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In Focus: The New Congress The 2006 mid-term elections featured tight races and were the most expensive in U.S. history. In the end, the Democrats gained a majority in the House and the Senate, ending the Republican majority control of about 12 years, excluding a brief and slim Democratic majority in the Senate when Jeffords became an Independent in January 2001.
The Democratically controlled 110th Congress opened for business on Thursday, January 4, with jubilant Democrats electing Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) as the first woman leader of the House of Representatives. "In a few moments, I'll have the high privilege of handing the gavel of the House of Representatives to a woman for the first time in American history," House Minority Leader John A. Boehmer (R-OH) told his fellow lawmakers. "Whether you're a Republican, a Democrat or an independent, this is a cause for celebration."
"I accept this gavel in the spirit of partnership, not partisanship, and look forward to working with you on behalf of the American people," Pelosi said. "In this House, we may belong to different parties, but we serve one country."
Both Democrats and Republicans pledged cooperation despite years of partisanship and gridlock, to try to get the 110th Congress off on a productive note. Pelosi will lead a fractious House divided into 233 Democrats and 202 Republicans.
The American people have high hopes for the new Congress, according to a new CBS News poll. Sixty-eight percent of those polled said they had optimistic feelings about the 110th Congress, while just 25 percent said they were pessimistic. Nearly half expect that this Congress will accomplish more than usual over the next two years.
On the other end of the Capitol, Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) took the reins of the Senate, promising to "work in a bipartisan basis in an open fashion to solve the problems of the American people."
Democrats maintain a tenuous hold on a Senate divided 51-49. There are 49 Democrats and 49 Republicans and two independents, who both vote with Democrats. The fragile Senate margin ensures little Democratic-sponsored legislation can pass without support from at least some Republicans. "Our efforts are going to be to work in a bipartisan basis in an open fashion to solve the problems of the American people," Reid said.
The 33 new or re-elected senators who took their oaths included seven women, bringing the total number of women in Congress' upper chamber to a record 16. There are now a record 74 women in the House, including three non-voting delegates. Taking the oath of office were 10 new senators. The House has 55 new members, all but 13 of them Democrats.
In the House, Democrats immediately after formally taking control started to work on what they have called their hundred-hours agenda. The House nearly unanimously approved a broad package of internal rules changes designed to sever the links that have developed between lawmakers and lobbyists. Over the next two weeks, Democrats in the House plan to enact new homeland security measures, increase the minimum wage, allow federally funded stem cell research, permit the federal government to negotiate lower prescription-drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries, cut student-loan interest rates and fund alternative-energy research by rolling back tax breaks for oil companies. In addition, Democrats will likely confront President Bush on the larger, more controversial issues of the day: the war in Iraq, and military tribunals that suspend the legal rights of terrorism suspects.
January 12, 2007
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