The U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., houses the legislative branch of the federal government. Photo by Indianz.Com (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
The 119th Congress is scheduled to begin on January 3, 2025, with both chambers of the legislative branch of the U.S. government coming under Republican control.
The U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate meet on Friday at 12pm Eastern. Republicans will control 219 seats out of 435 in the House and 52 out of 100 in the Senate.
In the House, only three tribal citizens will be serving in office, down from four during the 118th Congress. They are: Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-Oklahoma), a citizen of the Choctaw Nation; Rep. Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma), a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation; and Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kansas), a citizen of the Ho-Chunk Nation.
Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska), who was the first Alaska Native to serve in the U.S. Congress, did not win re-election in November 2024. Her term officially ends when the 118th Congress convenes for the last time at 11am Eastern on Friday.
In the Senate, only one tribal citizen is in office. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma), a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, won election to the chamber in November 2022, after serving five terms in the House.
During the 117th Congress, a record five tribal citizens were serving in office. At one point in the session, which took place from January 2021 through January 2023, there were a total of six lawmakers of American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian origin.
I will be voting for Mike Johnson as Speaker on January 3rd, and any report suggesting otherwise is dead wrong. I believe @SpeakerJohnson and President @realDonaldTrump are the winning combination to deliver results within our window of opportunity.
— Congressman Josh Brecheen (@RepBrecheen) December 30, 2024
As the House meets on Friday, members will elect a Speaker of the House. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) is seeking to lead the chamber, following his rise to the position last October.
In a December 30, 2024, post on social media, Brecheen said he will vote for Johnson. Cole has also expressed his backing for Johnson, who has pointed out that Republican president-elect Donald Trump has endorsed him.
After the Speaker election, members will formally be sworn in, according to the House Majority Leader’s calendar. The chamber is also scheduled to adopt rules for the 119th Congress, with the document listing 12 bills that Republicans see as critical to their agenda. [Rules Package |
Section-By-Section Analysis]
The list of Republican priority bills, affecting everything from gender in sports to voting rights, follows:
purposes of determining compliance with title IX of such Act in athletics,
sex shall be recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and
genetics at birth.
• A bill to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to take into custody
aliens who have been charged in the United States with theft, and for
other purposes.
• A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that
aliens who have been convicted of or who have committed sex offenses or
domestic violence are inadmissible and deportable.
• A bill to make the assault of a law enforcement officer a deportable
offense, and for other purposes.
• A bill to provide that sanctuary jurisdictions that provide benefits to
aliens who are present in the United States without lawful status under
the immigration laws are ineligible for Federal funds intended to benefit
such aliens.
• A bill to impose criminal and immigration penalties for intentionally
fleeing a pursuing Federal officer while operating a motor vehicle.
• A bill to amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit a health care
practitioner from failing to exercise the proper degree of care in the case of
a child who survives an abortion or attempted abortion.
• A bill to impose sanctions with respect to the International Criminal
Court engaged in any effort to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute any
protected person of the United States and its allies.
• A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide special rules
for the taxation of certain residents of Taiwan with income from sources
within the United States.
• A bill to amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require
proof of United States citizenship to register an individual to vote in
elections for Federal office, and for other purposes.
• A bill to amend the Controlled Substances Act with respect to the
scheduling of fentanyl-related substances, and for other purposes.
• A bill to prohibit a moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing.
America has spoken. Congress MUST quickly deliver President Trump’s agenda.
The American people cannot afford to wait for relief when their lives and livelihoods are at stake.
Let’s get to work https://t.co/6v9PDcxc86
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) January 1, 2025
