The Republican majorities in the House and Senate want to get to work quickly on President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda, but they will soon face an assortment of deadlines and potential scheduling conflicts.
Here are just a few of the key dates to watch on the 2025 calendar:
Jan. 3: 119th Congress convenes
It’s the first day of the new Congress, when new senators will be sworn in and South Dakota Republican John Thune will begin his first term as the Senate majority leader. House members, meanwhile, will convene with the intention of electing a speaker and beginning to set the rules of their chamber.
Jan. 6: Joint session to count Electoral College ballots
Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to preside over a joint session of Congress certifying that Trump defeated her in the previous year’s general election. She would be the third vice president to do so in the past century, but the process could become more complicated if the House does not elect a speaker before Monday.
Jan. 9: State funeral for former President Jimmy Carter
Carter’s death on Sunday at the age of 100 added to the official Washington agenda ahead of Trump’s inauguration, with President Joe Biden calling for a state funeral and a National Day of Mourning on this day. As part of the remembrances, Carter will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda from the afternoon of Jan. 7 through the morning of Jan. 9, congressional leaders announced.
Jan. 14: “Extraordinary measures”
Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen, in a late December letter to congressional leaders, said it was anticipated the Treasury would need to begin using “extraordinary measures” to avert defaulting on the debt sometime during the window of Jan. 14-23. It’s a reminder that the new GOP majority will need to address the debt limit, likely through budget reconciliation.
Jan. 20: Trump’s inauguration
The former president will join Grover Cleveland as just the second man in American history to return to the White House after losing reelection when he’s sworn in at the Capitol on Jan. 20, which happens to coincide with Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year.
Jan. 27-29: House Republican retreat
The House Republican retreat, otherwise known as an issues conference, is scheduled to take place at Trump National Doral in South Florida, a week after the resort’s namesake president returns to office.
Jan. 28: Special election primaries in Florida
Florida is holding a special election to fill the seat vacated by former Rep. Matt Gaetz, who resigned in November, and another to succeed Rep. Michael Waltz, Trump’s designee for national security adviser. The primaries for the two deep-red seats are scheduled for this day, and Trump has already endorsed in both races. The short-term vacancies will at least temporarily complicate the math for House GOP leadership.
Feb. 3: Statutory day for release of the president’s budget
Given this is the beginning of a new president’s term, the release of Trump’s budget request is almost certain to be delayed, but the first Monday in February remains a marker for the budget process for fiscal 2026, even as there is still much work to do for the current fiscal year.
Feb. 19-22: Conservative Political Action Conference
CPAC is sure to attract high-profile Republicans, especially in a year when the party holds unified control of Congress and the White House. The annual event once again takes place just outside Washington at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Prince George’s County, Md.
March 14: Fiscal 2025 continuing resolution expires
When Democrats and Republicans reached an agreement to avoid a shutdown ahead of Christmas, the agreement pushed the deadline for enacting appropriations into the first quarter of the first year of Trump’s new term. There is, in theory, a one-week recess for both chambers immediately after this deadline.
April 1: Election Day in Florida
Florida voters in the 1st and 6th Districts will decide the successors to Gaetz and Waltz in the pair of special general elections. The seats are expected to remain safely in Republican hands.
April 14-25: Recess for Easter and Passover
The first scheduled two-week recess period arrives in April, with Easter Sunday on April 20.
June 10: New Jersey primary elections
The Democratic primary for governor in New Jersey will be of interest to Capitol Hill, with both Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Mikie Sherrill vying for the nomination. Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law Dec. 31 adjusting the primary date to avoid a conflict with a Jewish holiday.
June 14: Virginia primary elections
Democrat Abigail Spanberger, who did not seek reelection to her seat based in Northern and Central Virginia, is running for commonwealth governor. Rep. Robert C. Scott, the ranking member on the committee expected to be known as Education and Workforce in the new Congress, is reportedly considering challenging her in the primary. Republican incumbent Glenn Youngkin is subject to Virginia’s one-consecutive-term limit on the governorship.
Aug. 4-Sept. 1: August recess
The anticipated August recess period for both chambers in 2025 will be just short of a full month, with lawmakers due back at the Capitol immediately after Labor Day, which falls on Sept. 1 this year.
Sept. 30: End of the fiscal year
The new year for appropriations begins at the start of October, and with the current fiscal year’s spending decisions already kicked to mid-March, there’s likely to be a truncated schedule for getting to work on fiscal 2026.
Nov. 4: General elections in New Jersey and Virginia
As with the primaries in June, all eyes will be on the two states holding off-year elections this year — both to try to read the tea leaves for what may happen in the 2026 midterms and likely to see if any sitting members of the House will be departing for the governor’s mansion.
Dec. 19: Target departure for winter break
If all goes according to plan, members of Congress will be departing for Christmas no later than Dec. 19.
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