WORLD > NEWS

New US Congress To Convene Friday

03/01/2025 02:12 PM

WASHINGTON, Jan 3 (Bernama-AA) --  The newly-elected 119th US Congress is set to begin on Friday with Republicans in full control of both chambers for the first time since 2019, Anadolu Agency reported. 

During the Nov 5 election, Republicans won a 220-215 majority in the House and a 53-47 majority in the Senate.

However, Representative Matt Gaetz said he would not be sworn in for the new Congress, cutting the Republicans’ advantage to 219-215.

Following the official swearing in of new members, the first order of business in the House of Representatives is to elect a House speaker.

Right after the Nov 5 election, current Speaker Mike Johnson was unanimously nominated by his party to retain the gavel.

Johnson is hoping to continue for another term in his post following President-elect Donald Trump's "Complete & Total" endorsement.

"Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hard working, religious man. He will do the right thing, and we will continue to WIN," Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

Separately, tech billionaire Elon Musk also backed Johnson.

However, Johnson needs a simple majority, or 218 votes, to be elected.

Meanwhile, Democrats are expected to vote for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

-- BERNAMA-AA

 


 


BERNAMA provides up-to-date authentic and comprehensive news and information which are disseminated via BERNAMA Wires; www.bernama.com; BERNAMA TV on Astro 502, unifi TV 631 and MYTV 121 channels and BERNAMA Radio on FM93.9 (Klang Valley), FM107.5 (Johor Bahru), FM107.9 (Kota Kinabalu) and FM100.9 (Kuching) frequencies.

Follow us on social media :
Facebook : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatv, @bernamaradio
Twitter : @bernama.com, @BernamaTV, @bernamaradio
Instagram : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatvofficial, @bernamaradioofficial
TikTok : @bernamaofficial

© 2025 BERNAMA   • Disclaimer   • Privacy Policy   • Security Policy