# When does the new Congress start?

*The 20th Amendment sets the day and the hour, and it lets Congress pick a different meeting day only by passing a law.*

- Type: Explainer
- Section: Politics
- By: Politics Desk
- Published: 2026-11-11T23:10:57-05:00
- Updated: 2026-11-11T23:10:57-05:00
- URL: https://factsdesk.com/politics/when-does-the-new-congress-start/

Topics: [U.S. Congress](https://factsdesk.com/topic/us-congress/)

## Key facts

- The terms of the new Congress begin at noon on January 3, 2027, when the 20th Amendment ends the terms of sitting senators and representatives and begins the terms of their successors. Source: [National Archives](https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27). Confirmed 2026-11-11T23:10:00-05:00. Cite: https://factsdesk.com/politics/when-does-the-new-congress-start/#the-terms-of-the-new-congress-begin-at-noon-on-january-3
- The 20th Amendment says Congress meets at noon on January 3 each year unless it appoints a different day by law. Source: [National Archives](https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27). Confirmed 2026-11-11T23:10:00-05:00. Cite: https://factsdesk.com/politics/when-does-the-new-congress-start/#the-20th-amendment-says-congress-meets-at-noon-on-january-3
- The Senate says Congresses have begun and ended at noon on January 3 of odd-numbered years since 1935. Source: [U.S. Senate](https://www.senate.gov/legislative/DatesofSessionsofCongress.htm). Confirmed 2026-11-11T23:10:00-05:00. Cite: https://factsdesk.com/politics/when-does-the-new-congress-start/#the-senate-says-congresses-have-begun-and-ended-at-noon-on
- The current 119th Congress opened its first session on January 3, 2025, and its second session on January 3, 2026. Source: [U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Historian](https://history.house.gov/Institution/Session-Dates/110-Current/). Confirmed 2026-11-11T23:10:00-05:00. Cite: https://factsdesk.com/politics/when-does-the-new-congress-start/#the-current-119th-congress-opened-its-first-session-on
- The opening meeting has not always been on January 3: the 114th Congress began its first session on January 6, 2015. Source: [U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Historian](https://history.house.gov/Institution/Session-Dates/110-Current/). Confirmed 2026-11-11T23:10:00-05:00. Cite: https://factsdesk.com/politics/when-does-the-new-congress-start/#the-opening-meeting-has-not-always-been-on-january-3-the

The terms of the new Congress begin at noon on January 3, 2027, the day and hour the [20th Amendment](https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27) sets for the terms of sitting senators and representatives to end and the terms of their successors to begin. January 3, 2027, is a Sunday.

## What the Constitution says

Section 1 of the [20th Amendment](https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27) ends the terms of senators and representatives "at noon on the 3d day of January" and adds that "the terms of their successors shall then begin." That is why newly elected members take office in January and not on Election Day.

Section 2 of the same amendment covers the meeting itself. It says Congress assembles at least once a year and that the meeting begins at noon on January 3, "unless they shall by law appoint a different day." The National Archives transcript says Congress passed the amendment on March 2, 1932, and that it was ratified on January 23, 1933.

The Senate's [list of session dates](https://www.senate.gov/legislative/DatesofSessionsofCongress.htm) says: "Since 1935, in accordance with the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, Congresses have begun and ended at noon on January 3 of odd-numbered years."

## Can the first meeting be on a different day?

Yes, but only by law. The term of a member begins at noon on January 3 in every case, because Section 1 of the [amendment](https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27) has no exception. The day Congress first meets is the part that Section 2 lets Congress move.

The House historian's [table of session dates](https://history.house.gov/Institution/Session-Dates/110-Current/) shows first sessions that began on a day other than January 3. The 114th Congress began its first session on January 6, 2015, a Tuesday, and its second session on January 4, 2016.

## When recent Congresses began

The dates below are from the House historian's [table of session dates](https://history.house.gov/Institution/Session-Dates/110-Current/).

| Congress | First session began | Second session began |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 119th | January 3, 2025 | January 3, 2026 |
| 118th | January 3, 2023 | January 3, 2024 |
| 117th | January 3, 2021 | January 3, 2022 |
| 116th | January 3, 2019 | January 3, 2020 |
| 115th | January 3, 2017 | January 3, 2018 |
| 114th | January 6, 2015 | January 4, 2016 |

## What happens before then

The 119th Congress stays in office until noon on January 3, 2027. The House historian's table lists it as the Congress of 2025 to 2027 and shows no adjournment date yet for its second session, which began on January 3, 2026. A deadline that falls before that date is covered in [Will the government shut down on December 11?](/politics/will-the-government-shut-down-on-december-11/).

## Sources

1. [The Constitution: Amendments 11-27](https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27), National Archives, 2026-11-11 (primary source)
2. [Dates of Sessions of the Congress](https://www.senate.gov/legislative/DatesofSessionsofCongress.htm), U.S. Senate, 2026-11-11 (primary source)
3. [Session Dates of Congress, 110th to Current](https://history.house.gov/Institution/Session-Dates/110-Current/), U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Historian, 2026-11-11 (primary source)