Incoming members of Congress descend on Capitol Hill for orientation

WASHINGTON — Over the course of several hours Tuesday morning, newly elected members of the House trickled in and out of a hotel several blocks south of the Capitol, getting their first taste of the press corps as they geared up for a 10-day crash course on all things Congress.

“It’s important to know where the bathrooms are in the building, obviously,” said California Democrat Sam T. Liccardo, the former mayor of San Jose. Building out a strong team and finding common ground with the likely Republican majority also ranked high on the list, Liccardo said.

He was one of several dozen people attending new member orientation, a series of programs hosted by the House Administration Committee to help acclimate soon-to-be lawmakers.

The orientation features trainings, informational sessions and guest speakers. The newbies will pose for a class photo and, later next week, participate in a room lottery to see exactly where they’ll work in the 119th Congress.

“I’m hoping to get a good office, but honestly I don’t know what office is best,” said Suhas Subramanyam, the Democratic representative-elect from Virginia’s 10th District.

Orientation is also an opportunity for members-elect to form alliances on the Hill. Subramanyam spoke to reporters on his way to a separate orientation held by the New Democrat Coalition, the influential center-left caucus that counts 22 new members in the freshman class.

And it’s an opportunity to stake out priorities and put together committee wishlists — no matter how far-fetched.

“I’m trying to get on the Appropriations Committee. I’m told as a freshman that’s not possible,” Subramanyam said. “But, you know, you miss all the shots you don’t take, right?”

There’s an app for that

New this year for orientation is an app, automatically downloaded to the House-issued phones given to each freshman, according to a House Administration Committee spokesperson.

It comes equipped with maps (to help find bathrooms, as well as orientation programming) of House office buildings and the Capitol Visitor Center, details on requesting media interview space and shuttle times.

“The committee is excited this app finally brings NMO into the 21st century,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

The committee is also bringing back a nonpartisan hospitality suite — for the first time in many congresses, according to the spokesperson — at the hotel where members from both parties can mingle each night.

Also for the first time, members-elect will be able to sign important documents using e-forms and they’ll be asked to choose how they want their constituent casework handled in the event of an unforeseen departure from Congress. Lawmakers aren’t required to share casework with their successors, which has led to some instances of files getting lost in the shuffle.

Invites all around

Senators-elect are also arriving on the Hill this week, though not without some controversy in the lead-up.

Republicans, who won back control of that chamber, criticized Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., for initially declining to invite Republican Dave McCormick to Senate orientation. With McCormick narrowly leading incumbent Bob Casey in Pennsylvania, the Associated Press called the race in the Republican’s favor on Thursday, though some other outlets held off.

Over the weekend, a Schumer spokesperson said in a statement, “With over 100,000 ballots left to be counted in Pennsylvania, the race has not been decided. As is custom, we will invite the winner once the votes are counted.” By Tuesday, however, both McCormick and Democrat Ruben Gallego, who defeated Kari Lake in a close Arizona race, had been invited to the Senate’s programming.

There was no such controversy on the House side. House Administration Chair Bryan Steil took to social media on Sunday to draw a distinction.

“In contrast to the Senate, the House invites candidates of both parties to DC when a race is not officially called before the start of orientation,” Steil said in a statement posted to the committee’s X account. “With CA and other states still counting we expect a number of candidates to attend until their race is called.”

According to a House Administration roster of new members, 11 Republicans and nine Democrats in situations like those were invited to new member orientation.

More than a dozen races had not been called as of Tuesday, according to the Associated Press, though Republicans were projecting confidence they would maintain a House majority.

Gil Cisneros, the Democratic representative-elect from California’s 31st District, was in that position the last time he was elected to Congress, in 2018. He skipped out on much of new member orientation because his race hadn’t been called yet.

“I was a little superstitious and I missed the first week, which I think was pretty much the meat of the orientation,” Cisneros said Tuesday. “But I’m excited to be here this time and relearn what I need to learn.”