Washington House President Nancy Pelosi was re-elected to lead the chamber when the 117th Congress convened Sunday, with the California Democrat having to shepherd her party through a new Congress with the slimmer majority in years.
Members cast their votes before the curse Sunday night, while Pelosi earned support from 216 Democrats and cleared the 214 threshold to secure the House’s top position. The proceedings at the Capitol were marked by the coronavirus pandemic, which led to a change in procedures to ensure that the new Congress could convene safely.
Two Democrats – Jared Golden of Maine and Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania – cast Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of New York, respectively. Three members of the Democratic House voted ‘present’. Congressman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, and other members of The Squad especially supported Pelosi in her quest for public speaking. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy won 209 Republican votes.
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Commenting after her election to a fourth term as speaker, Pelosi said the chamber’s “most urgent priority” would be defeating the coronavirus pandemic, saying Congress should “do more to keep workers on the front lines” of the crisis “.
“It makes our lives possible at the state and local level and will facilitate the distribution of the vaccine. We owe them more,” she said. “Many of our vital workers come from color communities and low-wealth communities that have been devastated and disproportionately affected by the coronavirus. They were there for us, and we need to be there for them.”
Pelosi said the new Congress should “pursue justice” because it addresses the inequalities that the pandemic is revealing, and challenged House members to keep the promise to provide justice to all.
“In everything we do, let us be for the people – we recognize the beautiful diversity of America so that no one is left behind or left behind,” she said. “We do this, guided by the vision of our founders, the sacrifice of our army and their families and the pursuit we all have for the children.”
The new session comes days before lawmakers meet to count the votes of the Electoral College and finalize the presidential election results. Nearly a dozen GOP senators said Saturday they plan to objection to the results Wednesday, citing false allegations of widespread voter fraud driven by President Trump and his allies.
Prior to Sunday’s proceedings, the gun sergeant and the Capitol’s chief of staff sent new and returning members of the House, according to Roll Call. The traditional quorum call, swearing in of new members and speaker election are done in seven groups, which significantly prolongs the day’s events.
The House met at noon, with the election of a new speaker as the first matter. Members are sworn in after the election, which could run until Sunday night. Jeffries, a New York Democrat, named Pelosi as speaker and called her a ‘resilient leader.’
“Nancy Pelosi believes that our sacred mission is to continue America’s long, necessary and majestic march toward a more perfect union,” he said in a speech on the House floor before the vote began.
In a striking symbol of how the virus has hampered the proceedings, a special section of the living room has been closed in plexiglass so that three lawmakers who are in ‘quarantine status’ can vote. Dr Brian Monahan, congressional attending physician, said the “highest possible guarantees have been implemented, including separate, improved ventilation in this space and separate holding facilities for members who use the separate space. Members who use the space had to negative the virus. tested it.
The special accommodation was also a reflection of the fleeting margin in the voice for the speaker. Democrats begin the 117th Congress with 222 members, just four over the threshold of 218 needed for a majority, with another decision in New York.
Proxy voting, which allows members to cast votes while not physically at the Capitol, expired at the end of the last Congress. The new House will have to vote or extend the proxy vote. This means that anyone absent on Sunday will not be able to cast a vote in the speaker’s election.
In the Senate, which also convened the afternoon before the start of the 117th Congress, Vice President Mike Pence administered the oath of office to pairs of new and re-elected members, each offering elbow bumps.
“To say that the 117th Congress is meeting at a challenging time would indeed be an understatement,” Senate Leader Mitch McConnell said after members were sworn in. “From political divisions to a deadly pandemic to opponents around the world, the obstacles in front of us are many and they are serious. But there is also much reason for hope. An optimistic, can-do spirit has been one of our country’s most distinctive phone cards since our earliest days, and with safe and effective vaccines every day, I would say 2021 already looks bright. ‘
The Senate begins its new session with Republicans who have a slim majority, but whether the GOP will retain control will be determined Tuesday by a series of by-elections in Georgia.
Before the start of Sunday’s proceedings, Pelosi notes the challenges facing the new Congress as it seeks to address the economic upheaval caused by the pandemic, as well as the ongoing public health crisis, and thanks the Democratic caucus for name 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 tackle the challenges ahead, and that we are prepared to set our country on a new course, with the meeting of the Electoral College Wednesday, “she said in a letter to her Democratic colleagues.
The House and Senate will meet again on January 6 to count the election college votes and reaffirm the president-elect Joe Biden‘s victory.