Washington – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was re-elected to lead the House when she met on Sunday in the 117th Congress, with the California Democrat tasked with pastoring her party through a new Congress with the scant majority in recent years.
Deputies cast their votes for the speaker before swearing in on Sunday evening, with Pelosi gaining the support of 216 Democrats and clearing the 214 threshold to secure the House’s top spot. The procedure at the Capitol was marked by the Coronavirus pandemic, which led to a change in procedures to ensure that the new Congress could meet safely.
Two Democrats – Jared Golden of Maine and Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania – voted for Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Congressman Hakeem Jeffries of New York, respectively. Three members of the Democratic House voted “present.” In particular, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, and other members of “The Squad” supported Pelosi in his candidacy for the position of speaker. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy got 209 votes from Republicans.
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Speaking after her election to a fourth term as president, Pelosi said the chamber’s “most urgent priority” will be to defeat the coronavirus pandemic and said Congress “must do more to recognize” workers. of the first lines of the crisis.
“They make our lives possible at the state and local level, and they will facilitate the distribution of the vaccine. We owe them more,” he said. “Many of our essential workers come from communities of color and low-wealth communities that have been devastating and disproportionately affected by the coronavirus. They have been there for us and we need to be there.”
Pelosi said the new Congress must “pursue justice,” as it addresses the disparities the pandemic has exposed and has challenged members of the House to fulfill its commitment to providing justice for all.
“In everything we do, let’s be for the people, recognizing America’s beautiful diversity, so that no one is left behind or left behind,” he said. “We do, guided by the vision of our founders, the sacrifice of our military and their families and the aspirations we all have for children.”
The new session comes days before lawmakers will meet to count the votes of the Electoral College and finalize the results of the presidential election. Nearly a dozen Republican Party senators said Saturday they planned to do so object in Wednesday’s results, citing false allegations of widespread election fraud driven by President Trump and his allies.
Prior to Sunday’s proceedings, the house’s sergeant-at-arms and the Capitol’s attending physician sent guidelines to new and returning members of the house, according to Roll Call. The traditional convening of the quorum, the swearing in of new members and the election of speakers is being done in seven groups, significantly lengthening the day’s events.
The House met at noon, with the election of a new speaker as the first order of business. Jeffries, a New York Democrat, named Pelosi as a speaker, calling her a “resilient leader.” Members were sworn in after the election.
“Nancy Pelosi believes that our sacred mission is to continue the long, necessary and majestic American march towards a more perfect union,” Jeffries said in a speech to the chamber before the vote began.
Texas Representative Chip Roy, a Republican, opposed securing the 67 representatives from Arizona, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin and Nevada. In a statement, Roy said he did so because several of his colleagues, including members of the House Freedom Caucus, plan to challenge the votes of the Electoral College of those states for “their firm belief that those states carried out elections plagued by systemic fraud and abuse “. Roy already made it clear that he was opposed to this move.
“After all, these representatives were elected by the same systems (with the same voting procedures, with the same validations of signatures, with the same generally applied decisions of the officials of the executive judiciary) as the voters elected for the president of the United States under the laws of those states, which have become the subject of national controversy, “Roy wrote Sunday.
Roy’s objection was rejected 371-2.
In a startling symbol of how the virus complicated procedures, a special section of the House of Commons was enclosed in plexiglass so that three lawmakers who were in a “quarantine state” could vote. Dr. Brian Monahan, an assistant physician in Congress, said the “maximum possible safeguards have been implemented, including separate and improved ventilation in this space and separate retention facilities for all members who use” the space. separately. Members using the space must have given negative evidence of the virus.
The special adaptations were also a reflection of the razor’s margin in the vote for the speaker. Democrats will begin the 117th Congress with 222 members, just four above the 218 thresholds needed by a majority, with a career in New York still undecided.
Voting by delegation, which allowed members to cast votes while not physically present at the Capitol, expired at the close of the last Congress. The new House will have to vote if the vote by delegation is extended. This means that anyone absent on Sunday will not be able to vote in the presidential election.
In the Senate, which also met at noon for the start of the 117th Congress, Vice President Mike Pence administered the oath of office to pairs of new and re-elected members, offering elbows to each.
“To say that the 117th Congress meets at a challenging time would really be an understatement,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said after members were sworn in. “From the political divide to a deadly pandemic for opponents around the world, the obstacles we face are many” and they are serious. But there are also many reasons for hope. An optimistic and practical spirit has been one of the most distinctive calling cards in our country since our earliest days and with safe and effective vaccines spreading across our nation. day, I would say that in 2021 it already looks bright “.
The Senate begins its new session with Republicans with a narrow majority, but if the Republican Party retains control it will be determined by a couple of second-round elections in Georgia on Tuesday.
Before starting proceedings on Sunday, Pelosi noted the challenges facing the new Congress in trying to address the economic turmoil caused by the pandemic, as well as the ongoing public health crisis, and thanked the Democratic group. nominating her to lead the House another term.
“I am confident that today’s elections will show a united democratic caucus that is ready to face the challenges of the future and that we are ready to set a new course in our country, starting with the meeting of the electoral college on Wednesday.” , he said in a statement. letter to his fellow Democrats.
The House and Senate will meet again on January 6 to count the votes of the Electoral College and reaffirm the president-elect Joe Bidenthe victory.