A New Congress

Members of the 118th Congress will be sworn in on Capitol Hill today, kicking off a new government with a Republican-controlled House and Democratic-controlled Senate. Of the 535 seats, a record 149 will be filled by women and 82 will be held by freshman members, including 25-year-old Rep. Maxwell Frost (D, FL-10), the first member from Gen Z. See more about the freshman class here. The Senate and House will begin the new session at noon today, a date and time set by the 20th Amendment of the US Constitution. Republicans flipped the House in last year's election, securing a nine-seat majority, while Democrats secured 51 seats in the Senate. The agenda for the new Congress is expected to include the country's position on Russia and China, immigration policy, and Big Tech. Separately, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R, CA-23) remains just shy of the 218 votes needed to become the next speaker of the House, despite offering a number of concessions to a group of at least five members opposing him. Voting will begin today and continue until McCarthy or another candidate secures a majority of votes (see overview).