New Republican Congress to begin laying the groundwork for Trump's return

WASHINGTON — Republicans on Friday will begin laying the groundwork for a second Trump administration as they officially take over the majority in both chambers of Congress and try to elect a speaker of the House before they tackle other critical business.

Friday is the opening day of the new 119th Congress, a celebratory moment when the Capitol is packed with proud family members and other well-wishers eager to see their loved ones take the oath of office.

Before that ceremony happens on the House floor, however, members-elect must first choose a speaker — and, once again, that may not be easy. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., won his party’s nomination for the job in November and has been endorsed by President-elect Donald Trump, but he still faces an uphill climb to win the gavel for a full two-year term.

Because of the GOP’s minuscule 219-215-seat majority, just two Republican defections could derail Johnson’s bid to remain speaker. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., has already vowed to oppose Johnson, and a handful of others, including Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., Ralph Norman, R-S.C., and Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., have said they are undecided.

“You can pull all my fingernails out. You can shove bamboo up in them. You can start cutting off my fingers. I am not voting for Mike Johnson tomorrow," Massie said in an interview with former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., Thursday. "And you can take that to the bank”

If no Republican can secure a simple majority of all House members — 218 votes if all are present — the chamber would remain paralyzed, unable to conduct any other business until a majority agrees on a speaker. That means members-elect could not be sworn in, House committees could not be constituted, and bills could not be introduced or voted on.

While the GOP-led Senate can immediately begin its business, including setting up confirmation hearings and floor votes for Trump’s Cabinet nominees, a protracted House floor fight over the speaker’s gavel — similar to the 15-round battle Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., endured two years ago — would delay the House’s work on implementing Trump’s 2025 agenda, Johnson has argued.

Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., pleaded with his colleagues to elect Johnson quickly and avoid a drawn-out fight, lest it fuel Republican divisions that hinder their agenda.

“I hope not. I hope not. I hope not,” Barr said when he was asked whether it will again take multiple ballots to elect a speaker. “Unity is our strength and our leverage. ... Do we really need to be spending multiple rounds fighting with one another?”

As they prepare for their GOP trifecta in Washington, Trump and congressional Republicans have laid out an ambitious agenda for 2025. They plan to use an arcane process known as budget “reconciliation” to bypass Democrats and renew the expiring tax cuts enacted during Trump's first administration, as well as beef up border security, crack down on illegal immigration and tackle high energy costs.

"The clock will be ticking," Johnson said on Fox Business. "We'll have a lot of pressure on us on time because the American people will want to see results. Some of those negotiations, by design, take a long time ... but I think we're going to be able to get this ball over the goal line for the people."

There is a growing division within the GOP over strategy for advancing Trump's agenda, with some pushing for doing it all in one bill and others saying break it up and bag a victory on border security first before turning to taxes later in the year.

Johnson, pressed Thursday by Fox Business host and former Trump economic adviser Larry Kudlow to pursue the one-bill strategy, kept his powder dry, saying that there is a "compelling case" for it but that Republicans are still evaluating the path forward.

In addition to navigating a busy legislative agenda, the new Republican-controlled Senate will have to hold hearings and confirmation votes for Trump’s nominees. Incoming Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., is threatening to make senators work Fridays — which they rarely do — to get their work done.

Asked how long he expects that to last, Thune spokesman Ryan Wrasse told NBC News, “As long as it takes.”

If Johnson manages to secure the gavel for the next two years, the coming days will be busy on Capitol Hill. Congress is scheduled to certify Trump's presidential election victory on Monday, Jan. 6, the fourth anniversary of the deadly attack, in a heavily fortified Capitol complex. Johnson argued Thursday that there would be "a constitutional crisis" if Congress does not elect a speaker in time to certify the election on Jan. 6, as mandated by the Constitution.

Later in the week, former President Jimmy Carter, who died Sunday at age 100, will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda from Tuesday afternoon until Thursday morning. Johnson and Thune are expected to speak at a congressional tribute shortly after Carter's casket arrives.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com