Speaker Johnson vows to fight California Democrats' 'illegal power grab'

[BumRushDaShow]

8. He wouldn't be "in charge" and would have no power to do anything

The 1st session of the 120th Congress begins on Jan. 3, 2027 and because Congress has to re-vote for a new Speaker of the House each session, no one is sworn in until there IS a Speaker elected -

The First Day of a New Congress: A Guide to Proceedings on the House Floor

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Summary

Article 1, Section 2, of the Constitution sets a term of office of two years for all Members of the House. One House ends at the conclusion of each two-year Congress, and the newly elected Representatives must constitute a new House at the beginning of the next Congress. Consequently, the House must choose its Speaker and officers and adopt the chamber's rules of procedure every two years.

The Constitution mandates that Congress convene at noon on January 3, unless the preceding Congress by law designated a different day. Although no officers will have been elected when the House first convenes, officers from the previous Congress perform certain functions, such as conducting the election of the Speaker.

The House follows a well-established first-day routine. The proceedings include

a call to order by the Clerk of the House;

a prayer led by the Chaplain and the Pledge of Allegiance led by the Clerk;

a quorum call ordered by the Clerk;

the election of the Speaker, ordered by the Clerk and conducted with the assistance of tellers;

remarks by the Speaker-elect, followed by his or her swearing-in by the dean of the House;

the oath of office for the newly elected and reelected Members, administered by the Speaker;

adoption of the rules of the House for the new Congress;

adoption of various administrative resolutions and unanimous consent agreements; and

announcement of the Speaker's policies on certain floor practices.

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You might recall the 15 votes that were taken to get the dummy Charlie McCarthy elected for the 118th Congress (in Jan. 2023) and during the 4 days when that drama went on, there were no members sworn in and no "official" Congressional business could be conducted. The Clerk was forced to run the sessions each day.