Nancy Pelosi, New Year's Eve Party Pooper

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is the party pooper this New Year's Eve for her Democratic colleagues.

In an e-mail sent Tuesday, Pelosi warned House Democrats about how much work was on their plates when the 111th Congress gavels to business on Jan. 6.

Democrats will spend the bulk of their day on Monday deciding committee assignments for new members and some of the returning lawmakers looking to upgrade their posts.

They will also start work on the economic stimulus package. On Wednesday, economists Mark Zandi, Robert Reich, Martin Feldstein, Norm Augustine and Maria T. Zuber will testify about the massive economic recovery plan at a hearing before the Steering & Policy Committee, the leadership panel that lacks direct jurisdiction over this spending bill.

And on Thursday, Pelosi says, the House is scheduled to hold a joint session with the Senate to count the electoral votes ahead of the Jan. 20 inauguration.

“The 111th Congress will hit the ground running in January with an ambitious schedule that corresponds with the opportunities and challenges that we face as a country,” Pelosi wrote in the message. “The opening days of the Congress will be intense. Thanks to your leadership and the unity of the caucus, I know that we will be ready.”