Nancy Pelosi, the veteran power broker from Washington and longtime leader of the congressional Democrats, was scheduled to “address her plans for the future” on Thursday, a day after Republicans won a narrow majority in the House of Representatives.
With congressional control now divided and Pelosi unseated as Speaker of the House, the 82-year-old Californian — known for keeping the party ranks firmly in her grip as First Speaker — faces a difficult decision.
Pelosi, who was elected to Congress in 1987, became Speaker for the first time in 2007 and led both impeachment trials against Donald Trump during her second term in the role, has previously hinted that her time as a lawmaker may be up.
Currently second in line to succeed President Joe Biden, Pelosi said last week her final decision – should Democrats lose the House – would be influenced by the brutal attack on her elderly husband ahead of the Nov. 8 midterm elections.
Paul Pelosi, also 82, was hospitalized with serious injuries after an intruder – possibly looking for the speaker – broke into her San Francisco home and attacked him with a hammer.
“The spokeswoman plans to address her future plans to her colleagues tomorrow,” Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill tweeted Wednesday night. “Stay tuned.”
Pelosi was seen arriving at the Capitol early Thursday, and NBC reported that she would deliver an address on the floor of the house, the timing of which remained unclear.
On Wednesday, Pelosi praised the Democrats’ better-than-expected performance in the midterm contest, saying the party “defeated expectations.”
Republicans failed to seize control of the Senate and recaptured the House by a far smaller majority than they expected in a historically poor showing at the Nov. 8 midterms.
“In the next Congress, House Democrats will continue to play a leading role in supporting President Biden’s agenda — with strong leverage over a narrow Republican majority,” Pelosi said in a statement.
Congratulating top House Republican Kevin McCarthy — who will now have the opportunity to block portions of Biden’s agenda — the President said he was “ready to work with House Republicans to deliver results for working families.” “.
For his part, McCarthy, eyeing the speaker’s gavel, said, “Americans are ready for a new direction, and House Republicans are ready to deliver.”
And House Republicans immediately signaled that they would use their new power to make Biden’s life more difficult – calling a press conference to announce plans to probe the “national security” implications of the president’s family business connections.
– speaker vote threatened –
With inflation rising and Biden’s cratering popularity, Republicans had hoped to see a “red wave” wash over America, giving them control of both houses and an effective bloc over most of Biden’s legislative plans.
But instead, Democratic voters — spurred on by the Supreme Court’s repeal of abortion laws and wary of Trump-backed candidates who openly opposed the outcome of the 2020 presidential election — sided.
And Republicans lost ground with candidates rejected as too extreme by moderate voters.
Biden’s party secured an unassailable majority in the upper house with 50 seats and the landmark vote of Vice President Kamala Harris, and a Georgia Senate runoff could see Democrats improve their upper house majority.
The Senate oversees the confirmation of federal judges and cabinet members, and having the 100-seat panel in its corner will be a huge boon for Biden.
Meanwhile, McCarthy won Tuesday’s secret ballot to lead his party, putting him in first position to be the next speaker.
But potential far-right defectors could complicate the 57-year-old’s path when the 435 newly elected members of the House of Representatives — Democrats and Republicans — elect their new speaker in January.
