Although the Senate is able to convene on its own and has already elected party leaders — Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., as the majority leader and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., as the minority leader — the House must first elect its speaker, a role required by the Constitution, second in the line of succession to the president.
Congress has been here before, when it took Republicans nearly a week and 15 rounds of voting to elect former Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California as speaker in 2023. McCarthy was then ousted by his party, a historic first.
The stakes are higher this year as Trump prepares to return to the White House with the House and Senate in GOP control and promising to deliver big on a 100-day agenda.