Speaker race, Trump's second term, Carter funeral: January brings flurry of political events

New Year's Day ushers in a month of political events and milestones the likes of which Washington hasn't seen in a while.

From the House Speaker election and memorials to former President Carter, to the start of President-elect Trump's second term and all that brings, January will kick off 2025 with tone-setting votes and significant actions.

House and Senate seats will need to be filled, with Trump's nominations and the election of Ohio Sen. JD Vance as vice president creating vacancies; that process starts in January.

Here's a look at what to expect.

Jan. 3: New Congress meets, elects House Speaker

The 119th Congress meets at noon Friday, ushering in a new Republican majority in the House and Senate. The Speaker election is the first agenda item; the House cannot do any business until that is settled.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) hopes to retain the gavel, and Trump may have boosted his chances when Trump gave Johnson his full endorsement on Monday. But Johnson has an incredibly narrow margin — as slim as two votes if everyone is present. At least one Republican has said he would not vote for Johnson as Speaker.

The Senate will have new leadership, with Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) taking over as majority leader from Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

Jan. 6: Congress certifies election results

Congress will meet Monday to tally electoral votes, cementing Trump's win over Vice President Harris in the 2024 election. Harris will be the first sitting vice president to oversee the counting of their electoral loss since Al Gore in 2002.

Jan. 7-9: Carter memorial events in Washington

Carter, who died Dec. 29 in Plains, Ga., will be honored with events in Georgia and Washington.

His memorials begin Saturday, when the former governor of Georgia will lie in repose for two days at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta.

On Jan. 7, the late president and his family will arrive in Washington, and the funeral procession will head to the Capitol. Carter will lie in state for two days starting that afternoon. At 3 p.m., Congress members will pay their respects. At 7 p.m., the Rotunda opens to the public.

On Jan. 9, a state funeral will be held at 10 a.m. at Washington National Cathedral. President Biden is expected to eulogize Carter. Trump has said he will attend.

The former president and his family will then return to Plains, Ga., for a private funeral and interment service.

Jan. 9: Biden's Italy trip

Biden will head to Rome and the Vatican for three days in what is expected to be his final foreign trip as president. He will meet with Pope Francis, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Italian President Sergio Mattarella.

Jan. 10: Supreme Court hears TikTok ban case

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on whether a law that could ban TikTok nationwide violates the First Amendment. The video-sharing platform aims to invalidate the law requiring it to divest from its Chinese parent company or face a ban. The law takes effect Jan. 19.

Trump is opposed to the ban and has asked the high court to delay the case until he takes office.

“President Trump alone possesses the consummate dealmaking expertise, the electoral mandate, and the political will to negotiate a resolution to save the platform while addressing the national security concerns,” wrote D. John Sauer, one of Trump’s personal appellate attorneys.

Sauer, nominated by Trump to be solicitor general, would assume the government's defense of the ban.

Jan. 14: Pete Hegseth confirmation hearing

The Senate Armed Services Committee is slated to hold a hearing for Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth on Jan. 14, six days before Trump is inaugurated. Last month, Hegseth made the rounds on Capitol Hill, trying to woo Republican senators who appeared hesitant about his nomination.

Jan. 20: Trump's inauguration

Trump will be sworn in as the nation's 47th president at noon, concluding a comeback from the violent Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot and dozens of federal and state criminal charges.

The president-elect has vowed to sign a flurry of executive orders on his first day that will impact immigration, energy and foreign policy. He has also signaled he would move swiftly to roll back protections for transgender youth.

Jan. 28: Florida special primary elections

Florida will hold two special primary elections to fill House seats opened by Trump's nominations. The general election for both seats is April 1.

National security adviser nominee Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) will resign his 6th Congressional District seat on Jan. 20. That district will hold both a Democratic and Republican primary.

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) resigned his 1st Congressional District seat on Nov. 13 after he was nominated as Trump's attorney general. Gaetz withdrew his nomination eight days later, as details of an Ethics Committee report began leaking. The 1st District will hold only a Republican primary.

Jan. 30: Democratic National Committee meeting opens

The Democratic Party's governing body will hold its winter meeting Jan. 30-Feb. 1, which will include the election of a new chair. Five candidates are running for the leadership post.

Brett Samuels, Zach Schonfeld, Julia Shapero and Ashleigh Fields contributed.

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