State Dept. condemns arrests, repression in Russia

The rush of confirmation hearings for Biden’s Cabinet nominees kicked off Tuesday morning with those being vetted for top jobs in national intelligence and the heads of the Departments of Homeland Security, Treasury, State and Defense appearing before the Senate both virtually and on the heavily fortified Capitol grounds.

Senate committees will hear the cases for Janet Yellen to serve as treasury secretary, Avril Haines to serve as the director of national intelligence,  Anthony Blinken to serve as secretary of state, Lloyd Austin to serve as secretary of defense and Alejandro Mayorkas to serve as the Department of Homeland Security secretary.

ABC News has obtained a copy of Homeland Security nominee Alejandro Mayorkas' prepared opening statement ahead of his delivery, showing he's expected to call the Jan. 6 Capitol Siege "horrifying" and pledge to prevent another. If confirmed, Mayorkas would be the first Latino and immigrant in the position.

“If I should have the honor of being confirmed, I will do everything I can to ensure that the tragic loss of life, the assault on law enforcement, the desecration of the building that stands as one of the three pillars of our democracy, and the terror felt by you, your colleagues, staff, and everyone present, will not happen again,” Mayorkas is expected to say.

As Biden is sworn in on Wednesday, he will have no cabinet nominees confirmed.

By contrast, when Trump was sworn in, a GOP-controlled Senate had three nominees ready on Inauguration Day, though Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell at the time blamed Democrats for the low number. On then-President Barack Obama's first day in office, he had seven nominees confirmed by a Democrat-controlled Senate.

The 2021 committees are ramping up for Biden's confirmation hearings at the same time as Trump's impeachment trial is expected to start -- with Pelosi expected to send the article by the end of the week -- a challenge for the Senate, which is also reeling from the attack on the U.S. Capitol less than two weeks ago.

-ABC News' Shannon Crawford and Trish Turner

By Wednesday afternoon, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer could effectively be the new Senate Majority Leader. 

Schumer is expected to meet with his outgoing GOP counterpart, Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, who hasn’t been in the minority since 2015, later Tuesday. The two are expected to discuss organizing a 50-50 Senate where Democrats hold the majority status by virtue of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ tie-breaking ability, Trump's impending impeachment trial and the need to expedite Biden’s Cabinet nominations.

Sources tell ABC News Georgia Sen.-elects Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff could be ready to be sworn in as early as Wednesday. 

Gabriel Sterling, the state’s now-famous voting systems manager, tweeted last week that his office will review the final certifications Tuesday, adding, “Hoping there are no issues.”

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Ratffensperger and Gov. Brian Kemp, both Republicans, will then sign their certificates and a representative of the governor must then physically deliver those results to the secretary of the Senate -- required in Senate rules -- to make the two election outcomes official and trigger the swearing-in process. 

Meanwhile, in California, former Secretary of State and Sen.-elect Alex Padilla appears to be on track to be sworn in on Inauguration Day, filling the seat left vacant by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. Padilla’s office is also tentatively tracking a Wednesday swearing-in, a spokesperson told ABC News. 

Once Harris is sworn in as vice president, thereby president of the Senate, and those three senator-elects are sworn in, Schumer will be handed the reins as majority leader. 

-ABC News' Trish Turner and Quinn Scanlan

Biden, the second Catholic to be elected president, has invited the bipartisan congressional leadership to church with him on Wednesday morning ahead of his inauguration, and all parties have accepted, sources tells ABC News.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy have separately accepted the invite and plan to attend -- a move that is sure to project unity ahead of the official transfer of power.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are also expected to attend.

Punchbowl News first reported the invite.

President Trump is skipping Biden's inauguration and traditional handover of power at the White House to hold his own sendoff at Joint Base Andrews while he still bears the title of president ahead of noon on Wednesday -- making him the first president to skip his successor's swearing since an impeached Andrew Johnson in 1869 snubbed Ulysses Grant.

-ABC News' Trish Turner and Benjamin Siegel

Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris have chosen to nominate Dr. Rachel Levine as assistant Secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services, the transition announced Tuesday. 

Levine currently serves as secretary of health for Pennsylvania. She would be the first openly transgender federal official confirmed by the Senate, if approved.

"Dr. Rachel Levine will bring the steady leadership and essential expertise we need to get people through this pandemic — no matter their zip code, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability — and meet the public health needs of our country in this critical moment and beyond. She is a historic and deeply qualified choice to help lead our administration's health efforts," Biden said of Levine in a statement.

-ABC News' Molly Nagle