Following midterm elections last November, the newly elected U.S. Congress is due to convene for the first time on Tuesday.
The Republicans will take control of the House of Representatives, while in the Senate, President Joe Biden's Democrats continue to hold a narrow majority.
In the congressional elections at the beginning of November, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate were reallocated. Both chambers now meet for the first time on Tuesday at noon with new members.
The top Republican in the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, wants to be elected speaker at the inaugural session. The powerful post is third in the U.S. political power structure after the president and vice president.
In view of the narrow Republican majority, McCarthy has had great difficulty securing enough votes in his own party's ranks. The election of the speaker could therefore be more complicated than usual.
With their new strength in the House of Representatives, the Republicans can make life difficult for Biden. They have already announced congressional investigations into him and other members of the government and will be able to block legislation at will.
