WASHINGTON, D.C. – The power of congress will go through some major changes. On January 3, 2023, a new congress will be in session. It will bring a lot of change from the halls of the Capitol to the UP.
The one constant is the Senate will stay in the democratic majority but over in the House, it’s a whole different story. Republicans will now be in the majority in the House. One of their first priorities will be to decide who will take over as the new Speaker of the House. Leader Kevin McCarthy (R- CA) could potentially win that election. It just depends if he gets enough votes from his own party. But with this change, it also means committee’s will have different leadership with republicans in control, and some republicans have even stated that they want to form new committees as part of their investigative power. They’ve suggested they might form a committee investigating the withdrawal from Afghanistan and even the Biden administration.
With this change in power, republicans feel like they will be able to have more say. Many republican members we’ve spoke to recently felt shut out when they were in the minority.
The UP’s Representative Jack Bergman (R- MI) whose district is one of the largest in terms of territory covered, will remain here in the Capitol. WZMQ 19 News has reached out to his office before the new year and before the 118th congress is sworn in to ask what he plans on pursuing for the new congress. We have still not heard back from them.
Given that the 118th congress will have a narrow majority in the House and Senate, it might mean that legislation could be tougher to pass especially if it’s legislation on almost any hot-button issue.
