New Congress to be sworn in as Pelosi seeks reelection as speaker

Washington — Members of the 117th Congress will convene and be sworn in Sunday during proceedings altered by the coronavirus pandemic. Speaker Nancy Pelosi is seeking a new term as speaker of the House, hoping to lead her party as Democrats enter a new Congress with the slimmest House majority in years.

The new session comes days before lawmakers will meet to count the votes of the Electoral College. Nearly a dozen GOP senators said Saturday that they plan to object to the results on Wednesday, citing false claims of widespread voter fraud pushed by President Trump and his allies.

Ahead of Sunday’s proceedings, the House sergeant-at-arms and the Capitol attending physician sent guidelines to new and returning House members, according to Roll Call, a publication that focuses on Congress. The traditional quorum call, swearing-in of new members and speaker election will be done in seven groups, significantly lengthening the day’s events. The House also may take a moment of silence to honor Luke Letlow, the congressman-elect from Louisiana who died of COVID-19 last week.

The House will convene at noon, with the election of a new speaker as the first order of business. Members will be sworn in following the election, which could stretch into Sunday night.

Ahead of the start of Sunday’s proceedings, Pelosi noted the challenges the new Congress will face as it seeks to address the economic upheaval caused by the pandemic as well as the ongoing public health crisis, and thanked the Democratic caucus for nominating her to lead the House for another term.

“I am confident that the speaker’s election today will show a united Democratic caucus ready to meet the challenges ahead, and that we are prepared to set our country on a new course, starting with the Electoral College meeting on Wednesday,” she said in a letter to her Democratic colleagues.

Democrats are entering the year with a smaller majority in the lower chamber, which could affect Pelosi’s bid for reelection. Democrats will start the 117th Congress with 222 members, just four over the 218 threshold needed for a majority, with one race in New York still undecided. 

Some members may also be absent due to the pandemic. Congresswoman Gwen Moore and Congresswoman-elect Maria Salazar are both expected to miss the proceedings after testing positive for COVID-19.

Proxy voting, which allowed for 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 to extend proxy voting. This means that anyone who is absent on Sunday will not be able to cast a vote in the speaker election. 

The House and the Senate will meet again on January 6 to count Electoral College votes and reaffirm President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.