Pelosi re-elected a speaker while the new Congress is sworn in

Washington – House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi was re-elected to lead the chamber with the 117th Congress taking place on Sunday, with the California Democrat preparing to sponsor her party through a new Congress by a slim majority for years.

Members cast their votes for the speaker of the House of Representatives before taking the oath on Sunday evening, with Pelosi garnering the support of 216 Democrats and crossing the 214 threshold to secure the highest office in the House. The actions on the Capitol have been flagged before Coronavirus pandemic, Which resulted in changing procedures to ensure a new Congress can meet safely.

Two Democrats – Jared Golden of Maine and Connor Lamb of Pennsylvania – voted for Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Congressman Hakim Jeffries of New York, respectively. Three Democratic House of Representatives voted “the present.” Notably, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, and other members of the “squad” supported Pelosi in her attempt to speak up. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy won 209 votes from the Republicans.

Nancy Pelosi
US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California, wears a protective mask at the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC, Sunday January 3, 2021.

Ting Chen / Bloomberg via Getty Images


In remarks after being elected to a fourth term as president, Pelosi said the chamber’s “most urgent priority” would be defeating the coronavirus pandemic and said that Congress “must do more to recognize” workers on the front lines of the crisis.

“They are making our lives possible at the state and local levels, and they will facilitate the distribution of the vaccine. We owe them more,” she said. “Many of our primary workers come from colorful, low-affluent societies that have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus. They have been there for us, and we should be there for them.”

Pelosi said that the new Congress should “seek justice” because it addresses the inequalities exposed by the epidemic, and called on members of the House of Representatives to fulfill the pledge to provide justice for all.

“In everything we do, let us be with the people – recognizing the beautiful diversity of America, so that no one is left behind or left behind,” she said. “We do so guided by the vision of our founders, the sacrifice of our military and their families, and our aspirations all for children.”

The new session comes days before lawmakers meet to count the votes of the Electoral College and finalize the results of the presidential elections. About a dozen Republican senators said Saturday that they are planning to do so Theme Wednesday’s results, citing false allegations of widespread voter fraud pushed by President Trump and his allies.

Ahead of Sunday’s proceedings, the House censor and the doctor attending the Capitol sent instructions to new and returning House members, according to Roll Call. The traditional quorum calling, the taking of the oath of new members and the election of the Speaker of the House of Representatives are conducted in seven groups, which greatly prolongs the day’s events.

The House of Representatives met at noon, with the election of a new president as the first act. Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, nominated Pelosi for the speaker, calling her a “resilient leader.” Members took the constitutional oath after the elections.

“Nancy Pelosi believes that our sacred mission is to continue America’s long, necessary and majestic march toward a more perfect union,” Jeffries said in a speech in the House of Representatives before the start of the vote.

Texas representative Chip Roy, a Republican, contested the 67 seats from Arizona, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin and Nevada. at statementRoy said that he did so because a number of his colleagues, including members of the Freedom Bloc in the House of Representatives, were planning to challenge the Electoral College votes from those states because of their “firm belief that those states had held statewide elections that plagued them, systematic fraud and abuse.” . ” Roy has previously made it clear that he opposes this move.

“After all, these representatives were elected through the same systems – the same ballot procedures, the same signature verifications, and the same widely applied decisions of judicial executive officials – as were the electors chosen for the President of the United States,” Roy wrote on Sunday. Under the laws of those countries that have become the subject of national controversy. “

Roy’s objection was voted down 371-2.

In an astonishing symbol of how complicated the virus’s procedures are, a special section of the House of Representatives has been placed in plexiglass so that three lawmakers in “quarantine mode” can vote. “The highest possible safeguards including separate and enhanced ventilation have been implemented in this setting and separate detention facilities for any member who uses” the separate space, said Dr. Brian Monahan, a congressional physician. Members using the space were asked to have tested negative for the virus.

The special facilities were also a reflection of the razor-thin margin in the vote for the speaker. Democrats will start the 117th Congress with 222 members, just four above the 218 threshold required for a majority, with one race in New York still undecided.

The proxy voting, which allowed members to cast their votes while not physically in the Capitol, ended with the end of the last conference. The new House of Representatives will have to vote on an extension of the proxy vote. This means that anyone who is absent on Sunday will not be able to vote in the House of Representatives election.

In the Senate, which also convened at noon to kick-start the 117th Congress, Vice President Mike Pence swore the office of the new and re-elected pairs of members, offering the bumps for each.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said after Senators were sworn in: “To say that convening the 117th Congress at a challenging time would be really too little.” And they are serious. But there are also lots of reasons for hope. Optimism and action have been one of our country’s most recognizable calling cards since our early days, and with the spread of safe and effective vaccines across our nation on 2021 looks really bright.

The Senate begins its new session with Republicans who hold a slim majority, but whether the Republican Party maintains control will be determined by the double-run elections in Georgia on Tuesday.


Surface runoff in Georgia could represent a historical shift in …

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Before the start of Sunday’s measures, Pelosi indicated the challenges the new Congress will face as it seeks to address the economic disruptions caused by the pandemic as well as the ongoing public health crisis, and thanked the Democratic Rally for Nominated To lead the House of Representatives for another term.

She said in a statement, “I am confident that the election of the spokesman today will show a united democratic bloc ready to face the coming challenges, and that we are ready to put our country on a new path, starting with the Electoral College meeting on Wednesday.” Letter to fellow Democrats.

The House and Senate meet again on January 6 to count the Electoral College votes and reconfirm the President-elect Joe Bidenvictory.

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