Dozens of newly elected members of Congress arrived in Washington, D.C., this weekend to kick off a post-election orientation period.
New members will learn rules, procedures and management skills during orientation, and participate in a lottery system to select an office in the sprawling Capitol complex.
Today, Congress will reconvene, with only a few weeks left in session before the new – radically revamped – 120th Congress begins. The newly formed Congress will meet in early January at noon, in accordance with the Constitution.
On that day, there will be a call to order led by the Clerk of the House, as well as a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, according to the Congressional Research Service.
A new House speaker will be elected by the other members-elect on the first day of Congress, according to the Campaign Legal Center. To be elected president, a candidate must win a majority of votes cast. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries is expected to be the next Speaker of the House.
Once the president is chosen, the newly elected senators and all members of the House take the oath of office and begin their two-year terms.
On the first day of Congress, the House also assigns “some or more of its members to committees,” a process that continues “for several more weeks,” according to the Congressional Research Service.
Senate majority and minority leaders, as well as other party officials, are elected “privately by their respective caucuses and are not ratified by the floor,” according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.
CNN’s Alison Main contributed to this report.
Gn usa
