The session opens with a two-week legislative stretch that overlaps with freshman orientation for members-elect of the 120th Congress, who will be seated Jan. 3. At least 109 incoming House freshmen are expected to be sworn in — the largest pre-convening freshman class in the lower chamber since the 73rd Congress convened in 1933, according to figures as of Friday. Several races remain too close to call.

At least 17 senators are also departing, with more new members expected as incumbent senators Marsha Blackburn and Amy Klobuchar move to their states' governors' mansions and appoint successors. The Alaska and Mississippi Senate races have not yet been projected; Democratic wins there would further expand the Senate freshman class.

House Speaker Mike Johnson is already facing friction within his own conference. GOP leadership plans to advance just one piece of legislation under a rule next week, continuing complaints from members who were sent home for a six-week campaign blitz this fall without Republican legislative wins on the floor.

That schedule could be upended by Rep. Thomas Massie, who lost a GOP primary months ago and is expected to reintroduce a privileged resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Massie's resolution carries eight articles of impeachment. He could move as early as Monday, setting up a midweek showdown.

Hegseth is under pressure from both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue after Tuesday's Democratic victories. President Donald Trump said Thursday he intends to keep Hegseth in his job, amid assessments from several Republicans — including Vice President JD Vance — that the war with Iran contributed to the party's midterm losses. In a video posted Thursday, Hegseth said he would not back down, defending the Iran war and his cultural agenda at the Pentagon while comparing the impeachment effort to the two prior attempts against Trump.

"A disgruntled, defeated congressman, along with all his Democratic allies has also dropped sham articles of impeachment against yours truly," Hegseth said. "Just like they tried against President Trump twice."

Separately, Massie's latest Epstein discharge petition is nearing the 218-signature threshold needed to force floor consideration. The petition, aimed at Attorney General Todd Blanche, has 216 signatures, including four lame-duck Republicans: Massie, Nancy Mace, Ralph Norman and Brian Fitzpatrick. Two more Democratic signatures would bring the Epstein Transparency Act II to the floor. The bill would let state attorneys general, victims and members of Congress sue the U.S. attorney general in federal court for unlawfully withholding or redacting investigative records related to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

Blanche has acknowledged "mistakes" in failing to properly redact some victims' names but told the Senate Judiciary Committee in July that the department moved quickly to correct them. "Whenever we learned that any victim's name had been improperly non-redacted, we immediately took the document down and fixed it as soon as we could," he testified July 15. "That doesn't excuse the mistakes of which I take full responsibility, but it does mean that we tried to fix them."

Leadership elections are also in motion. Johnson announced he will not run for GOP leader in the next Congress, setting up a Tuesday contest between Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan. House Democrats hold their leadership elections Nov. 18, when Hakeem Jeffries is expected to secure the speaker nomination. Senate Republicans hold a closed-door leadership vote Tuesday morning, with all current members of their leadership team seeking to retain their posts; only remaining incumbents and newly elected Republican senators will vote. Senate Democrats have not announced a date for their leadership elections as Chuck Schumer lines up support for majority leader.

Freshman orientation begins Sunday, with a new-member photo on the House steps Thursday morning; Senate orientation is scheduled for the first half of the week.

The legislative to-do list is steep. Government funding runs out after Dec. 11 and lawmakers are far from a deal to avert a shutdown. Congress must pass the National Defense Authorization Act before the end of 2026, with disputes over funding for the Iran war potentially coming to a head. Reauthorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and passing the expired Farm Bill are also pending.

Senate Republicans will try to confirm Trump's remaining nominees before losing the chamber in January, a scheduling challenge for Republican Sen. John Thune given that Democrats may withhold unanimous consent time agreements. The Senate will also continue work on bipartisan permitting reform legislation, with a procedural vote Monday that will signal whether negotiations hold or Democrats defer the issue to the next Congress under their majority.