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By Anna Skinner and Leonardo Feldman
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Democrats' sweeping midterm success is poised to reshape the agenda on Capitol Hill, with lawmakers already laying out what they want the new Congress to tackle first.
The lame-duck session began Monday with a substantial list of unfinished business, including a December 11 government-funding deadline and several federal judge nominees still pending Senate review, but attention is already shifting toward what comes next. As newly elected members arrive in Washington for orientation, returning lawmakers are also looking beyond the final weeks of the year, laying out priorities and proposals they hope will carry into the new Congress in January.
U.S. Representative Analilia Mejia, a Democrat from New Jersey, told Newsweek on Monday afternoon that lawmakers should use the transition period to introduce proposals and lay the groundwork for the next Congress.
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“That means we should be, one, ideating with our community leaders to make sure that we are forecasting all of the things that we need to handle in the 120th [Congress],” Mejia said. “Just because they won't necessarily get signed or move doesn't mean that we shouldn't do the work of introducing our ideas right now. That way, we signal to the American people that we mean business.”
Mejia said voters made clear that affordability and holding the Trump administration accountable were among the top concerns fueling the blue wave that swept the nation last week. Democrats won control of the U.S. Senate and House, with several surprising flips in traditionally Republican states contributing to the result, including Democrat James Talarico's Senate win in Texas and Annie Andrews' victory in South Carolina. Several races, such as those in Alaska and Mississippi, are still undecided. However, Mejia said Election Day should not be the last time voters have a say before the new Congress takes office. She called on lawmakers to gather input from their communities through field hearings and town halls.
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“What are the concerns that are keeping them up at night? Obviously, affordability, obviously, corruption, obviously, ending the chaos of both, you know, the violence that ICE has enacted in our communities and pulling us out of this war,” Mejia said. “But there are so many issues that are keeping American families up at night. We should be listening to them right now.”
Among the more immediate matters Mejia expects to address are articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, which Representative Thomas Massie introduced in the House on Monday. Mejia said she intends to vote in favor of the articles.
Looking Ahead to the 120th Congress
Affordability is already emerging as a priority for the incoming Congress. Denise Powell, a Democrat who flipped Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District in the midterms, said she plans to focus on health care, housing and childcare costs next year.
“I'm excited that there's so much energy around really creating some solutions for Americans right now, because everybody from every district, they're all talking about the same things: affordability, health care, housing, and there seems to be a real consensus that those are the things we're going to focus on,” Powell told Newsweek. “So I'm excited to actually get some stuff done.”
Among the specific measures Powell said she wants to pursue after taking office is legislation to reverse the Medicaid cuts enacted as part of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, which was signed into law in July 2025. She also listed ending the war with Iran as a priority.
“So there's a lot to tackle, and we'll see what we can do in the short term and in the long term,” Powell said.
Micah Lasher, a Democrat who won New York’s 12th congressional district last week, expressed similar goals, adding that he was excited to get started.
“I want to work on housing costs, I want work on childcare investments, how we make sure jobs are available to the next generation of Americans at a time of enormous economic and technological upheaval, while at the same time making sure that we hold the Trump administration accountable for the corruption and grift that has come at the expense of the American people,” Lasher told Newsweek on Monday.
Mark Lamb, a Republican who won Arizona’s 5th congressional district during the midterms, hopes to focus on border security when the new Congress takes office.
“While the president has fixed it, we have some long-term fixes that need to happen in this country to be able to solidify that so we make sure that our border is secure moving forward,” Lamb told Newsweek on Monday.
Republican Agenda for Lame-Duck Session
Republicans are focused on a slate of priorities they hope to advance before the lame-duck session ends in December.
The House Freedom Caucus Board of Directors announced its plans for the lame-duck session on Monday, including passing a reconciliation package to address debt, spending and tax relief; codifying Trump's border security policies and banning sanctuary cities; passing legislation on stock trading and term limits; requiring voter identification in federal elections; and confirming as many Trump nominees as possible in the Senate.
“In the two months remaining in the 119th Congress, we have an enormous amount of unfinished business to preserve and protect the Republic from an incoming majority party hell-bent on radically changing it,” the announcement, which was sent to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader John Thune, said. “We must deny them every legislative leverage point possible.”
What Happens Next
The new Congress will take office on January 3, 2027, when newly elected lawmakers are sworn in and the 120th Congress officially begins.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Samantha Beech and Rhian Morgan.
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