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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest developments in Congress (all times EST):
2:48 p.m.
Vice President-elect Mike Pence made it clear to House Republicans that the incoming president wanted Paul Ryan as Speaker.
Freedom Caucus member Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina nominated Ryan on Tuesday. Mulvaney said that in a phone conversation earlier in the day with Pence, the Indiana governor told him to explicitly state that Donald Trump and Pence wanted Ryan to be speaker — which Mulvaney said he did during his speech.
That made Mulvaney's remarks an important show of support from two factions of Republicans who've been critical of Ryan — hard-right conservatives and strong Trump supporters.
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1:51 p.m.
Republicans have re-nominated Paul Ryan to be House speaker when next year's GOP-led Congress starts working on President-elect Donald Trump's agenda.
House Republicans picked the Wisconsin Republican at a closed-door meeting Tuesday.
Some hard-right GOP lawmakers say Ryan has not been a sufficiently aggressive champion of conservative causes. And some ardent backers of Trump's candidacy were unhappy that the speaker refused to campaign for Trump and clashed repeatedly with him.
But a week after Trump's startling election, elated Republicans rallied behind Ryan.
Ryan still must win formal election when the full House picks its speaker as the new Congress convenes Jan. 3.
All Democrats are expected to oppose him that day. Ryan will need support of all but around two dozen Republicans to prevail.
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12:45 p.m.
House Democratic leaders say a delay in leadership elections is not a repudiation after last week's Democratic rout.
"It's a desire to talk about what happened, and I think that's healthy," said Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer, the No. 2 Democrat in the House.
Democrats decided Tuesday morning to delay a vote for Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's re-election bid after several members said they needed more time.
House Democratic Caucus Chairman Xavier Becerra, D-Calif., said the delay is an effort to ensure new members are included, not to allow time for members to rethink who's in charge.
No one has yet come forward to challenge Pelosi, D-Calif. But Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan has said he is considering a run.
Ryan said the party needs a message that "resonates in the flyover states."
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11:05 a.m.
Speaker Paul Ryan promises that President-elect Donald Trump and a unified Republican Congress will mean that "a better way, better days lie ahead for our country." He's promising to work "hand in glove" with the incoming administration.
Ryan said he's talking frequently with Trump and top officials and is still formulating strategies to get the Trump administration off to a quick start on Capitol Hill. Ryan declined to reveal what the agenda of the ongoing lame-duck session will be.
But Ryan did promise "we're going to fix these problems," ranging from the deficit to defense.
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10:50 a.m.
House Democrats have decided to delay their leadership elections and the decision on whether to keep Nancy Pelosi as their leader. Elections had been scheduled for Thursday, but now will occur on Nov. 30.
At issue is whether to reinstall Pelosi or opt for a new leader.
Democrats gained seats in last Tuesday's election but not as many as initially expected, and Republicans will hold the Senate and the presidency.
More than two dozen House Democrats wrote Pelosi this week asking her to delay the elections, saying it is "vital that our caucus take the time to listen to the American people and learn the lessons of this difficult election."
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