02/01/2023 21:30 (act. 02/01/2023 21:30)
Congress Gathers on Capitol Hill ©APA/AFP
After the November congressional elections, the US Congress will convene for the first time in a new constellation on Tuesday (12:00 local time, 18:00 CET). Republicans then take control of the House of Representatives – in the Senate, President Joe Biden’s Democrats remain with a narrow majority. In the parliamentary elections of early November, all 435 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate were up for grabs.
Both chambers will meet for the first time on Tuesday with new members. The top Republican in the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, wants to be elected Speaker of the House in the opening session. The powerful post ranks third in the US government, after president and vice president. In view of the narrow Republican majority, McCarthy had great difficulty securing enough votes from his own ranks until the end. The election of the president may therefore be more complicated than usual.
With their new strength in the House of Representatives, Republicans could make life difficult for Biden. They have already announced parliamentary investigations against him and other members of the government and can block legislative projects at will in the future.