The first few days of January will be an incredibly busy time on Capitol Hill with leadership elections, the certification of the Jan. 6 election, nomination hearings and the inauguration of a new president, all complicated by expected services to remember former President Jimmy Carter.

On January 3, according to the Constitution, the House of Representatives and Senate will meet to swear in members of the new Congress and elect a new Speaker of the House. The Senate has already elected their leadership. With the House’s slim majority and several Republican hardliners already voicing concerns about Speaker Mike Johnson’s leadership strategy, the speaker’s nomination process could be drawn out.

Increased security is expected around the Capitol on Monday, January 6, for the certification of the election – the fourth anniversary of the attack on the Capitol. It is unclear how the Capitol Police and Secret Service will handle Carter’s lying in state and public access to his television shows given these heightened concerns.

US President Joe Biden declared January 9th a national day of mourning for Carter. The White House confirmed Monday that Carter’s official state funeral in Washington, D.C. will also take place on Jan. 9.

On January 20th, President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn in, and nomination hearings will begin beforehand on his choice for key cabinet positions.

In January alone, there will be three separate national security events: Carter’s lying in state, the counting and certification of the election results, and the inauguration.

House and Senate leaders are currently discussing the timing of the lie for Carter, according to a source familiar with the conversations. However, according to previous minutes, the date could be around January 6th.