President Donald J. Trump (Official White House photo by Shealah Craighead)
Monday is the day when the 45th President officially becomes the 47th President.
Donald Trump takes the oath of office at 11:00 Monday morning.
When Trump begins his second non-consecutive term, he will do so with a Republican-controlled House and a Republican-controlled Senate.
Speaker Mike Johnson says he hopes that will lead to the passage of some of his key agenda items, like renewing his tax cuts from his first term.
“If we let the Trump tax cuts expire, we’re at risk of losing as many as six-million total jobs and $540 billion in employee compensation,” says Johnson. “We cannot fail to extend the Trump tax cuts.”
Congresswoman Julia Letlow says she can’t wait to get to work on Trump’s agenda.
“We were delivered a mandate by the people to deliver, and you’re going to find me up in Washington working every single day that I can to make sure that we deliver on those promises that were made,” says Letlow.
Democrat Cleo Fields, who like Trump is making his return to Congress after being out of office, says both parties need to work together to pass common-sense legislation that will improve the lives of all Americans.
“They really don’t care about whether or not you’re a Democrat or a Republican,” says Fields. “They care about lowering the price of food. They care about education.”
Once a pair of Trump’s cabinet nominees are confirmed, Republicans will only have a 217-215 majority in the House, meaning the GOP cannot lose a single vote in the House to pass legislation without Democratic support until those vacancies are filled by way of special elections.
Historically, the party in power almost always loses seats in the House in midterm elections, so Republicans may only have two years to pass some of Trump’s most ambitious goals.
Letlow says she’s not worried about that.
“I’m going to make the most of this day today,” says Letlow. “I’m living in the present, and you never know what’s going to happen in the future, but I’m going to make sure that I get as much accomplished today as I possibly can.”
Fields says with a House that’s split almost right down the middle, it’s more important than ever for the two parties to cooperate.
“Because it’s so close, it’s going to force us as congresspeople to work together,” says Fields.
Due to the dangerously cold weather in Monday’s forecast in Washington, DC, the swearing-in ceremony will take place indoors in the Capitol Rotunda.
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