The 119th Congress Begins Friday; Here's What To Know

The 119th Congress begins Friday with Republicans in full control of the House and Senate for the first time since 2019.

Still, there's the potential for sparks to fly in the House if Republicans revolt against Speaker Mike Johnson during the leadership vote, which is expected to take place shortly after 12 p.m.

In the Senate, Republicans will officially take the reins after flipping the majority in the November elections. 

Here's what to know as the new Congress convenes in Washington:

When do the new members of Congress get sworn in?

The new term of Congress, which lasts two years, begins Friday when House members are expected to be sworn in. But first, they'll have to elect a speaker, which has not come easy for a divided Republican Party in the last two elections to pick their leader. 

It took former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, 15 rounds to win the gavel in 2023, delaying the swearing-in of new members by several days. McCarthy was ousted months later, and it took Republicans three weeks to coalesce behind Johnson. The Louisiana Republican is hoping to continue as speaker but is facing some opposition within his own party after another messy fight last month over government funding.

The Senate swears in members when it convenes Friday and then moves on to other business. 

How does the speaker's election work?

Typically, a member from each party will nominate a candidate for speaker ahead of a vote of all incoming members on the House floor. Those candidates were determined in November when both parties separately decided who they would support for leadership. 

Johnson won the backing of Republicans for another term. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, will be nominated by his party. Members are not required to vote for those candidates and could choose to support someone else or no one. 

During the roll call vote, members will state aloud who they favor for the speaker. The candidate with the majority of votes cast wins the speakership. If no candidate wins in the first round, the vote is repeated until someone secures the majority. 

What is the new balance of power in the House and the Senate?

Republicans flipped control of the Senate in the November elections and will have 53 seats. Democrats, including independents who caucus with them, will control 47.

In the House, Republicans held on to their majority, winning 220 seats. Democrats won 215. However, President-elect Donald Trump tapped three Republican members for positions in his administration, cutting into the party's already narrow margins until special elections are held in the coming months. Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida also said he would not take his seat, giving Republicans a 219 to 215 edge. 

Johnson will need 218 votes to win the speaker's election if all members are present and voting.

What do Republicans want to accomplish first?

Republicans' top priorities include immigration and border security, energy policy, and extending tax cuts from Trump's first term. However, whether Republicans can quickly accomplish their goals depends on how unified the party is. They plan to use a process called budget reconciliation, which would give them the ability to pass large portions of their agenda with a simple majority, avoiding the 60-vote threshold needed for most legislation in the Senate. 

"It's going to take a lot of work to build a consensus among all the Republicans to get it done," Johnson told Fox News on Monday. 

Trump has also called for the debt ceiling to be increased, which limits how much the government can borrow to pay its bills. Without an increase, it's likely to complicate Republicans' legislative priorities. 

Who are the new House members joining Congress in 2025?

More than 60 new members are joining the House this week. They are: 

1. Yassamin Ansari, a Democrat from Arizona
2. Tom Barrett, a Republican from Michigan
3. Michael Baumgartner, a Republican from Washington
4. Nick Begich, a Republican from Alaska
5. Wesley Bell, a Democrat from Missouri 
6. Sheri Biggs, a Republican from South Carolina 
7. Rob Bresnahan, a Republican from Pennsylvania 
8. Janelle Bynum, a Democrat from Oregon 
9. Gil Cisneros Jr., a Democrat from California 
10. Herb Conaway, a Democrat from New Jersey 
11. Jeff Crank, a Republican from Colorado 
12. Maxine Dexter, a Democrat from Oregon 
13. Troy Downing, a Republican from Montana 
14. Sarah Elfreth, a Democrat from Maryland 
15. Gabe Evans, a Republican from Colorado 
16. Julie Fedorchak, a Republican from North Dakota 
17. Cleo Fields, a Democrat from Louisiana 
18. Shomari Figures, a Democrat from Alabama 
19. Laura Friedman, a Democrat from California 
20. Brandon Gill, a Republican from Texas 
21. Laura Gillen, a Democrat from New York 
22. Craig Goldman, a Republican from Texas 
23. Maggie Goodlander, a Democrat from New Hampshire 
24. Adam Gray, a Democrat from California 
25. Abe Hamadeh, a Republican from Arizona 
26. Mike Haridopolos, a Republican from Florida 
27. Pat Harrigan, a Republican from North Carolina 
28. Mark Harris, a Republican from North Carolina 
29. Jeff Hurd, a Republican from Colorado 
30. Brian Jack, a Republican from Georgia 
31. Julie Johnson, a Democrat from Texas 
32. Mike Kennedy, a Republican from Utah 
33. Kimberlyn King-Hinds, a Republican from the Northern Mariana Islands (non-voting member)
34. Brad Knott, a Republican from North Carolina 
35. George Latimer, a Democrat from New York 
36. Sam Liccardo, a Democrat from California 
37. Ryan Mackenzie, a Republican from Pennsylvania 
38. John Mannion, a Democrat from New York 
39. Sarah McBride, a Democrat from Delaware 
40. April McClain-Delaney, a Democrat from Maryland 
41. Kristen McDonald Rivet, a Democrat from Michigan 
42. Addison McDowell, a Republican from North Carolina 
43. John McGuire, a Republican from Virginia 
44. Mark Messmer, a Republican from Indiana 
45. Dave Min, a Democrat from California 
46. Tim Moore, a Republican from North Carolina 
47. Riley Moore, a Republican from West Virginia 
48. Kelly Morrison, a Democrat from Minnesota 
49. Johnny Olszewski, a Democrat from Maryland 
50. Bob Onder Jr., a Republican from Missouri 
51. Nellie Pou, a Democrat from New Jersey 
52. Emily Randall, a Democrat from Washington 
53. Josh Riley, a Democrat from New York 
54. Luz Rivas, a Democrat from California 
55. Pablo Hernandez Rivera, a Democrat from Puerto Rico (non-voting member)
56. Derek Schmidt, a Republican from Kansas 
57. Jefferson Shreve, a Republican from Indiana 
58. Lateefah Simon, a Democrat from California 
59. Marlin Stutzman, a Republican from Indiana 
60. Suhas Subramanyam, a Democrat from Virginia 
61. David Taylor, a Republican from Ohio 
62. Derek Tran, a Democrat from California 
63. Sylvester Turner, a Democrat from Texas 
64. Eugene Vindman, a Democrat from Virginia 
65. George Whitesides, a Democrat from California 

Who are the new senators joining Congress in 2025?

Ten new senators are joining the upper chamber this year. They include four Democrats and six Republicans. 

1. Angela Alsobrooks, a Democrat from Maryland 
2. Jim Banks, a Republican from Indiana 
3. Lisa Blunt Rochester, a Democrat from Delaware 
4. John Curtis, a Republican from Utah 
5. Ruben Gallego, a Democrat from Arizona 
6. Jim Justice, a Republican from West Virginia 
7. David McCormick, a Republican from Pennsylvania 
8. Bernie Moreno, a Republican from Ohio 
9. Tim Sheehy, a Republican from Montana 
10. Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat from Michigan 

Two other new senators, Democrats Adam Schiff of California and Andy Kim of New Jersey, replaced their outgoing predecessors early and were sworn in in December to have an edge on seniority.