The 119th Congress begins tomorrow. Here’s what to know for the 2025 session.

Washington — The 119th Congress begins Friday with Republicans in full control of the House and Senate for the first time since 2019.

Still, there’s the potential for sparks to fly in the House if Republicans revolt against Speaker Mike Johnson during the leadership vote, which is expected to take place shortly after 12 p.m.

In the Senate, Republicans will officially take the reins after flipping the majority in the November elections. 

Here’s what to know as the new Congress convenes in Washington:

When do the new members of Congress get sworn in?

The new term of Congress, which lasts two years, begins Friday, when House members are expected to be sworn in. But first, they’ll have to elect a speaker, which has not come easy for a divided Republican Party in the last two elections to pick their leader. 

It took former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, 15 rounds to win the gavel in 2023, delaying the swearing-in of new members by several days. McCarthy was ousted months later, and it took Republicans three weeks to coalesce behind Johnson. The Louisiana Republican is hoping to continue as speaker, but is facing some opposition within his own party after another messy fight last month over government funding.

The Senate swears in members when it convenes Friday and then moves on to other business. 

How does the speaker’s election work?

Typically, a member from each party will nominate a candidate for speaker ahead of a vote of all incoming members on the House floor. Those candidates were determined in November, when both parties separately decided who they would support for leadership. 

Johnson won the backing of Republicans for another term. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, will be nominated by his party. Members are not required to vote for those candidates and could choose to support someone else or no one. 

During the roll call vote, members will state aloud who they favor for speaker. The candidate with the majority of votes cast wins the speakership. If no candidate wins on the first round, the vote is repeated until someone secures the majority. 

What is the new balance of power in the House and the Senate?

Republicans flipped control of the Senate in the November elections and will have 53 seats. Democrats, including independents who caucus with them, will control 47.

In the House, Republicans held on to their majority, winning 220 seats. Democrats won 215. But President-elect Donald Trump tapped three Republican members for positions in his administration, cutting into the party’s already narrow margins until special elections are held in the coming months. Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida also said he would not take his seat, giving Republicans a 219 to 215 edge. 

Johnson will need 218 votes to win the speaker’s election if all members are present and voting.

What do Republicans want to accomplish first?

Republicans’ top priorities include immigration and border security, energy policy and extending tax cuts from Trump’s first term. But whether Republicans can quickly accomplish their goals depends on how unified the party is. They plan to use a process called budget reconciliation, which would give them the ability to pass large portions of their agenda with a simple majority, avoiding the 60-vote threshold needed for most legislation in the Senate. 

“It’s going to take a lot of work to build a consensus among all the Republicans to get it done,” Johnson told Fox News on Monday. 

Trump has also called for the debt ceiling to be increased, which limits how much the government can borrow to pay its bills. Without an increase, it’s likely to complicate Republicans’ legislative priorities. 

Who are the new House members joining Congress in 2025?

More than 60 new members are joining the House this week. They are: 

Yassamin Ansari, a Democrat from Arizona
Tom Barrett, a Republican from Michigan
Michael Baumgartner, a Republican from Washington
Nick Begich, a Republican from Alaska
Wesley Bell, a Democrat from Missouri 
Sheri Biggs, a Republican from South Carolina 
Rob Bresnahan, a Republican from Pennsylvania 
Janelle Bynum, a Democrat from Oregon 
Gil Cisneros Jr., a Democrat from California 
Herb Conaway, a Democrat from New Jersey 
Jeff Crank, a Republican from Colorado 
Maxine Dexter, a Democrat from Oregon 
Troy Downing, a Republican from Montana 
Sarah Elfreth, a Democrat from Maryland 
Gabe Evans, a Republican from Colorado 
Julie Fedorchak, a Republican from North Dakota 
Cleo Fields, a Democrat from Louisiana 
Shomari Figures, a Democrat from Alabama 
Laura Friedman, a Democrat from California 
Brandon Gill, a Republican from Texas 
Laura Gillen, a Democrat from New York 
Craig Goldman, a Republican from Texas 
Maggie Goodlander, a Democrat from New Hampshire 
Adam Gray, a Democrat from California 
Abe Hamadeh, a Republican from Arizona 
Mike Haridopolos, a Republican from Florida 
Pat Harrigan, a Republican from North Carolina 
Mark Harris, a Republican from North Carolina 
Jeff Hurd, a Republican from Colorado 
Brian Jack, a Republican from Georgia 
Julie Johnson, a Democrat from Texas 
Mike Kennedy, a Republican from Utah 
Kimberlyn King-Hinds, a Republican from the Northern Mariana Islands (non-voting member)
Brad Knott, a Republican from North Carolina 
George Latimer, a Democrat from New York 
Sam Liccardo, a Democrat from California 
Ryan Mackenzie, a Republican from Pennsylvania 
John Mannion, a Democrat from New York 
Sarah McBride, a Democrat from Delaware 
April McClain-Delaney, a Democrat from Maryland 
Kristen McDonald Rivet, a Democrat from Michigan 
Addison McDowell, a Republican from North Carolina 
John McGuire, a Republican from Virginia 
Mark Messmer, a Republican from Indiana 
Dave Min, a Democrat from California 
Tim Moore, a Republican from North Carolina 
Riley Moore, a Republican from West Virginia 
Kelly Morrison, a Democrat from Minnesota 
Johnny Olszewski, a Democrat from Maryland 
Bob Onder Jr., a Republican from Missouri 
Nellie Pou, a Democrat from New Jersey 
Emily Randall, a Democrat from Washington 
Josh Riley, a Democrat from New York 
Luz Rivas, a Democrat from California 
Pablo Hernandez Rivera, a Democrat from Puerto Rico (non-voting member)
Derek Schmidt, a Republican from Kansas 
Jefferson Shreve, a Republican from Indiana 
Lateefah Simon, a Democrat from California 
Marlin Stutzman, a Republican from Indiana 
Suhas Subramanyam, a Democrat from Virginia 
David Taylor, a Republican from Ohio 
Derek Tran, a Democrat from California 
Sylvester Turner, a Democrat from Texas 
Eugene Vindman, a Democrat from Virginia 
George Whitesides, a Democrat from California 

Who are the new senators joining Congress in 2025?

Ten new senators are joining the upper chamber this year. They include four Democrats and six Republicans. 

Angela Alsobrooks, a Democrat from Maryland 
Jim Banks, a Republican from Indiana 
Lisa Blunt Rochester, a Democrat from Delaware 
John Curtis, a Republican from Utah 
Ruben Gallego, a Democrat from Arizona 
Jim Justice, a Republican from West Virginia 
David McCormick, a Republican from Pennsylvania 
Bernie Moreno, a Republican from Ohio 
Tim Sheehy, a Republican from Montana 
Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat from Michigan 

Two other new senators, Democrats Adam Schiff of California and Andy Kim of New Jersey, replaced their outgoing predecessors early, and were sworn in in December to have an edge on seniority.