As the nation's capital awakens from the holiday season, the reins of power in the House of Representatives are being handed over to the GOP. While previous transfers of power in the House have been marked with much celebration and fanfare, incoming Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has decided to pursue a more tone-downed transition, striking a tone of austerity to match the GOP's campaign rhetoric. He will officially become the next Speaker of the House on Wednesday when the 112th Congress convenes for its first official day of business.

Steele's Setback at the RNC

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele's re-election chances were dealt a serious blow recently when a majority of committee members told Politico that they are not supporting his attempt to lead the RNC for another term. Out of a total of 168 members, 88 have stated they are not planning to vote for Steele. Of these 88, 55 have said they will not support Steele's re-election "under any circumstances," while the other 33 have promised to support other candidates.

Steele fired back at his opponents with a piece in the Daily Caller entitled "I revived the RNC." In the opinion piece, Steele credited his focus on grassroots outreach with transforming "an RNC organization that had failed to compete effectively with the Democrats in 2006 and 2008" into a key component behind large Republican victories in the past election cycle. He notes that based on the metrics of "fundraising, turnout, and election results... the RNC has been more successful in the past two years than ever in its history."

One of Steele's major opponents to be head of the RNC, Gentry Collins, recently dropped out of the race. Collins had been the RNC's National Political Director until he resigned last November due to concerns over the RNC's financial health. With Collins out of the race, there are now four challengers: Wisconsin Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus, former Missouri Republican Party Chair Ann Wagner, Michigan RNC Committeeman Saul Anuzis and former Deputy RNC Chairwoman Maria Cino.

Priebus is currently leading all contenders with the outright support of 32 members. Wagner is next with 13 first-choice votes, followed by Anuzis with 11 first-choice votes. Cino rounds out the challengers with six first-choice votes. Not one, however, has the support of 85 members, which is necessary to become the next RNC chair.

Healthcare Reform Repeal Bill to be Introduced Soon

Representative Fred Upton (R-MI), who will chair the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the 112th Congress, recently stated that a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act will be introduced in Congress before President Obama delivers his State of the Union address. Since Republicans made this a major theme of last year's elections, the vast majority of GOP members of Congress will likely support such a measure. Upton believes Republicans can convince those House Democrats who voted against healthcare reform the first time around to vote for repeal.

With that said, there will likely be tremendous pressure on Democrats not to vote for such legislation. In addition, even if the repeal legislation passed the House, it would also have to overcome Democratic opposition in the Senate and then President Obama's likely veto before becoming law. In the case of a presidential veto, a two-thirds majority of both Congressional chambers would have to vote to override the veto.

According to Upton, the repeal bill will be followed by additional bills to undo particular elements of the Affordable Care Act. The most controversial element of healthcare reform, the individual mandate, would be among the first items targeted for repeal. In addition, a bill to do away with the 1099 reporting requirements included in the legislation also would be introduced.