After their electoral victory in November, the US Democrats formally took power in the House of Representatives on Thursday. The conservative Republicans of US President Donald Trump lose their supremacy in the chamber for the first time after eight years.
The was elected chairman after the parliamentary assembly as the successor to Republican Paul Ryan – 220 of the 435 parliamentarians voted in favor of them. She thus becomes one of the most important antagonists of the President.
In the Senate – the second chamber of the US Parliament – vice-president Mike Pence sworn the 100 senators. Two each come from each of the 50 states, 35 were redefined in November. In the Senate, the Republicans continue to have a majority of 53 to 47 seats.
Pelosi said after the vote of a „historical moment“ and said: „Two months ago, the American people spoke and demanded a new dawn.“ The Republicans offered cooperation. „We will strive to shake hands with the passage in this Chamber and the divisions in our nation.“ She confessed, „that this Congress will be transparent, non-partisan and unifying.“
The 78-year-old was party disputed. Critics accused her of sticking to the leadership she’d filled out between 2007 and 2011. Your person does not stand for a new beginning of the Democrats in the Washington politics, which is described by many Americans as intransparent to corrupt.
The change in the House of Representatives comes in the midst of a partial government shutdown in the US. Republicans and Democrats have not been able to agree with Trump on the extension of a budget law. Trump wants funding for the construction of a boundary wall in the law – otherwise he would refuse his necessary signature, he announced.
After days of deadlock, it is expected that both parties will try to come up with compromise proposals soon. Pelosi had announced for Thursday (local time) a new push. However, it had also made it clear that the Democrats would not comply with Trump’s demand for financing a border wall with Mexico. „No. Nothing for the wall », Pelosi had stated in an interview published on Wednesday by NBC.
Trump had refused to sign a budget law if it did not allocate more than $ 5 billion to its long-awaited wall on the Mexican border. The Democrats reject Trump’s request.
In the Senate, the second chamber of the US Parliament, Trump’s Republicans have a comparatively comfortable majority. However, budgetary matters require the support of Democrats. Because of the „shutdown“, hundreds of thousands of government employees are on forced leave or have to work for the time being without a salary. On Friday there will be another meeting of the group leaders with Trump.
It is expected for the coming months that the Democrats will make use of the opportunity
and possibly also to summon him – up to a possible impeachment proceedings. This is in principle possible with the majority of Democrats in the event of suspicion of serious misconduct.
However, such a procedure would be led and ultimately decided in the Republican-dominated Senate. In order to deprive Trump of the office, it would therefore require a repatriation movement of the Republican from its president.
Pelosi believes that the president could also be charged in office. This legal interpretation is not unequivocally clarified not only between the political parties but also among US constitutionalists.
Pelosi said in her speech: „Let’s assure each other that we respect each other and respect the truth when we disagree.“ This could be seen as a swipe at Trump, whose statements often contain half or falsehoods and disrespectfulness to the critic to blame with opponents.
