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10 PalletCentral • January-February 2023 palletcentral.com POLICY PLAY AT W e've all grown accustomed to hearing the words "historic" and "unprecedented" tossed around in recent years. But the first week of the two-year 118th Congressional session exceeded everyone's expectations. C-SPAN was a must-watch for millions outside the beltway who tuned in from around the world to watch the hottest drama of the new year: the House GOP and their quest to elect a Speaker of the House. In the House, there are official, government-operated cameras that provide a feed to C-SPAN and other media outlets. ose operate under strict guidelines that limit the cameras to wide shots, and the only close-ups allowed are of the person speaking. But thankfully for all of us at home, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi authorized C-SPAN to use its cameras on the opening day of the 118th Congress. All of us became amateur lipreaders and were treated to seeing Members telling each other jokes, scrolling their phones and, amazingly, almost getting into physical altercations. e only thing missing was a few Members miked up like on Sunday Night Football. It was, per the internet, "C-SPAN unleashed!" In the end, Representative Kevin McCarthy accomplished his decades-long goal of securing the gavel as Speaker of the House and is second in line to the Presidency. He now heads a House GOP unlike any other, with diverse views and priorities that promise to be at cross- purposes throughout the next two years. On the other side of the aisle, the Speaker faces off against a Democratic party with new leaders after almost 20 years of stability at the top. e new house majority has a large number of Members who are in a position Mr. Speaker The 118th Congress: New session, new challenges. By Jason Ortega and Hallie Fuchs to govern for the first time. Democrats have leadership that is experienced but untested in their new roles. is recipe promises to result in a tumultuous two years culminating in a raucous presidential election. As is often the case, the Senate was a much more subdued affair. ey came into town for several days, took their oaths of office, and returned to their home states until late January. Expect the Senate to contrast and oppose much of what will come out of the House chamber over the next two years. Senate Democrats will not allow partisan legislation to a vote in the Senate, setting up significant fights over historically partisan issues such as the budget and debt ceiling and likely even over nonpartisan issues such as funding the military. For multiple days, McCarthy and his allies engaged in fierce negotiations with Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is elected Speaker of the House of Representatives in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol Building on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023 in Washington, DC. the 20 holdouts to win the votes needed to become Speaker. In the end, he gave away numerous concessions for the holdouts, including three seats on the powerful House Rules Committee to members of the House Freedom Caucus and representation for them on the purse-strings committee, Appropriations. In the eyes of many, the concessions resulted in a weaker Speaker's office than any of his predecessors. But as Mr. McCarthy likes to remind his colleagues, neither the size of their majority nor the number of concessions matter because, in the end, they control the House, its committees, its subpoena power, and most importantly, its purse strings. Congress in Action or Inaction? What are the practical implications of the House Republicans' slim majority and the concessions that Speaker McCarthy had to make? e short answer is that there will be far less legislation. In some ways, that can be a good thing. But some of the challenges facing the country will need to be addressed. For example, Congress has tried for years to find a compromise on the crucial issue of immigration. In the Senate, a new group has come together to seek a middle ground. But whatever deal they strike is unlikely to get a vote in the House due to the positions of numerous conservative House members. McCarthy will face pressure from both sides of his caucus. Conservatives will agitate for their priorities, and moderate Republicans who succeeded in flipping blue districts will be clamoring for wins that resonate with their constituents back home. is dynamic creates an opening for bipartisan legislation, including the farm bill. Two House Chairs to watch on this and other potentially bipartisan, pallet- www.house.gov

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