Starting the new Congress is inherently messy in a pandemic. The House of Representatives implemented remote voting in the spring. That’s where the House permitted members who were at high risk, quarantining, tested positive or caring for someone who is ill to phone in their vote. The House will vote on Monday on a new rules package to begin the new Congress which will include a remote voting option. But in the House, you can t carry over rules from the 116th Congress to the 117th Congress.
That’s why everyone has to show up at noon today.
This poses an interesting, ethical question:
South Carolina Rep.-elect Nancy Mace and former Austin City Councilwoman Ellen Troxclair discuss the long-lasting impact in Washington on The Next Revolution.
Some college bowl games are canceled. The NFL is struggling to finish its regular season without canceling a game. People celebrated holiday parties on Zoom.
Yet the 117thCongress begins Sunday at noon, Eastern Time. The Constitution dictates that. And everyone has to be there in person.
The House and Senate remained in session finishing up the 116th Congress through most of the holidays. Lawmakers flirted with a government shutdown. Finally finished a COVID relief package. The House overrode President Trump’s veto of the annual defense bill and, per the President’s request, passed a $2,000 direct stimulus bill, just after Christmas.
President Donald Trump was impeached, but acquitted at the beginning of 2020. As the year closed, he lost the presidential race to Joe Biden. The former vice president was last candidate standing in a record field that saw more than 25 Democrats run for the nomination including Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders and surprise newcomer Pete Buttigieg.
These are just a few highlights of the events that took place throughout this year.
A photograph is known to be worth a thousand words, so here’s a look back at the photos that shaped 2020.
January 2020
Credit: AP
Debris is seen from a plane crash on the outskirts of Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2019. A Ukrainian airplane carrying at least 170 people crashed on Wednesday shortly after takeoff from Tehran’s main airport, killing all onboard, state TV reported. (AP Photos/Mohammad Nasiri)
2020: A year in photos thehill.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thehill.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
In year of pandemic, other dramas unfolded
By By DAVID CRARY - AP National Writer
House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving and Clerk of the House Cheryl Johnson deliver the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to Secretary of the Senate Julie Adams on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020. Following are impeachment managers, House Judiciary Committee Chairman, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., and Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, Pool)
Not since World War II has a single phenomenon dominated the news worldwide as the COVID-19 pandemic has in 2020. In the United States, a tumultuous presidential election and a wave of protests over racial injustice also drew relentless coverage.