WASHINGTON — Congress returns Monday to a changed Washington after Democrats flipped control of both the House and Senate in the midterm elections, the Associated Press reports.
Lawmakers have six weeks of a lame-duck session before the new Congress takes over on Jan. 3, 2027. Leadership elections and a government funding package are among the priorities, the AP said.
One of the first items is expected to be a resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over his leadership of the Pentagon and the Iran war. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie pushed it forward over the objections of House GOP leaders. House Speaker Mike Johnson halted proceedings in September by sending lawmakers home early.
“I’m a hard yes on the Hegseth resolution,” House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said Sunday on ABC. President Donald Trump defended Hegseth Sunday night, saying, “He’s guilty of two things, basically winning two wars.”
Newly elected lawmakers arrived over the weekend for orientation. “They’ve had enough of Donald Trump. They’ve had enough of MAGA,” said Rep.-elect Daniel Biss, D-Ill. Republican Rep.-elect Chris Stigall of Missouri said the GOP must understand the economy is not where it needs to be: “Six-dollar diesel, I will tell you, for the farmers in my district, that is a tough pill to swallow.”
House Republicans face a leadership fight after Johnson decided to step aside, setting up a contest between Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio. Senate Republican leader John Thune is expected to keep his post in the minority.
Stephen Miller, the architect of much of Trump’s domestic agenda, takes over Monday as White House chief of staff, the AP reported.
Sources: KTAR News/Associated Press. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Noclip / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
