WASHINGTON, D.C. - The power of congress will go through some major changes. On January 3, 2023, a new congress will be in session. It will bring a lot of change from the halls of the Capitol to northwestern Pennsylvania.  

The one constant is the Senate will stay in the democratic majority but over in the House, it’s a whole different story. Republicans will now be in the majority in the House. One of their first priorities will be to decide who will take over as the new Speaker of the House. Leader Kevin McCarthy (R- CA) could potentially win that election. It just depends if he gets enough votes from his own party.  But with this change, it also means committee’s will have different leadership with republicans in control, like Pennsylvania Rep. Glenn Thompson (R- PA) will now take over the massive House Agriculture Committee as their new chair. Some republicans have even stated that they want to form new committees as part of their investigative power. They’ve suggested they might form a committee investigating the withdrawal from Afghanistan and even the Biden administration.  

With this new congress also comes a lot of change for Pennsylvania. Representative Fred Keller (R- PA) lost his seat due to redistricting. Senator Pat Toomey (R- PA) is stepping down from his Senate seat and will be replaced by democrat John Fetterman.  

Given that the 118th congress will have a narrow majority in the House and Senate, it might mean that legislation could be tougher to pass especially if it’s legislation on almost any hot-button issue.