Summary
Officially sworn in yesterday, the 117th Congress enters a new and still evolving political landscape with Democrats hoping to flip the Senate while hanging on to a smaller majority in the House (222-211). The outcome of the Georgia Senate runoffs tomorrow will largely influence how the incoming Biden-Harris administration will prioritize the various aspects of their health care agenda, the means by which they may pursue them, and their probability of enactment. Top priorities for President-elect Joe Biden include providing additional COVID-19 relief, especially to states and localities; bolstering the nation’s pandemic response, particularly on vaccine distribution; and restoring, strengthening, and expanding the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
As of yesterday evening, polls show small leads for Georgia Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, though turnout is unpredictable and will be the strongest driver of the outcome. Regardless of these results, the Senate will be narrowly divided and action on major legislation will prove challenging.
Today, the House will vote on the rules package for the 117th Congress. The package includes changes aimed at increasing accountability, facilitating a more accommodating process for policy deliberation, and promoting diversity. Notably, the package exempts legislation aimed at addressing the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change from pay-as-you-go rules and budget limits. It also reauthorizes the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis to continue oversight of coronavirus relief aid and programs. In addition, the package requires committees to include in their oversight plan how their work will address inequities based on race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age, or national origin.
On Wednesday, Congress will convene in a joint session to count electoral votes. The anticipated challenge from a coalition of at least 12 Republican senators as well as a throng of House Republicans will disrupt the certification process but will not block the reaffirmation of Biden’s win.
Looking ahead, once the results of the George runoffs are known, the parties will work to finalize their priorities and plans for the coming year. We also expect to see several more appointments from the Biden Administration in the coming weeks.