House Democrats Plan Early 2027 Votes as GOP Weighs Leadership Race

As final ballot tallies from Tuesday's midterm elections solidify a divided federal government for 2027, congressional leaders in both parties spent November 7, 2026 preparing for a sharp shift in legislative and oversight power on Capitol Hill.

Incoming Speaker Hakeem Jeffries and House Democrats Map January 3 Floor Votes on Medicaid and Tariffs

Set to hold more than 250 seats in the 435-member House of Representatives when the new Congress is sworn in on January 3, 2027, House Democrats led by incoming Speaker Hakeem Jeffries are preparing an immediate legislative blitz centered on healthcare affordability, trade authority, and executive oversight. Because Republicans retained a slim majority in the U.S. Senate and President Donald Trump holds the veto pen, Democratic leaders acknowledged that many early bills will serve to draw bipartisan pressure and define the 2028 policy landscape.

Top legislative priorities include reversing nearly $900 billion in federal Medicaid reductions enacted in the July 2025 "One Big Beautiful Bill"—since which national Medicaid enrollment has dropped by 5 million people, or 7%—and restoring enhanced Affordable Care Act premium subsidies that expired at the end of 2025. On trade, Massachusetts Rep. Richard Neal, ranking Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, plans early votes to reclaim congressional tariff authority after the Supreme Court struck down earlier emergency tariffs in February 2026 and the administration turned to temporary 150-day tariffs and Section 301 investigations. Meanwhile, Washington Rep. Adam Smith (House Armed Services) and Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson (Homeland Security) are preparing subpoena-backed oversight of military operations in Iran and Department of Homeland Security spending, while Virginia Sen. Mark Warner pointed to bipartisan ground on artificial intelligence workforce training and data-center electricity pricing.

Republicans Confront Post-Midterm Reckoning as Scalise and Jordan Contest House GOP Leadership

Across the aisle, Republicans are navigating internal leadership transitions and coalition debates after losing control of the House and three battleground governorships. While Republicans preserved their Senate majority with the backing of $810 million in spending from the Senate Leadership Fund super PAC, findings from the AP Voter Poll of nearly 80,000 voters across all 50 states showed that key segments of the 2024 coalition—particularly independent voters, Latino voters, and men under 45—swung away from the party over cost-of-living concerns.

With outgoing House Speaker Mike Johnson stepping aside from the top Republican leadership post for the next Congress, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio are competing to lead the House Republican conference. At the national party level, Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters also announced plans to step down ahead of a January RNC leadership election.

Texas Senator-Elect James Talarico Makes Surprise Cameo on Saturday Night Live Cold Open

Highlighting the week's political realignment, 37-year-old Texas Democratic U.S. Senator-elect James Talarico made a surprise appearance during the cold open of Saturday Night Live in New York on Saturday night. A Texas state representative and Presbyterian seminarian who defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday to become the first Democrat in 38 years to win a U.S. Senate seat in Texas, Talarico appeared alongside cast member Ashley Padilla and joked that flipping the seat required $140 million and a massive voter turnout surge.