4 major battles facing Congress in 2023 - NBC information

WASHINGTON — The U.S. is headed for one more period of divided executive within the new yr, as Republicans are poised to claim handle of the condo of Representatives on Jan. three. Democrats will wield an expanded fifty one-seat Senate majority and control the presidency.

As fresh a long time have shown, break up handle of Congress can get messy in an age of rising partisanship and political acrimony. And the dynamics on the two ends of Pennsylvania Avenue will set the backdrop for the 2024 presidential election.

listed below are four battles that loom on Capitol Hill this year.

A apartment leadership combat

Can Kevin McCarthy win — or cling on to — the speaker's gavel? 

McCarthy, R-Calif., is facing a rebel from a band of conservative flame-throwers vowing to deny him the speakership Tuesday when the apartment takes its first floor vote of the brand new Congress.

If the rebels — led by means of Reps. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and Andy Biggs, R-Ariz. — make respectable on their note, they may ship the speaker's vote to dissimilar ballots for the primary time in a century. 

McCarthy, who has led house Republicans within the minority for the past four years, won his birthday celebration's nomination for speaker in a closed-door, secret-ballot vote in November. truly, he trounced Biggs, 188-31, winning 85% of his GOP convention. 

however he'll need 218 votes on the flooring to comfortable the speakership.

In a name with condo Republicans Sunday nighttime, McCarthy outlined concessions he could be willing to make with a view to achieve the gavel, together with a rule alternate that would water down the energy of the speaker, in line with CNN, which mentioned distinct sources on the call. The trade would make it less demanding for rank-and-file participants to oust a speaker in the middle of the Congress, and become a key demand from members of the conservative condo Freedom Caucus who had been withholding their help.

nonetheless, nine residence Republicans — existing and incoming — referred to in a letter dated Sunday and acquired by NBC news that McCarthy had yet to do satisfactory to earn their aid.

On right of that, there's the smaller group of 5 "under no circumstances Kevins" who say they won't returned McCarthy under any circumstance.

McCarthy can manage to pay for simplest a handful of GOP defections on account of the birthday celebration's razor-skinny majority. McCarthy allies say the guerrilla strategies from conservatives will simplest prolong the new house GOP majority from getting off to a strong beginning and launching investigations into the Biden administration — since the condo can't habits any business unless it has elected a speaker.

keeping off executive shutdowns

even if the divided Congress results in legislative gridlock, it will still need to retain the lights on. That should be no handy project: Republican-led houses have sparked shutdowns under the closing two Democratic presidents. Will President Joe Biden be an exception?

McCarthy's fierce objections to a bipartisan government funding bill just earlier than the vacations exhibit that the house has very distinct priorities from Biden and the Senate. He has described funding expenses as a car to force Democrats to swallow some conservative coverage goals, like tightening border controls and slicing long-time period retirement spending.

"The baseline's too high. Spending's too a good deal. We deserve to be reducing spending," McCarthy instructed newshounds after a meeting with Senate Republicans on Dec. 21. "this would be an opportunity for us to get some protection on our border — we're lacking out on that."

Democratic leaders are in wait-and-see mode.

"It's too early to decide what's going to happen in the house. There's so an awful lot discombobulation and disunity on distinct aspects of the Republican caucus," Senate Majority chief Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., advised reporters before the holiday recess. "I've all the time gotten along with Kevin McCarthy. We don't agree on plenty of considerations, however I try to work with any individual i will be able to to get issues done for the American individuals."

combating a catastrophic debt default

some of the extra daunting initiatives for the brand new Congress can be to lift the nation's debt ceiling in 2023 to make certain the U.S. can pay its expenses and stop a catastrophic default. Wall street is already spooked concerning the prospect of brinkmanship, specially after the remaining Democratic president who faced down a GOP condo got here within days of breaching the debt limit.

Conservative lawmakers say a GOP condominium should still block a debt limit enhance without main policy alterations to rein in spending.

"We want fiscal restraint, and we should demand it. And if we're no longer going to get fiscal restraint, we should not vote to raise the debt ceiling. or not it's that primary," spoke of Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas. "Neither aspect of the aisle offers a s--- about decreasing spending. And we may still. ... make sure you not vote to elevate the debt ceiling without structural trade."

Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., spoke of the issue will "require lots of powerful debates within the caucus" earlier than a strategy is set. "On definite key inflection features, like [the] debt ceiling, we're going to must determine a method forward," he stated. "everyone's going to should realize that you can't get a hundred% of what you need."

Schumer noted the concern may still be tackled "in a bipartisan means — and we may be working within the next Congress to get that executed."

GOP investigations — and impeachment?

After 4 years in the political wasteland, newly empowered apartment Republicans are salivating on the chance to investigate Biden and his administration.

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., who is probably going to be the subsequent chairman of the Oversight and Reform Committee, observed Republicans plan to hit the ground operating with investigations, beginning with immigration and Covid response.

"Our first two hearings will likely be on the border ... and 2nd will probably be Covid," Comer noted in an interview.

The apartment will "finally" call in Dr. Anthony Fauci, who retired because the government's properly infectious disease expert at the end of ultimate year, to testify, Comer mentioned, including that his committee wants to reap new tips about how the govt handled Covid — which started during the Trump administration — before it puts him in the sizzling seat.

The committee also plans a sweeping investigation of Biden's son Hunter Biden and the presidential household's enterprise dealings, just 12 months before a likely Biden 2024 re-election bid. Comer told reporters he has no interest in targeting Biden's family members. "here is an investigation of Joe Biden, the president of the U.S.," he observed.

And with investigations might come calls for impeachment — now not always of Biden, but possibly of others in his administration. Some apartment Republicans are already calling to question fatherland security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his department's dealing with of immigration policy.