House, Senate GOP to consider new leadership as Trump administration approaches
House and Senate Republicans will huddle this week to select a new slate of leaders for the next year's Congress, the first step towards legislating in the looming Trump administration.
The moves come as the GOP is on the brink of securing a trifecta in Washington: Trump is headed to the White House, Republicans secured control of the Senate, and the GOP looks poised to retain its majority in the House, which would give the party full control in D.C. for the next two years.
Republicans are two seats away from maintaining control of the House. As of Sunday night, the GOP had secured 216 seats in the chamber, with Democrats trailing at 209 seats, according to Decision Desk HQ. A total of 10 races remain uncalled.
The Senate GOP conference will meet Wednesday, when lawmakers will choose between Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) to serve as the next GOP leader. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the current Senate GOP leader, is stepping down from his post this month, making way for a new face atop the conference for the first time in nearly two decades.
In the House, members of the GOP conference will also meet on Wednesday for their internal elections, during which they will nominate a candidate for Speaker — even though they have not officially clinched the majority. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is likely to get the nod for the job, but his odds of winning the job on the House floor in January remain unclear.
Senate GOP to select McConnell successor
Senate Republicans will select a new leader of their conference in a secret vote on Wednesday — the first time the group has done so since McConnell won the job in 2007.
Thune, Cornyn and Scott are all vying for the majority leader position, a title that solidified after Republicans won control of the Senate last week.
The three-way race has been ongoing for months, with the candidates working behind the scenes to rally support among their colleagues. Since last week’s elections, however, the contest has heated up, and all eyes are now on Trump to see if he weighs in on the leadership fight.
Trump inched closer to getting involved with the race on Sunday. In a social media post, the president-elect said the next GOP leader “must agree” to moving forward with........
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