only have a slim majority – 222 Republicans compared with 212 Democrats – which means McCarthy can’t afford many defections if he is to find the 218 votes needed to make him speaker of the House.

Here are key things to know about Tuesday’s vote:

How the day will unfold: Congress can’t really function until it has a House speaker; the position is filled on the first day of a new Congress, Jan. 3, even before members-elect take the oath of office.

Members will meet in the morning to tie off loose ends and close the 117th Congress. Then, at noon Eastern time, the clerk of the House will gavel in the new Congress and will call a quorum. The first major order of business will be the speaker election. Democrats will place Rep. Hakeem Jeffries’ name into nomination, and Republicans are set to place McCarthy’s name.

Then the clerk will call the roll and each member will state the name of the person whom they are voting for. If no one amasses a majority of votes cast, it goes to a second ballot. If another ballot is needed, it is not clear if Congress will recess the chamber or if members will continue voting.

Members can vote for anyone they want: There’s no rule that the speaker is a House member. Members can vote for anyone, and they can protest by skipping the vote or voting “present.” The vast majority will vote for their party’s leader.

Both parties met last year to determine their leadership, with Democrats selecting Jeffries and Republicans agreeing to nominate McCarthy, but by a margin that signaled a possible floor fight ahead. McCarthy faces a long-shot challenger: hard-right Republican Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona. The challenge highlights the opposition McCarthy is up against and could draw votes away from him.

If neither wins a majority, a “floor fight” happens: Lawmakers will continue voting until someone wins the majority. They can take successive votes. They can adjourn to horse trade and deal among themselves. But the House does not kick off the new Congress until a speaker is elected. This is what people are talking about when they refer to a “floor fight.” It’s when House members require multiple ballots, or votes, to elect their speaker. In the 200-plus years since the first two-year Congress met in 1789, such floor fights have occurred just 14 times, according to the House historian.

It doesn’t always require 218 votes: One important thing to remember is that McCarthy does not technically need 218 votes to become speaker. A majority of those present and voting is required to get the speakership, which is usually 218 lawmakers. But if enough people skip the vote or vote “present,” the number of votes required for a majority can drop.

A version of this post appeared in CNN’s What Matters newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here.

US Rep.-elect Maxwell Frost will be the first Gen-Z member of Congress.

The 118th Congress, being sworn in Tuesday, will eclipse several records set by the outgoing Congress.

It features a record-setting number of women, 149 – expanding female representation by just two members above the record set by the 117th Congress. Overall, women of color will also break a record for their representation this year, with 58 serving, and within the House alone, there will be a record number of both Latinas and Black women.

The new Congress also boasts the House’s first Gen-Z lawmaker and the longest-serving woman in congressional history.

Some newcomers, Republicans and Democrats alike, also achieved historic firsts in their own states, ushering a diverse group into a politically split Washington.

Here’s a look at the lawmakers, some new and some returning, who are making history in each chamber during this session of Congress.

US Senate

Alabama: Republican Katie Britt is the first woman elected to the Senate from Alabama, winning an open seat vacated by her onetime boss, GOP Sen. Richard Shelby, who held the seat for nearly four decades.

Alabama’s two previous female senators both were appointed to fill vacancies.

California: Democrat Alex Padilla will be the first elected Latino senator from California, winning a special election for the remainder of Vice President Kamala Harris’ term as well as an election for a full six-year term. Padilla, the son of Mexican immigrant parents, was appointed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom to the seat Harris vacated when she became vice president.

Oklahoma: Republican Markwayne Mullin will be the first Native American senator from Oklahoma in almost 100 years, winning the special election to succeed GOP Sen. Jim Inhofe, who is resigning. Mullin, a member of the Cherokee Nation, represented the state’s 2nd Congressional District in the last Congress. Democrat Robert Owen, also a member of the Cherokee Nation, represented Oklahoma in the Senate from 1907 to 1925.

US House of Representatives

AZ-06: Juan Ciscomani will be the first Latino Republican elected to Congress from Arizona. Ciscomani, who was born in Mexico and immigrated to the US with his family as a child, previously worked at the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and was a senior adviser to Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey.

CA-42: Democrat Robert Garcia will be the first out LGBTQ immigrant elected to Congress. Garcia, who immigrated from Lima, Peru, in the early 1980s at the age of 5, has been the mayor of Long Beach.

CO-08: Democrat Yadira Caraveo will be the first Latina elected to Congress from Colorado. Caraveo, a state representative and the daughter of Mexican immigrant parents, defeated Republican state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer to win the seat located north of Denver.

Read more about more historic firsts in this year’s Congress here. 

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy speaks alongside House Republican leadership during a news conference on December 14.

House Republicans have newfound power to set the agenda as they officially take over the majority Tuesday.

With subpoena power and control over influential committees, they plan to make investigations into the Biden administration a top priority. House Republicans will be limited in their ability to pass legislation through Congress with Democrats in control of the Senate and the White House, but they will be able to push messaging bills. There will also be some must-pass policy issues – like funding the government – that will test the ability of Republicans and Democrats to work together.

Investigative agenda: In early December, House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy sketched out in detail what Republicans plan to investigate. 

The House GOP’s targets include the southern border, Hunter Biden, the Afghanistan pullout, the origins of Covid-19, China, Big Tech, the DOJ and FBI, government spending, education policies and the IRS. McCarthy also promised to create a China Select Committee.

Legislative agenda: The president can exercise veto power over legislation, but House Republicans will be able to push messaging bills that highlight their agenda.

In an exclusive, wide-ranging interview with CNN ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, McCarthy outlined his plans for power, which include tackling inflation, crime and border security. McCarthy also left the door open to launching eventual impeachment proceedings, which some of his members have already called for.